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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Previous 20 Comments
Connie
7:26PM 7:26PM Apr 10th 2009
Someone who does not share or, more importantly, honor many of your moral beliefs should NOT be given this great honor. That would be like inviting a Neo-Nazi to give an address at a celebration honoring Holocaust survivors or have the KKK's grand wizard give the commencement speech at Florida A & M University or at Bethune Cookman Community College. Opposite ends of the pole. Jeez!!!
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dfhughes
1:52AM 1:52AM Apr 11th 2009
Don't invite anyone from outside the catholic cult to speak to members of the catholic cult. If you invite someone to speak and they accept treat them like you have manners and care about other people. Were I advising Obama I would have him go to Camp David and spend time with his wife and kids and let you cult members come up with another speaker. I will be glad when the catholic church goes broke and leaves the United States. Try to do as little harm to our country until that day comes.
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dfhughes
2:23AM 2:23AM Apr 11th 2009
The catholic cult passing moral judgement on anything, what a joke. You invited him to speak. Catholics should be seperated from any other living breathing human and left to follow the teachings of their cult. The catholic cult should have nothing to do with our government. For the entire history of the catholic cult it has been a thousand years late to recognize the truth. The United States allows you to congregate and practice the teachings of your cult and you go out of your way to insult the President. In the future use only speakers from your cult, speakers who sound and speak and look and are just like the rest of the catholic cult.
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Chris
9:40PM 9:40PM Apr 11th 2009
A woman's body is her own, it is she who will have to bear the burden of what she does in this life. The President does not control bodies and body functions, nor do you or the Bishop. Even if it was made a law a woman will still decide to do what she feels is right for her. Robbing banks is against the law, have it ever stopped. Murder is against the law, has it ever stopped. Whether Abortion is against the law or not it will still continue until the end of time. The Bishop is acting as a untrained professional and against the teaching of the church. He is not acting as a man of the cloth, I personally am ashamed of his behavior. Sometime I think that some people just like to see themselves in ink and think they have control of others.
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Gunner
12:33PM 12:33PM Apr 15th 2009
D'Arcy should rot for making himself an IDOL! You're all worshiping him for his stance? His choice to 'do nothing'. What a coward.
If he was PRO LIFE then just WHAT is he doing to make sure he knows the President helps bring our TROOPS back home? You're all speaking about unborn children (yes, the ones people didn't want, that aren't here yet, raising our taxes, over stressing our economy or using our resouces that can be prevented with birth control in the 1st place..or yes, an abortion if the underage girl was raped by her father) what about the Children already born, peoples SONS AND DAUGHTERS? The ones STATIONED OVER SEAS?!?!? Screw them? They signed on the dotted line? Too bad? What is WRONG you people? Last time I checked those were lives that needed to be saved..some might say in more direly & in a more timely fashion.
I'm reading a LOT of people saying they think the President has no business showing up at Notre Dame. If you feel that way, then MOVE Notre Dame back to the Vatican!!! It's in AMERICA. He's our president. It's disrespectful for starters to 'not show up' and LASTLY the Bishop had a REAL Chance to try to convey Pope Benedicts Policy for 2009 for the Roman Catholic Church with one of the most important men in the United States..but he's too busy throwing a pro-life hissy fit?
Again..what a
COWARD.
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Feed the Republicans to the Lions
11:13AM 11:13AM Apr 18th 2009
Another religious bigot. It will be nice when the churches of ALL denominations get back to the spiritual concerns of their flock(s). Protesting a President IS political and should have tax and monetary consequences for his ENTIRE dioceses.
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Former Catholic
1:37PM 1:37PM Apr 18th 2009
I love and trust the wisdom of my God. I have spent many many hours at Notre Dame often contributing to various programs they support. This SLAP IN THE FACE of Jesus over one man who is simply not capable of doing his job and tricked the people into a false sense of change and security cannot be tolerated. It is not the man or the color of his skin it is the principle setforth here. I reluctantly will use this platform to renounce the catholic church and neither they nor this tsrnished University will ever see another dime from my life's generousity. I have directed my attorney to change my will which will effect and eight (8) figure change in the distribution of my wealth upon my death. Shame on the church and the Vadican for not speaking up and Notre Dame THE SHAME SOME OF YOU HAVE BROUGHT TO THIS GREAT INSTITUTION CANNOT BE LEFT UNNOTICED OR UNCHALLANGED. God forgive me.
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angie
11:09PM 11:09PM Apr 26th 2009
Exactly whose decision is right and whose is wrong is quite a debatable issue. Was it wrong for the President to accept an invitation which allows him the opportunity to stand and speak in an institution which is in direct conflict with his moral, social, economic and religious structure and standard, or was it wrong for a leader of the institution to decline the hypocrisy of the institutions invitation. Think hard on this one.
I personally would have to base my thought on an action already obligated and performed by the President, such as the facts surrounding a similar institution (Georgetown University) and the manner for which compromise was strategically forthcoming, forboding and agreed upon by that facility.
It should be clearly noted that one of our Presidents greatest achievements so far has been to pleasently compromise and shake hands with many enemies, including those within OUR own country; the greatest of those being the ones who bear witness to Christianity. Not surprising he wants to shake hands by way of accepting to speak, with this enemy of opposite faith.
If I were invited to someones home for dinner, what right would I have to tell my hosts to change their decor in order to appease my possible offensive nature...none. I either accept the invitation and deal with the decor, or I decline myself and not be subject to what perhaps may offend me.
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Sean
10:57AM 10:57AM May 3rd 2009
How curious. A Bishop is willing to make an important stance against the politically-correct moral relativism and anti-realism of our times, and clever bloggers accuse him of every evil ever committed by any Catholic priest. In the USA, we maintain one should not paint every priest with the same tar brush applied to the fallen ones who are less than 5%. With regard to being anti-abortion and pro-just war, the reasoning is that unborn (or partially born) babies are innocent victims (as opposed to "tumors, or growths," as argued per Planned Parenthood et al.), while terrorists are indeed guilty of crimes against humanity.
Hats off to Bishop D'Arcy for living up to His Call.
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