By Steven Ertelt
More graduating seniors at the University of Notre Dame are boycotting the commencement ceremony scheduled to take place this weekend featuring pro-abortion President Barack Obama. Their refusal to attend is a dramatic conclusion to what has been branded a scandal of national proportions. Students say the decision to boycott the graduation and attend alternative commencement events, including a prayer vigil featuring Father Frank Pavone, is not a political decision.
“It’s not a political issue; this is an issue of human dignity, and it’s a Catholic issue,” said Greer Hannan, a Notre Dame graduating senior. “As a Catholic university, we need to stand up for it.”
The evening of May 16, Bishop of the Fort Wayne-South Bend diocese, Rev. John D’Arcy, will lead a candlelight prayer vigil for graduating seniors and their families to pray for an end to abortion.
On graduation day, in addition to the meditation ceremony with the Priests for Life leader, a large rally will be held on the South Quad of the university featuring a variety of speakers.
ND Response, the student-led coalition that is planning the events, told LifeNews.com today that "Notre Dame should not be honoring a political figure who supports abortion and embryonic stem cell research."
The collection of several pro-life groups has also released a new Hollywood style video showcasing their displeasure with Notre Dame and Obama.
Meanwhile, a new article on the popular Catholic web site PewSitter indicates some reasons for why Notre Dame president, Rev. John Jenkins, invited pro-abortion President Obama to be the graduation speaker.
The article indicates political connections between members of the Notre Dame Board of Trustees and Obama which may explain why a Catholic university would ignore Church teachings and significant public outcry to honor the pro-abortion president with an honorary degree.
One example listed in the expose' is that of the Chair of the Notre Dame Trustees, Richard Notebaert, and his wife may be friends of Obama's and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum has received federal funding earmarked by Obama when he was a senator.
One of Obama's "key" fundraisers, Frank Clark, served on the museum board at time the funding was received.
The PewSitter article also explores other connections and makes the case that Jenkins may be doing little more than the bidding of a Board of Trustees politically disposed to support Obama.
Related web sites:
ND Response - http://www.ndresponse.com/
New video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KUBdrrbF6o
6 comments:
Man
I would love to do a survey at this event: "So in the next election..do you think you will vote Right or left wing"?
Describing Obama as Pro Abortion is a bit unfair, he's pro-choice. Pro-life should be called Pro-force to keep the playing field level. Ideally no one would need an abortion but this is the real world we are living in.
Whats the prayer vigil going to achieve? Maybe make the people praying feel better, it wont change anything. Surely a lot of people prayed for the last pope but he suffered terribly, People prayed for Madeline McCann, she's still missing. There aint no one listening.
Pro-choice is a misnomer, Anon.
The baby is not given a choice. I should think human instinct would kick in, and the baby would choose to live rather than being sucked into a medicinal waste disposal.
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What will the prayer vigil achieve? It will let Obama know he actually ISN'T God. And while I'm at it (y'all forgive me because I am about to sin), neither is the Pope.
The Pope has no right to go over and muck around, calling for a "Palestinian Homeland." There is a whole lotta desert that doesn't sit on top of Jerusalem.
This infallibility of the pope thing -- is he human? Can humans fail? That's what I thought you would say.
True, the baby is not given a choice and as hideous as an abortion is the decision has got to be with the "mother". Education is the way to go, everyone should know what an abortion involves so its a last resort and not a method of contraception or a lifestyle choice undertaken lightly. There are plenty of other options to abortion but FORCE cannot be one of them.
Thank you Not So Silent for your comments. You are quite right, my Christian brother or sister, neither Obama nor the Pope are God.
But the attack on the Pope is not helpful to the great spiritual struggle in which we are all engaged - whether the battle be the right to life, freedom, combating socialism, perversion, pornography, oppressive government and confiscatory taxes that undermine families, or any other evils that confront all people of faith.
Many Palestinians are Christians, and many of those have become refugees because of war in Iraq and elsewhere in the region. The Pope is visiting the region, first and foremost as a pilgrim visiting the holy places associated with our Lord, he is also a shepherd of souls, giving support and comfort to Catholics of various rites in the region. Protocol requires that when he visits a country that he be greeted by national leaders, but that is clearly not the purpose of his trip. You might be interested in the Pope's explanation of his pilgrimage:
"Like countless pilgrims before me, it is now my turn to satisfy that profound wish to touch, to draw solace from and to venerate the places where Jesus lived, the places which were made holy by his presence.
Every one of us is a pilgrim. We are all drawn forward, with purpose, along God's path ... sometimes with trepidation or anxiety, but always with expectation and hope, knowing too that there are others who encourage us along the way."
When asked about how he could contribute to the peace process he said the following:
"Benedict XVI: Good morning! Before all else, I would like to thank you all for the work you have done, and I wish you all a good trip, a good pilgrimage, and a good return.
Regarding the question, certainly I intend to contribute to peace, but not as an individual, but in the name of the Catholic Church, of the Holy See. We are not a political power, but rather a spiritual force, and this spiritual force is a reality that can contribute to the progress of the peace process.
I see [a contribution to be made on] three levels: As believers, we are convinced that prayer is a true force. It opens the world to God: We are convinced that God listens and that he can act in history. I think that if millions of people -- believers -- would pray, it could really be a force that could influence and contribute to the advancement of peace.
Second point: We try to help in the formation of consciences. The conscience is the capacity of mankind to perceive the truth, but particular interests often block this capacity. And it is a big job to liberate from these interests, to open more to the truth, to the true values: It is a duty of the Church to help one to know the true criteria, the true values, and to liberate ourselves from particular interests.
And thus, the third point, let us draw reason in as well -- precisely this is it: precisely because we are not a political party, perhaps too we can more easily, with the light of faith, see the true criteria, help bring an understanding of what contributes to peace and speak to reason, to support the truly reasonable positions. And this we have already done, and we want to do so now and in the future."
I doubt, Not So Silent, that as a serious, faithful Christian you really take issue with those clear and good intentions.
As far as the doctrine of infallibility, that is totally irrelevant to the visit or anything the Pope has said during his pontificate. That doctrine is an assurance that when the Pope addresses the entire Church on faith and morals, the Church will be protected from serious error by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It flows from Christ's promise to His Church to be with it until the end of the world. No Pope has thus spoken since the pontificate of Pius XII in the early 1950s. The Pope does not purport to be omniscient. He might speculate on what the weather will be like tomorrow and be completely wrong. He would be the first to acknowledge his human weakness. It is very understandable that many people hate what they think they know about the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, what they think they know is often wrong, and that occurs among Catholics as well.
As a significant spiritual leader of over one billion Catholics, many living in Palestine, the Pope has as least the same right as everyone else to speak out on matters of social justice. Do you think Pope John Paul had no right to defend the rights and freedoms of Christians in Poland and other captive nations of eastern Europe? As a leader of Catholics in virtually every country in the world, the Pope has a unique perspective and a serious duty to speak out as a shepherd of souls. I believe Pope Benedict has done that with an extraordinary measure of humility and gentleness.
There is so much that unites all faithful Christians. Let's not encourage those who hate Christ and his message by focusing on what divides us.
My Brother,
You would make a great pope. However, I must point out the irony of a German-born religious leader even *appearing* to take sides.
It is reported that while in Nazareth, Pope Benedict steered clear of politics. He should have done this in Jerusalem -- and he should continue to do it for the rest of his pilgrimage.
When we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we are not praying for the piece of Jerusalem!
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