Bishop to Boycott Obama Commencement Speech
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Bishop to Boycott Obama Commencement Speech at Notre Dame
Kaitlynn RielyPosted: Mar 25th 2009 12:30AM
Filed under: Politics, Small Campus, Big Story, Culture, Religion, News, Local, Media, Notre Dame
Bishop John M. D'Arcy, who presides over Indiana's Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese, which includes Notre Dame, announced Tuesday he will not be attending Notre Dame's May 17 Commencement, since President Barack Obama will be speaking.
"Can I have the Bishop's ticket?" my friend posted on the Web site Twitter.com.
D'Arcy has clashed with Notre Dame in the past, most significantly when University President Fr. John Jenkins issued a statement in 2006 allowing The Vagina Monologues to be performed on campus. Now it's Obama's pro-choice stances and decisions, rather than vaginas, that have gotten D'Arcy's Irish up.
Notre Dame and the White House announced Friday that Obama would be speaking at Notre Dame's May 17 Commencement ceremony, with Jenkins following up Monday clarifying that asking Obama to speak, and awarding him with an honorary doctor of laws degree, does not signify support of his policies. Most students, from my observations on campus, seem to be supportive of and excited about hearing Obama speak. But a vocal student minority, as well as alumni and unaffiliated pro-life groups, have protested the decision vehemently.
In his statement Tuesday, D'Arcy said Jenkins informed him of Obama's acceptance shortly before the announcement was made. D'Arcy said it was the first time he'd been told about the invitation. This May is the 25th Notre Dame graduation since D'Arcy became bishop, and for the first time, he said, he will not attend.
"After much prayer, I have decided not to attend the graduation," he said. "I wish no disrespect to our president, I pray for him and wish him well. I have always revered the Office of the Presidency. But a bishop must teach the Catholic faith 'in season and out of season,' and he teaches not only by his words -- but by his actions."
He added: "My decision is not an attack on anyone, but is in defense of the truth about human life."
I understand that D'Arcy has major disagreements with Obama over abortion and stem cell issues. But isn't he giving up a unique opportunity to pull the president aside for a moment and voice his concerns? It may not make a difference in Obama's stances, but when else will D'Arcy have the ear of the president?
I'm unimpressed with D'Arcy's leadership. The pro-life movement's sign-carrying, march-making approach hasn't worked so far, and I doubt the Bishop's boycott will make any difference in abortion policy in the United States. It just distances the Catholic Church from the decision-making process.
Too bad. I wish D'Arcy had been a bit braver and seen the opportunity, rather than ask whether Notre Dame has "chosen prestige over truth."
D'Arcy's ticket won't go to waste. Notre Dame seniors, who are only guaranteed 3 tickets each for graduation, have been posting on Facebook asking those who don't want Obama to speak at Notre Dame to give away their tickets.
Security itself on graduation day promises to be intense. But already, with two months to go, life in the Notre Dame bubble is becoming surreal. Leaving the gym this afternoon, I stopped by a television because a woman from a local television station was delivering a report from my campus.
When I got back to my room, a friend told me Notre Dame was on CNN.
Does this controversy have the momentum to last two months? Pro-life groups will certainly try their best. Everyone here has a viewpoint on the Obama drama.
My favorite opinion of the day came in a letter to the editor published in Notre Dame's student newspaper, The Observer. The author of the letter is a student at Saint Mary's, the all-women college across the street from Notre Dame, who asked whether the Notre Dame "administration considered the impact such an important political figurehead will have on the travel plans of the other schools graduating that weekend."
I imagine potential traffic congestion is the last thing Jenkins is thinking about this week.
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Judith W.
3:45PM 3:45PM Mar 25th 2009
What kind of DOUBLESPEAK is it, awarding a person an honorary doctor of law degree and honoring him as a graduation speaker at a prestigious Catholic University but it does not signify support of his policies. The two go hand in hand. Would Notre Dame have invited Hitler as a speaker and given him a plack for his outstanding leadership skills and international chicanery.
Standing up for Truth that abortion, the taking of human life at its earliest stages is inherently immoral has nothing to do with popularity or fame. A man who would vote against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act and involve taxpayers in the funding of abortion in my opinion should not be given the honor of speaking at a Catholic University. Thank you Bishop John D'Arcy for your outstanding leadership.
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moderate
4:58PM 4:58PM Mar 25th 2009
So- called born alive lie you mention, tell the whole story. This bill was filled at the 11th hour with restrictions and bans on all abortions. Many senaters from both parties refused to pass untill all added junk was removed. The addendums were removed it passed. But, it was never an issue, it was granstanding by theocrats who are trying to put their religion onto a secular society. Tell the whole truth not a lie.
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Sparkles
8:10PM 8:10PM Mar 26th 2009
President Obama's views on abortion are his own. He has personally never had an abortion. That decision should be left up to the individual to decide for themselves. Many (many!) Catholics have had abortions. Many non-catholics have given birth bringing a child into poverty and abuse. No one is perfect. As a wise person once said 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone'. You should read your bible and learn to Love Thy Neighbor.
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Bill
2:53PM 2:53PM Mar 25th 2009
I am hoping the author of this piece is a twelve year girl and thus does not understand that pain that abortion inflicts on those who believe all human life is sacred from the point of conception until natural death. Her flippant comments about the Bishop, who has gone out of his way to be civil while standing on pro-life principles, demonstrates a total lack of senstivity or even a basic understanding of this issue. President Obama is an extreme supporter of abortion to include the killing of aborted babies who are born alive. His reversal of our stem cell policy without even the slightest recognition of the many Americans who feel strongly that this will result in even more abortions demonstrates that he should not be honored by any Catholic institution. Father Jenkins should be ashamed of himself for bringing this pain on the few Catholics that still support this institution. Thankfully, he will answer to a higher power.
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Linda S
4:06PM 4:06PM Mar 25th 2009
Bill, as for this "pain" you so emotionally go on about - tell me, how many pregnant girls or women who were planning on abortions have you personally taken in? And how many of their babies have are you currently raising on your own dime?
What was that? None?
I'M. SHOCKED.
Until you step up, you need to shut up. A woman's body and what she does with it are HER choices, no one else's.
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karlene
3:17PM 3:17PM Mar 25th 2009
At typical hypocrytical Catholic bishop. He will boycott Obama's speaking at graduation, yet will support fellow priest who have sexually abused young boys and support a Pope who is idiotic enought to say that condoms only make the AIDS issue in Africa worse. Delighted I left Church years ago. How they stay in existance is beyond me. If anyone wants to examine how crazy this religion is, read the story of how Pope Pius IX kept a kidnapped Jewish boy as his own. This is no joke.
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mw
3:39PM 3:39PM Mar 25th 2009
Obama would rather go on Leno, give commencements than figure out what would actually work in this country. If he'd done nothing, the economy would have come back quicker. Now we have a big debt to pay off and he wants to spend more. China doesn't even want to finance our debt anymore AND they want their currency to be the International currency since ours is like a third world country (because we owe so much). So college grads remember, if you spend too much, you ruin your credit. It works for countries, too.
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mw
3:39PM 3:39PM Mar 25th 2009
Guess what. Obama talks about all those bad rich people, but keep in mind, he is one of them, too. He made 2.4 million last year. He feels your pain, but from a distance.
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mw
3:42PM 3:42PM Mar 25th 2009
Kind enough to give the address? He's a politician trying to get votes for 2012.
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Joe Turner
4:23PM 4:23PM Mar 25th 2009
FINE ! AND SO I AN OTHER REAS0NABLY INTELLIGENT LIFE LONG CATHOLICS WILL BOYCOTT OUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS DIOCESE, AND TO THE CHURCH IN GENERAL.
SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE FAITH? BISHOPS RELIEF FUNDS? FORGET IT. UNTIL DUDS LIKE THIS GET AND EDUCATION AND LEARN THAT , AS OF NOW, THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT, ITS NO MORE MONEY FROM MANY OF US
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mw
4:51PM 4:51PM Mar 25th 2009
Your choice to do what you want. So why is Obama going to a Catholic school when he doesn't believe in what they teach? For votes? That's good, because the grads and their kids will be paying for the programs Obama is putting in place.
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Carol
5:27PM 5:27PM Mar 25th 2009
For all of you that acuse priests of sex abuse..you are entitled to your opinion. I am entitled to mine as well when I read that Obama in 1995 in NYC in the back of a limo was having sex with a guy named Larry Sinclair, and then went to a motel with him to drink his vodka and snort coccaine. Obama is not the messiah everyone wants to believe he is. Why should any religious figure condone such activity regardless of who the players are. It is not just about being Catholic, its about having some down home morals which seems to be lacking on this website.
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moderate
6:35PM 6:35PM Mar 25th 2009
Are you trying to deny the priests abuse, the church came forward and admitted the coverup. repaeting myths or making up lies is not the way a catholic should live.
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Marey
2:39PM 2:39PM Mar 30th 2009
So what if Obama, or anyone, never had an abortion? The point to the pro-life side is that the babies are being killed. Why do women have the right to choose? It's not them that are dying , it's someone else. That's the point.
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moderate
5:27PM 5:27PM Mar 25th 2009
Mw... not everyone follows lock step when others tell them what to think and say. Trying to compare a zygote or a few cells to a living breathing human is disingenous at best. never again will any mysogynist tell a women what she must do with her body.
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I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'ll give your president the same respect you gave mine
3:11PM 3:11PM Mar 26th 2009
Abortion on Demand is perfectly acceptable but GOD FORBID a TERRORIST is EVER even inconvenienced.....
Typical.
----
Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants.
- William Penn
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Ed
5:51PM 5:51PM Mar 25th 2009
Last time I looked, it's a free country and even Catholics have the right to speak their minds, even if Liberals don't want them to.
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I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
3:23PM 3:23PM Mar 26th 2009
Oh NO! Dissension is VERBOTEN. Bleat like a good little OWhammy Nazibot or face never ending attacks, investigations into your background/character etc (ANYTHING to discredit you--look at Joe the Plumber--OWhammy's Brownshirts used STATE employees and STATE assets to "investigate" Joe and COULDN'T WAIT to announce to the Liberal Press that Joe didn't hold a Plumber's License (they didn't bother to mention a license wasn't required where Joe worked--how convenient!).
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I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
3:30PM 3:30PM Mar 26th 2009
Oh NO! Dissension is VERBOTEN. Bleat like a good little OWhammy
Nazibot or face never ending attacks, investigations into your
background/character etc (ANYTHING to discredit you--look at Joe the
Plumber--OWhammy's Brownshirts used STATE employees and STATE assets
to "investigate" Joe and COULDN'T WAIT to announce to the Liberal
Press that Joe didn't hold a Plumber's License (they didn't bother to
mention a license wasn't required where Joe worked--how convenient!).
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Roy
6:09PM 6:09PM Mar 25th 2009
If the S.F. Diocese only had the guts to excommunicate Nancy Pro-Abortion Pelosi -- it would be a great day.
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