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.[reference]
“In season and out of season” is exactly right. Though for so many Catholic campuses it is “In treason and out of treason.”
Well I am not surprised at all that Fr. Jenkins didn’t mention the little fact that he invited the President to the Bishop of the diocese. Though I guess really in most cases you wouldn’t need to and perhaps Fr. Jenkins really thought this was no big deal. If so it just shows his poor judgement.
Maybe the best thing that could happen now is if the commencement was heavily boycotted. If that started to come into play I bet it wouldn’t take long for the President to suddenly discover a scheduling conflict.
37 comments
I think we should rejoice that someone as narrow minded and disrepectful as this Bishop is staying home. There are people all over the World who do not agree with our Catholic views. Good manners alone would require that we be civil, respectful human beings to those people and/or to the offices or titles they hold. We do not have to agree with everyone to be civil. According to the Standard applied by the Bishop and a few of the respondents here, Notre Dame should never have anything to do with the President of the US if he does not agree with what Catholics teach. What planet are you people living on? If the Bishops were kept away from everyplace where people do not currently agree with Catholics, they would not be invited anyplace these days. The Pope would not be able to travel. Maybe the Pope ought to retire this Bishop and send someone to Indiana who understands the meaning of the word ecumenical. Notre Dame has understood it for years.
I don’t think boycotting is the best idea. Remember, Obama lives off the image of perfection and universal likeability.
A better plan may be to have students decorate placards with “Nobama” or “pro-life” on them, or bring in signs with pro-life messages on them. If the movement can be widespread enough, Obama will flee before the prospect of sizeable dissent.
Maybe a nice pro-life message on the top of the Mortar Boards. Something that only the helicopters could see, but wouldn’t be noticible to the people screening the graduates.
I also like the idea of registering one’s attendance and then not showing up, maybe even wearing the graduation robes to Mass at the Cathedral.
A little off-topic, but would everyone consider not making further jokes about the name of the school in question? The school no longer deserves to be known by the name of the Queen of Heaven, and besides, Our Lady has been dishonored enough by this debacle. As for me, I am no longer referring to the institution as Notre Dame, but instead as the historically Catholic college in South Bend.
A little off-topic, but would everyone consider not making further jokes about the name of the school in question? The school no longer deserves to be known by the name of the Queen of Heaven, and besides, Our Lady has been dishonored enough by this debacle. As for me, I am no longer referring to the institution as Notre Dame, but instead as the historically Catholic college in South Bend.
We could call it Notre-ietey.
But to follow up on Michael’s point: I think a boycott would simply play into Obama’s narrative. Consider the way he lays out the relationship between faith and politics in his Call to Renewal Keynote address a couple of years back.
Maybe the student debate team could organize a debate forum between Mary Ann Glendon and the President during his visit….
Remember, the poor judgment in this particular incident lies with Father Jenkins, not the President. I mean, if you were Obama and received the invitation, would you turn it down? He was put in an awkward situation (remotely, by his own behavior, but proximately, by the behavior of Jenkins).
can anyone tell me precicely when life begins? A frozen embryo is no guarantee of life so there can be no destruction of something which might never be. To use our God given talents to alleviate human suffering is what Christ commanded us to do.
I guess after 72 years as a catholic I get fed up with hypocritical theology which has no basis in fact.
can anyone tell me precicely when life begins? A frozen embryo is no guarantee of life so there can be no destruction of something which might never be.
So you ask when life begins, then make an unsupported assertion as to when it begins. Great argument.
Life begins at conception. Period. An embryo is past the point of conception, and is already alive when he or she is frozen. It’s too late to turn back the clock to “might never be.” It already is.
A homeless couple were known to have been camping out in an abandoned warehouse in Worcester, Mass. One night, the couple lit a candle in their room. The candle tipped over; the flame ignited some of the rubbish in the room, and the place began to burn. The homeless couple made their way downstairs and out of the building, leaving the fire to spread. A quarter of an hour later, someone spotted the smoke and flames and notified the fire department. When the firefighters arrived the entire building was up in flames and the fire was spreading to nearby buildings.
“A homeless couple live in there,” one of the local residents remarked to one of the firefighters.
On hearing this, the firefighters decided to make a thorough search of what had been listed as an abandoned building. Several brave men went in, and six lost their lives that night. No one was discovered, of course, for meanwhile, the homeless couple had long since headed elsewhere.
I am glad I once lived in a society in which our firefighters are willing to risk their lives for complete strangers – even for a homeless couple, considered by many to be “the dregs” of society.
Homeless people. Empty warehouses. Frozen embryos. Empty test tubes.
I am glad I once lived in a society in which human life was considered precious, so precious, that in the absence of sure evidence to the contrary, life was given the benefit of the doubt. We always presumed in favor of protecting what may be human life. I am glad I once lived in a society in which those with more status, or possessions, or power, were not allowed to take advantage of those with less . . . just because they can. I am glad I once lived in a society in which infants, children, and yes, even embryos – whose lives “might” be human life – were protected from those who might want to prey on them for their own benefit.
I hope, one day, to live in such a society again, if the good God so wills. Amen.
Why not have an alternative “Pro-life” graduation, and let the students and faculty decide which one they want to attend, and invite an even more impressive speaker than president O’bortion.
“can anyone tell me precicely when life begins?”
At the moment of conception, the embryo has all the threshold qualities that scientists ascribe to a living being. It can grow, maintain homeostasis and fight entropy; it maintains a metabolism, harvest nutrition from its environment; it adapts, responds readily to external stimuli, and can reproduce (in the case of an embryo, reproduction means undergoing cell division. Sperm and eggs, on their own, don’t fit all of those criteria alone. An embryo does. It’s alive. Period. The entire “it’s not even alive” argument is so dead as to be in full on putrification. Go get your shovel and bury it, it’s starting to stink.
“A frozen embryo is no guarantee of life so there can be no destruction of something which might never be.” It’s alive. Destroying something alive is destroying something that is. See above.
I’ll wager you’re asking a different question. You’re talking about whether or not an embryo will live up to the potential to develop into an X (where X = an arbitrary threshold for what constitutes life based off of what makes you as a 72 year old Catholic feel uncomfortable). Again, different question, and not the one you asked.
If you’re going to belt out criticisms and the like, at least define your questions appropriately. Moreover, to pop off an accusation of hypocrisy when you’re having trouble defining some very basic, fundamental scientific principles is pretty pretentious and presumptuous. I am no theologian. I don’t make comment on the quality of the theology. But I would suggest that you are on rather thin ice criticizing any biomedical ethic when you clearly lack some fundamental understanding of biology in the first place.
Pete, I cannot believe that one, you have lived at least 72 years and have learned almost nothing. Two that you have been a Catholic for 72 years and this is what you believe. You need to take a long hard look in the mirror and really aske yourself if you are Catholic. I am guessing if you think you are then you need to find a better confessor. Your understanding of basic Catholic teachings is severly lacking.
“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”.
Pleaaaase!!!! TO PONDER??? Notre Dame must ask itself? NO your grace, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, YOU have NOT the duty TO PONDER, OR ASK YOUR UNDERLINGS IF YOU, AND ONLY YOU >, is the person to TAKE responsibility in THIS ENORMOUS SCANDAL, AND ENFORCING A CLEAR COMMAND FROM ROME!!!
Am I disrespectful to say that your musings are an insult to our intelligence, not to mention the AUTHORITY YOU ARE CALLED TO EXERT?
Sincerely
“According to the Standard applied by the Bishop and a few of the respondents here, Notre Dame should never have anything to do with the President of the US if he does not agree with what Catholics teach.”
That’s a pretty tendentious reading. They’re objecting to the fact that Notre Dame is inviting the President to speak at the convocation of a Catholic university and the fact that the university is giving him an honorary degree. They have every right and expectation that such a Catholic institution would operate under Church teaching on the subject of endorsing pro-choice politicians. They’re not saying the school should “never have anything to do” with the man (which would be absurd). They could invite him there for debate, discussion, or the like, teach the flaws in his policies and, on the occasion where he is in the right, acknowledge his good deeds. But to give him free reign to speak without challenge and to honor him with a degree is disagreeable from a rational orthodox point of view.
Now that we’ve addressed that point, let me point out a couple of things:
“Narrow minded and disrepectful”–Ad hominem attack. Weak argument. If you can’t make a point without calling someone names, be quiet, learn to debate, and stop pouting in public.
“There are people all over the World who do not agree with our Catholic views.” Non sequitur and appeal to authority. Both fallacies. Try again. There are people all over the world who Do agree with our Catholic views. There are people who believe in aliens. There are people who eat dirt. Irrelevant.
“Good manners alone would require that we be civil, respectful human beings to those people and/or to the offices or titles they hold.” Straw man. Not the point. We can be civil, but we don’t have to agree and shut up. But saying that the President is in the wrong and he shouldn’t be rewarded for his wrongness is not rude. Telling us we shouldn’t because someone’s feelings might get hurt isn’t rude, but it is absurd.
“We do not have to agree with everyone to be civil.” Another straw man. Yet this is not Oz.
“What planet are you people living on?”
Earth, not Oz. Continue your argument on Oz. We’re waiting here on earth for you to discuss the issue of a Catholic institution *honoring* a very pro-abortion politician.
“If the Bishops were kept away from everyplace where people do not currently agree with Catholics, they would not be invited anyplace these day.” More straw man. Not the point. They’re not keeping him from places where folks disagree. They’re arguing a Catholic university shouldn’t honor him publicly, and with its Catholic teaching authority, because of his stance on abortion, stem cells, etc.
“The Pope would not be able to travel.” Great reductio… except for the fact that it reduced your straw man, not the actual argument at hand.
“Maybe the Pope ought to retire this Bishop and send someone to Indiana who understands the meaning of the word ecumenical.” I think a bishop who understands the meaning of the word Catholic suffices.
“Notre Dame has understood it for years.” Doubtless. But, alas, so not the point.
Not only is Obama a pro-abortion politician, but he is in the process of enacting laws that will remove the right of Catholic health care workers to refuse to perform abortions. Obama would force faithful Catholic physicians to murder infants in the womb on pain of giving up their careers.
This makes him nothing less than an enemy of the Church (at least of those within the Church who actually care about following Christ, and who aren’t prepared to bend and shift with whatever evil presently sweeping the culture.)
And the institution at South Bend is honoring that – an enemy of the Church – with an honorary degree.
Cringing, boot-licking toadies.
Here’s a quote on the ‘life’ issue:
“Every woman carries within herself a secret most sacred, mysterious, and sublime. This secret is life. Eve means “the mother of the living.” In the mystery of the female body, human life finds its beginning: not in the male semen but in the fecundated egg, hidden in the cavern of the female body. There God creates a new soul which is exclusively His work, and in which neither father nor mother has a part. This creation takes place when the male seed fecundates the female egg. Thus at that very moment a closeness exists between divine action and the female body which marks the latter as sacred ground. This is why the way a woman dresses, the way she sits, walks, laughs, should always be marked by a note of holy reserve. A woman conscious of her unmerited privilege will necessarily adopt a bodily posture- what is today called body language- which adequately reflects this calling.”
-Alice von Hildebrand, from the book Women and the Priesthood.
It’s biology. The ovum is not an organ in the woman’s body. It is not a part of the woman’s body. It resides in the woman’s body. As stated above, Divine action is truly involved at the moment of conception.
Congratulations and kudos to Ms. Marion and the Catholic commenters above (that excludes you Patti chitty – I deleted the ‘s’).
The ill-educated, untested kenyan kleptocrat and the majority party idiots in congress are not only anti-life, they are feverishly tearing at liberty and private property. Their agenda is contrary and abhorrent to all the Catholic Church teaches (outside the so-called catholik statist justification/marxist charade – which allows ‘them’ to ignore the Church’s milennial teachings on abortion and mankind’s God-given rights to the fruits of its labors)
Neuter Damn, indeed.
Is this the change you really voted for? President Obama has only been in office for two months. Now we have HR 1388. The Bill was sponsored by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) with 37 others. The Bill was introduced to the floor of the House of Representatives where both Republicans and Democrats voted 321-105 in favor. Next it goes to the Senate for a vote and then on to President Obama.
This bill’s title is called “Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education” (GIVE). It forms what some are calling “Obama’s Youth Brigade.” Obama’s plan is require anyone receiving school loans and others to serve at least three months as part of the brigade. His goal is one million youth! This has serious Nazi Germany overtones to it.
The Bill would forbid any student in the brigade to participate in “engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization.” That means no church attendance or witnessing.
Again, is this what America voted for? Here is part of the HR1388 Bill’s wording:
SEC. 1304. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES AND INELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS.
Section 125 (42 U.S.C. 12575) is amended to read as follows:
SEC. 125. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES AND INELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS.
(a) Prohibited Activities- A participant in an approved national service position under this subtitle may not engage in the following activities:
(1) Attempting to influence legislation.
(2) Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes.
…
(7) Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization.
great fisk matt. I’m bloggin’ it.
Thank you, sir.
I HOPE THAT IT IS CLEAR TO EVERYONE, THAT THE BISHOP REPRESENTS AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAS BEEN AIDING AND ABETTING THE SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN FOR MANY MANY YEARS, SO NATURALLY, USING THE BISHOP’S GUIDELINES, NOONE SHOULD EVER INVITE THIS BISHOP AIDER AND ABETTER OF CHILD ABUSE ANYWHERE, OR HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH HIM.
I think we just discovered a corrollary to Godwin’s law.
Boycotting a pro-choice politician? “Oh yeah? Pedophile priests!”
Speaking out on Pelosi’s craptacular attempts at theology? “Oh yeah? Pedophile priests!”
A discussion of Lance Berkman’s batting average? “Pedophile priests!”
Scott W,
There is already one and we call it Anderson’s Law after Catholic blogger Jay Anderson who proposed exactly this.
http://proecclesia.blogspot.com/2007/03/godwins-law-for-sex-scandal-revisited.html
To “P WALTERS” IF and thats a BIGGIE IF……YOU have read anything in REAL DEPTH regarding the CHILD ABUSE SCANDAL and the BISHOPS and the “SEMINARYS” you would have a LITTLE BETTER KNOWLEDGE as to the PLANNING by the HOMOSEXUAL COMMUNITY..years in the making actually and DOCUMENTED by several large works that have shown this to be true. DO the SEARCHING it is there I could rattle them off to you . Just a teaser book “THE MARKETING OF EVIL” READ IT and LEARN.
The homosexuals that PLOTTED this massive invasion of the seminarys to ENJOY THEIR RELATIONSHIPS with each other in a secured and safe place……………..then become PRIESTS and DO THEIR DASTARDLY DEEDS to YOUTH! The BISHOPS many of whom were from a long ago ERA where this MASSIVE ABUSE of CHILDREN would be considered ABOMINATION and SINFUL to the GREATEST DEGREE along with CRIMINAL I MAY ADD.
Many many BISHOPS COULD NOT EVEN COMPREHEND THIS EVIL…….THEIR great ERROR was in the MISHANDELING of said situation after the FACTS………………..EVEN after some BISHOPS who by elevation were made into BISHOPS and were HOMOSEXUAL to BEGIN WITH.amongst THIS GROUP OF PLANNED INVADERS……………IT is SORDID an SICK and SATAN did a FINE JOB of entering the FAITH by the seminarys…………ITS a HORRIFIC thing for the VICTIMS BUT the CHURCH has done and PAID dearly.
THE whole IDEA behind the invasion into the SEMINARYS was to DESTROY the church within……………and it almost HAPPENED,,,,,,,,,,,,,But as Christ told us “THE GATES OF HELL WILL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST MY CHURCH” and I for one take HIM at HIS WORD!
As for ND and Father JENKINS…………..satan is laughing his rear off……………..but our ALMIGHTY GOD will attened to him and in fast order AND by the DISSING of the LORDS MOTHER I for ONE HAVE FAITH MY GOD will do a double number to ND and Father Jenkins and all catholics who are with the WORLD in wanting CONNECTION WITH OBAMA.
Patricia:
NOBODY PUTS A PISTOL IN YOUR HEAD TO ATTEND A CATHOLIC COLLEGE!!!!
TO BEAR THE NAME CATHOLIC IS TO OBEY ROME RULES, (duty of the local bishop D’Arcy to enforce). Your point: ACADEMIC freedom for research is not HERE at stake, but:
With the crediting of a Catholic honour to an avowed infanticide, (How many more millions embryos now?) the bishop -direct boss of Jenkins- is GUILTY of scandal, one which ensues misleading millions of ignorant Catholics, into believing that our Church endorses such a scandalous Obaminator.
Coyy from (from http://www.lifesitenews.com):
11/5/2008- Obama selects pro-abortion Rep. Rahm Emanuel as his White House Chief of Staff. Emanuel has a 0% pro-life voting record according to National Right to Life.
11/19/2008 – Obama picks pro-abortion former Sen. Tom Daschle as his Health and Human Services Secretary. Daschle has a long pro-abortion voting record according to National Right to Life. He is a lapsed Catholic. Thankfully, he withdrew his nomination
when it was disclosed he cheated on his taxes.
11/20/2008 – Obama chooses former NARAL legal director Dawn Johnsen to serve as a member of his Department of Justice Review Team. Later, he finalizes her appointment as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of the Legal Counsel in the Obama administration.
11/24/2008 – Obama appoints Ellen Moran, the former director of the pro-abortion group Emily’s List as his White House communications director. Emily’s List only supported candidates who favored taxpayer funded abortions and opposed a partial-birth abortion ban.
11/24/2008 – Obama puts former Emily’s List board member Melody Barnes in place as his director of the Domestic Policy Council.
11/30/2008 – Obama named pro-abortion Sen. Hillary Clinton as the Secretary of State. Clinton has an unblemished pro-abortion voting record and has supported making unlimited abortions an international right.
12/10/2008 – Obama selects pro-abortion former Clinton administration official Jeanne Lambrew to become the deputy director of the White House Office of Health Reform. Planned Parenthood is “excited” about the selection.
12/10/2008 – Obama transition team publishes memo from dozens of pro-abortion groups listing their laundry list of pro-abortions actions they want him to take.
1/5/2009 – Obama picks pro-abortion Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as the chairman of the Democratic Party.
1/6/2009 – Obama chooses Thomas Perrelli, the lawyer who represented Terri Schiavo’s husband Michael in his efforts to kill his disabled wife, as the third highest attorney in the Justice Department.
1/22/2009 – Releases statement restating support for Roe v. Wade decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions and has resulted in at least 50 million abortions since 1973.
1/23/2009 – Forces taxpayers to fund pro-abortion groups that either promote or perform abortions in other nations. Decison to overturn Mexico City Policy sends part of $457 million to pro-abortion organizations.
1/26/2009 – Obama nominee for Deputy Secretary of State, James B. Steinberg, tells members of the Senate that taxpayers should be forced to fund abortions. Nominee erroneously says limits on abortion funding are unconstitutional.
1/29/2009 – President Obama nominates pro-abortion David Ogden as Deputy Attorney General.
2/12/2009 – Obama nominates pro-abortion Elena Kagan to serve as Solicitor General.
2/27/2009 – Starts the process of overturning pro-life conscience protections President Bush put in place to make sure medical staff and centers are not forced to do abortions.
2/28/2009 – Barack Obama nominates pro-abortion Kathleen Sebelius to become Secretary of Health and Human Services. She is confirmed.
3/5/2009 – The Obama administration shut out pro-life groups from attending a White House-sponsored health care summit. Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion business, made the invitation list as did other pro-abortion groups.
3/9/2009 – President Barack Obama signed an executive order forcing taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research.
3/10/2009 – Obama announces the creation of a new foreign policy position to focus on women’s issues. He names Melanne Verveer, an abortion advocate, to occupy the post.
3/10/2009 – Reverses an executive order to press for more research into ways of obtaining embryonic stem cells without harming human life. The order Obama scrapped would have promoted new forms of stem cell research.
I am a student at ND. Please do not do anything drastic ie line Notre Dame ave. w/ pictures of aborted fetuses as some man said he was going to do in our editorial section of the newspaper. That makes your cause look fanatical and gives the pro-life movement a bad image. I suggest you contact the pro-life organization at ND and try to see what they are planning instead of taking over graduation instead of letting the graduates of my school which by the way stands for so much good. Where was the protest when 54% of Catholics voted for President Obama? I do not agree at all about Mr. Obama’s views and actions so far into the presidency, but he is the President of the USA. Show some respect. ND has always invited the new president of the USA to commencement. Where was the protest when George W. Bush spoke (started an unjust war and supported strongly capital punishment) or Eisenhower(fire bombings, A-bombs)? Maybe next year we should just have the Pope come to the commencement?
@ND Student:
“Eisenhower(fire bombings, A-bombs)”… wow. What a great education you’re getting at Notre Dumb. If you would do your research, you would find that these operations, carried out against the Empire of Japan, were under the presidency of H.S. Truman.*
Oh, wait. Truman was a Democrat. So it must have been OK then (or a Republican’s fault).
* – And a bad example to boot, since famed Catholic philosopher G.E.M. Anscombe did in fact speak out against Truman on this issue.
Maybe I was too snarky with you. I better go say 10 Social Justices and a Hope & Change.
*sigh*
ND Student
So…
We shouldn’t protest.
We shouldn’t be outraged.
We shouldn’t offend people.
We shouldn’t make people uncomfortable.
What we should do it quietly sit there so as not to spoil the day.
Hmmmm?
If every year in the US, 1.3 million old people were killed by having their limbs ripped apart, burned by corrosive liquids, or having their brains sucked out, then afterwards their bodies thrown into dumpsters – would you still tell us to be quiet?
When you sit there during commencement, look around and think about the 50 million of your compatriots who aren’t there. They aren’t enjoying the fine day because they were killed in their mother’s womb.
In response to your comments about past presidents coming to Notre Dame. There’s a word you probably weren’t taught at Southbend. That word is moral relativism. Google it.
And while your at it maybe you should read the Catechism sections 2258 to 2317.
Yes, unborn children must be protected…until they’re old enough to become altar boys, at which point they’re fair game for buggery, right?
Where was the protest when George W. Bush spoke (started an unjust war and supported strongly capital punishment[?]
Well, capital punishment is not intrinsically evil like abortion. Also, Bush spoke in 2001, before 9/11, nevermind the wars. Nice try.
Yes, unborn children must be protected…until they’re old enough to become altar boys, at which point they’re fair game for buggery, right?
I think I’ll invoke Anderson’s Corollary to Godwin’s Law. You lose.
Oh, my, the Good Bishop has decided to stay home??? What a devastating rebuke. What a pointed lesson. Jenkins must be dying of laughter by now.
Some Notre Dame students appear to be planning something:
http://www.ndresponse.com/press.html
(By the way, I concur with Mael Muire regarding the punning of the title “Notre Dame.” Let’s not do that.)
“President Obama has recently reaffirmed, and has now placed in public policy, his long-stated unwillingness to hold human life as sacred.”
But sending innocent young people off to a war that should have never begun, to kill helpless people in a foreign land….. Ya, let’s back the guys who did THAT! Those young soldiers & the innocent people they kill… THOSE LIVES AREN’T SACRED??? And what about Capital Punishment? OR TORTURE? Pedophile Priests? the list goes on….
What some say about the Republican Party also runs true here: This is belief that life begins at conception AND ENDS AT BIRTH.
No sense in the Bishop or anyone else, covering what is going on here with colorful words. So many “talk the talk” but if we all knew more about what goes on behind closed doors….
Stop casting stones.
SHOW SOME RESPECT & leave your judgements at home!
But sending innocent young people off to a war that should have never begun, to kill helpless people in a foreign land….. Ya, let’s back the guys who did THAT!
For crying out loud. I know all the lib sites are giving talking points about this, but the “But…but…Notre Dame had W speak!” one is completely debunked. He spoke in 2001. You don’t need a history book, just a five-year memory, to know that the wars didn’t start until 2003.
Nonsense about “judging” and “showing respect” deserves contempt, but isn’t even worth the words that will be ignored.
Good points Andy. And seeing Anderson’s Law being played, is there a Bush corrollary? That is, x Catholic or Catholic institution makes mockery of the faith, someone points it out, and someone rebuts with, “Well Bush did this!”
A. It’s tu quoque fallacy. Look it up.
B. Many of us have opinions of Bush that range from thinking he was great to thinking he suckdiddlyucked (I tend toward the latter). So, pounding Obama does not mean love of Bush. In any case, what does it have to do with a brazenly pro-abortion politician NOW being honored at a Catholic institution?
Since when did the DailyKos learn about the Jester? What a wonderful world.
Catholic: “You know, Obama shouldn’t support infanticide.”
Democrat: “Well… BUSH!”
Catholic: “You know, infanticide is really bad.”
Democrat: “Well… BUSH!”
Catholic: “I’d probably like Obama if he wasn’t for infanticide.”
Democrat: “Well… BUSHBUSHBUSH! BUSH!”
Catholic: “C’mon… you don’t think there’s a single thing wrong with Obama’s position?”
Democrat: “BUSH!”
Catholic: “Killing embryos for stem cells is bad, too.”
Democrat: “PEDOPHILES! ABUGUANTANACHENEYBUSH! BUSH!”
It’s hilarious listening these types have a conversation with one another. It’s like watching a bunch of solipsists try to discuss the weather.
Demo-1: Trig Palin is really Bristol Palin’s son.
Demo-2: *nod* We must destroy all homophobes.
Demo-3: *nod* Bush masterminded 9/11.
Demo-4: *nod* We have to free Palestine from the evil Jews.
Demo-1: *nod* Republicans should get the death penalty.
Demo-2: *nod* Al Sharpton was right.
Demo-3: *nod* It’s all a big conspiracy.
Demo-4: *nod* Chomsky said it best.
Thank you Bishop D’Arcy for standing firm on this issue! If our Catholic
clergy does not draw a clear line between what is acceptable and what is not, I fear what the repercussions might be.
Surely Our Holy Mother is fighting this battle along side of you. Take heart!