Bishop D'Arcy on Presidential Visit: Has Notre Dame Chosen "Prestige" over "Truth"?

Bishop John D'Arcy has issued a statement concerning the visit of President Barack Obama to Notre Dame to deliver this year's commencement address:

Concerning President Barack Obama speaking at Notre Dame
graduation, receiving honorary law degree

March 24, 2009

On Friday, March 21, Father John Jenkins, CSC, phoned to inform me that President Obama had accepted his invitation to speak to the graduating class at Notre Dame and receive an honorary degree. We spoke shortly before the announcement was made public at the White House press briefing. It was the first time that I had been informed that Notre Dame had issued this invitation.

President Obama has recently reaffirmed, and has now placed in public policy, his long-stated unwillingness to hold human life as sacred. While claiming to separate politics from science, he has in fact separated science from ethics and has brought the American government, for the first time in history, into supporting direct destruction of innocent human life.

This will be the 25th Notre Dame graduation during my time as bishop. After much prayer, I have decided not to attend the graduation. 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.

My decision is not an attack on anyone, but is in defense of the truth about human life.

I have in mind also the statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops in 2004. “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” Indeed, the measure of any Catholic institution is not only what it stands for, but also what it will not stand for.

I have spoken with Professor Mary Ann Glendon, who is to receive the Laetare Medal. I have known her for many years and hold her in high esteem. We are both teachers, but in different ways. I have encouraged her to accept this award and take the opportunity such an award gives her to teach.

Even as I continue to ponder in prayer these events, which many have found shocking, so must Notre Dame. Indeed, as a Catholic University, Notre Dame must ask itself, if by this decision it has chosen prestige over truth.

Tomorrow, we celebrate as Catholics the moment when our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, became a child in the womb of his most holy mother. Let us ask Our Lady to intercede for the university named in her honor, that it may recommit itself to the primacy of truth over prestige.

Comments

[Leon Dixon]

What prestige? Who respects panderers or trimmers?

[Karen Tuohy]

Good Evening,

Bishop D'Arcy.
There are many things I do not agree with our President Obama on. However, he is our President. I know you said your not attending graduation at Notre Dame is in noway disrespectful of the President, but in our world today isn't there a way to make a positive out of a negative? Attend the graduation, let the students of that college see you there, they probably all know by now your thoughts on this matter.
By attending you are not condoning this action by the President, you are there representing what is believed and what should be believed as Catholics. By staying away or boycotting is the easy way out. Stand proud, be there, acknowledge the President and the college, show respect as we were all taught to do. No need for an eye for an eye. You are a great educator, use this talent to the best of your ability.
Get the positive going. The world is so full of negatives.
Thank you.

[Jason Blosser]

This pretty much sums things up:

http://www.rockforlife.org/images/uploads/Image/obama-punishment.jpg

[Roger McNeill]

Finally, someone is willing to put principles over fashion. It will be interesting to see how (or if) Notre Dame University responds.

[brian stouder]

One cannot help but wonder if the goal is

"the primacy of truth over prestige."

or the primacy of political-correctness over a welcoming church.

Afterall, none of us are getting a ticket to heaven based only on how right or wrong we are (or are thought to be) in short lifetimes

[Mark Andrews]

These are great comments! Why wasn't D'Arcys opinion taken into consideration when the President was being asked to come?

[Jason Blosser]

Oh, Karen. What a bunch of left-wing doublespeak. Imagine if you lived in Germany in the late 1930's. Would your attitude be "however, he is our President?"

Just because someone holds that title, it does not shield them from moral, legal and ethical accountability.

President Barack Hussein Obama has demonstrated by his words and actions to be anti-Constitutional and pro-abortion. One cannot be pro-Constitutional and anti-abortion and espouse those views boldly and publicly and then openly embrace the opposition in the name of prestige. It's hypocrisy, not "getting the positive going."

[Michael R. Kelly]

I think what's lost on some people is that anything Bishop D'Arcy puts his name or presence to implies that he, and the Catholic Church as a whole, sanctions the event, group, writing and etc. Same for Notre Dame - they should realize anything they put their name to, they do so as a Catholic institution and as a highly visible institution tied to the Church. The politically expedient course of action would have been for Bishop to attend, but he is a truly principled shepherd of his flock. Just like a parent teaching a child right from wrong, it's not always fun or popular, but is necessary and commendable when done in love.

Father Jenkins tried to rationalize the decision based on creating dialog - the problem there is that dialog requires an exchange, and in this scenario, the conversation would only flow one way. I encourage you all to sign the petition in support of our Bishop, and in support of all life - www.notredamescandal.com

[john b. kalb]

Mark - Per the Bishop's comment, he only became aware of the invitation when Obama accepted it. So his views were never sought by anyone at Notre Dame

[brian stouder]

I'm sorry - but give me a break.

Pray tell (so to speak) - what "words and actions" show that President Obama is "anti-Constitutional"?

The Bishop is perfectly free to do whatever he wants, but if we take his (somewhat poorly written) statement at face value, then how on earth could he ever attend any commencement address delivered by any President of the United States?

And when the Bishop says "While claiming to separate politics from science, he (Presdient Obama) has in fact separated science from ethics and has brought the American government, for the first time in history, into supporting direct destruction of innocent human life."

one wonders if this is willful hyperbole on his part, or breathtaking ignorance of the history of America. "Direct destruction of innocent human life" was literally one of America's stock-in-trade, up 'til the Civil War; and, in the 20th century, our nightly firebomb attacks on Tokyo and other cities with large populations of innocent human beings (not to mention our two nuclear strikes on cities full of more innocent civilians) - while necessary to win unconditional surrender from them - cannot be wished out of our history.

By way of saying - I am not arguing with the Bishop's teaching/shepharding role; but I wonder how he could ever have justied attending any of the previous presidential commencement speeches