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Notre Dame Priests upset about Obama's Invite to Speak because of Abortion

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by pgabriel, Apr 11, 2009.

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  1. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Ten priests from the order that founded the University of Notre Dame say the school risks its "true soul" and could distance itself from the Roman Catholic Church by inviting President Obama to campus next month.

    The members of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, which helps run the university, asked the Rev. John Jenkins, the Holy Cross priest who is Notre Dame's president, and the university's board of fellows to reconsider the invitation to Obama because he supports abortion rights.
    "Failure to do so will damage the integrity of the institution," said the letter published Wednesday in Notre Dame Observer.

    Notre Dame announced last month that Obama would deliver the university's May 17 commencement address and receive an honorary degree. The decision by the nation's best-known Catholic university sparked widespread anger among many Catholics who said Notre Dame should not honor someone whose policies on abortion and embryonic stem-cell research clash with core church teachings on human life.

    Hundreds of abortion opponents protested on campus Sunday, and the priests said the invitation has opened a "fissure" between Notre Dame and many bishops. More than a dozen bishops have denounced Obama's appearance, including Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

    Jenkins has said the university does not condone all of Obama's policies, and spokesman Dennis Brown has said Notre Dame does not plan to rescind the invitation.

    "We respect the opinions of members of the Holy Cross community and others," Brown said.

    Obama would be the ninth U.S. president to receive an honorary degree from Notre Dame and sixth sitting president to address graduates. Other commencement speakers have included Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush.

    Cecilia Prinster, president of the Notre Dame Alumni Association, noted in a column also published in the campus newspaper that Obama's policies in areas such as health care reform, economic security and environmental stewardship are in line with Catholic social teaching.
    "Although we disagree with Mr. Obama on some core issues, we must not condemn," Prinster wrote.

    Four days before his Notre Dame speech, Obama is set to deliver a much less controversial commencement address at Arizona State University. But the public school in Tempe is denying the president something he's getting at South Bend: an honorary degree.

    "It's our practice to recognize an individual for his body of work, somebody who's been in their position for a long time," Sharon Keeler, an ASU spokeswoman, told The Associated Press. "His body of work is yet to come. That's why we're not recognizing him with a degree at the beginning of his presidency."

    Recent recipients of honorary degrees at ASU include J. Craig Venter, an internationally known scientist credited for developing high-volume genome sequencing, and Wu Qidi, vice minister of education of the People's Republic of China.

    The university's policy is different from the one at Notre Dame, where Brown said it's customary to confer a degree on every guest speaker.
     
    #1 pgabriel, Apr 11, 2009
  2. rimrocker

    rimrocker Contributing Member

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    You would expect that from Notre Dame just like you would expect a similar outcry if Baylor hosted Obama or Cal hosted Bush.

    The really odd one is ASU. They are just being stupid.
     
    #2 rimrocker, Apr 11, 2009
  3. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Contributing Member

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    And yet they let Charlie Weis waddle around like he owns the place.
     
    #3 KingCheetah, Apr 11, 2009
    1 person likes this.
  4. DaDakota

    DaDakota If you want to know, just ask!
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    Maybe they should concentrate on cleaning out the alter boy issues going on with their own priests first.

    DD
     
    #4 DaDakota, Apr 11, 2009
  5. bigtexxx

    bigtexxx Contributing Member

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    I can't believe they'd let Obama on their campus to speak.
     
    #5 bigtexxx, Apr 11, 2009
  6. CometsWin

    CometsWin Breaker Breaker One Nine

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    I'm pretty sure Bush's policy starting the Iraq war clashes with the church's core teachings on human life but I don't recall an uproar at Notre Dame when Bush spoke.
     
    #6 CometsWin, Apr 11, 2009
  7. Major

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    This has been going on a couple of weeks now. It seems the students and younger alumni support it, and the older alumni are unhappy. It's kind of funny, given that Catholic voters as a whole tend to vote Democrat and don't make abortion a primary issue.
     
    #7 Major, Apr 11, 2009
  8. Refman

    Refman Contributing Member

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    If this is all you can add anytime a thread about anything Catholic comes up, save the bandwidth. We already know that you do not like Catholics. It has been made more than obvious.

    If you actually have something substantive to say about the topic, please feel free. If all you can do is talk about priests and altar boys, then please STFU.
     
    #8 Refman, Apr 11, 2009
  9. Dan B.

    Dan B. Member

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    Why weren't they as upset with the Bush speaking at ND? He has sent more people to death row than any other governor, and the Catholic Church expressly condemns the death penalty.
     
    #9 Dan B., Apr 11, 2009
  10. Refman

    Refman Contributing Member

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    There are some orders with the Catholic church that feel very strongly about abortion. The rationale is the death of the truly innocent. It is a much more emotional topic than the death penalty for a good many Catholics.
     
    #10 Refman, Apr 11, 2009
  11. Mike Hunt

    Mike Hunt Member

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    Sorry but this is probably your lowest post yet, thats dumbest generalization Ive seen in awhile. I dont see how your going to bash Notre Dame with a legitimate reason other than a cheap shot like you just took.
     
    #11 Mike Hunt, Apr 11, 2009
  12. Mike Hunt

    Mike Hunt Member

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    Maybe because of the situation at the time? We had 9/11 and Bush just happened to step in and make things seem like he was going to punish the evil-doers. Seriously, has people forgotten 9/11 already?
     
    #12 Mike Hunt, Apr 11, 2009
  13. Refman

    Refman Contributing Member

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    The problem is that even Bush appeared to have lost sight of the real goal. That obscures the tragedy that was 9/11. If Bush had just concentrated on finding bin Laden and taking out his organization, things would have been very different.
     
    #13 Refman, Apr 11, 2009
  14. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Contributing Member

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    CATHOLICISM HAS BEEN ROCKED TO THE CORE
     
    #14 KingCheetah, Apr 11, 2009
  15. nkbearsnk

    nkbearsnk Member

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    Bolded for truth!

    :rolleyes:
     
    #15 nkbearsnk, Apr 11, 2009
  16. rimrocker

    rimrocker Contributing Member

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    Clever nick Mike... reminds me of 6th grade.

    And no, people has not forgotten 9/11, but I has focus on 9/12 where we all has togetherness and W have great ratings.
     
    #16 rimrocker, Apr 11, 2009
  17. nkbearsnk

    nkbearsnk Member

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    http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayR...STORY=/www/story/04-09-2009/0005003798&EDATE=


    Spoken like a true Catholic. :eek:

    This is the reason why I left the church at 15.....The Catholic Faith will let many objectionable things happen inside their own diocese and do their best to save face instead of attacking the issues at hand.....DaDakota knows what I am talking about ;).....but will go to war about an issue that is largely unimportant during times like this. (And blown out of proportion at that!)

    I am happy some intelligent people at Notre Dame are in charge. He will speak....morons will protest.....and it will be over.

    Hopefully the riots that will happen will take out most of the shallow people at that University. We can only pray right? :rolleyes:
     
    #17 nkbearsnk, Apr 11, 2009
  18. rocketsjudoka

    rocketsjudoka Contributing Member
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    While I think many in Notre Dame are being narrow minded over this I think they should rescind their invitation if they think it really does conflict with their religious views and Notre Dame's mission to spread those views.

    Following Rimrockers Cal example if GW Bush was invited to speak at Cal I'm sure there woudl be protest but as a Cal alumni I would hope they wouldn't rescind the inviation. Cal is a public university and while much of faculty don't agree with what GW Bush did or his politics he is a former twice elected President and Cal as an institution shouldn't be partisan.
     
    #18 rocketsjudoka, Apr 11, 2009
  19. rocketsjudoka

    rocketsjudoka Contributing Member
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    In DD's defense he doesn't like any religion.
     
    #19 rocketsjudoka, Apr 11, 2009
  20. Dairy Ashford

    Dairy Ashford Member

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    I have no problem with this; but only because I have no real affinity for honorary degrees.
     
    #20 Dairy Ashford, Apr 11, 2009
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