Friday, May 15, 2009

Obama at Notre Dame

With me, you're probably following the dust-up over Obama receiving an honorary degree from the University of Notre Dame this coming Sunday (May 17th).

The group Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good has taken out a full-page ad that will appear in tomorrow's South Bend Tribune. The text is HERE.

I've also given this statement for general release to the media folks at Fairfield University:

I received the doctorate in Theology from the University of Notre Dame in 1993. As both a Domer and a pro-life Catholic – committed to the Good News that calls us to protect the most vulnerable among us – I applaud Fr. Jenkins for his decision to honor the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States, a moment in our nation’s history that is, in part, due to the proud civil rights tradition championed at Notre Dame by Fr. Theodore Hesburgh.

By all accounts, President Obama is clearly committed to a concrete realization of the common good which, more than anything else, could have the effect of reducing the scandalous rate of abortion in our country. The culture-war media circus that has erupted – the camera-ready protests, the statements of outrage – has been going on for years, including the last eight years of a “pro-life” administration, and has changed nothing.

It’s time for a new approach.

Notre Dame should, and will, speak clearly about the value of unborn human life to President Obama. They have also given him a platform to speak and I, along with the majority of Catholics who voted for him, will be listening.

A personal note: I'm sorry that I've been away so long, many thanks, again, for your inquiries. I'll be posting as events unfold at Notre Dame over this weekend, and then will turn to a backlog of entries...so stay tuned!

UPDATE: 10:14 pm...Now here's something interesting, read the fine print, boys and girls...
"Majority of Americans now 'pro-life,' poll says."