Exclusive: President of US Bishops Conference: Notre Dame Obama Invite an "Extreme Embarassment"
By Kathleen Gilbert

NOTRE DAME, Indiana, March 31, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Speaking as the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, this weekend Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said that the University of Notre Dame's decision to host and honor President Obama at their commencement ceremony this year was an "extreme embarrassment" to Catholics.

"Whatever else is clear, it is clear that Notre Dame didn't understand what it means to be Catholic when they issued this invitation," George told the crowd at a conference Saturday on the Vatican document Dignitatis Personae. The conference was hosted by the Chicago archdiocese's Respect Life office and Office for Evangelization at the Marriott O'Hare hotel.

In a video obtained by LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) today, Cardinal George prefaced his remarks by noting that as USCCB president he does not have jurisdiction or authority over other bishops, but nonetheless has "some moral authority, without any kind of jurisdiction or any sort of real authority."

"As president of the U.S. bishops' conference I have to precisely speak for the bishops and not in my own name, as I could as Archbishop of Chicago," he added.

George said he had spoken with the administrative committee of the bishops' conference and corresponded with University president Fr. John Jenkins several times on the issue.

"That conversation will continue .... whether or not it will have some kind of consequence that will bring, I think, the University of Notre Dame to its [the USCCB's] understanding of what it means to be Catholic," said the Cardinal. "That is, when you're Catholic, everything you do changes the life of everybody else who calls himself a personal Catholic - it's a network of relationships.

"So quite apart from the president's own positions, which are well known, the problem is in that you have a Catholic university - the flagship Catholic university - do something that brought extreme embarrassment to many, many people who are Catholic," said the cardinal.

"So whatever else is clear, it is clear that Notre Dame didn't understand what it means to be Catholic when they issued this invitation, and didn't anticipate the kind of uproar that would be consequent to the decision, at least not to the extent that it has happened," said George.

The Cardinal urged concerned Catholics "to do what you are supposed to be doing: to call, to email, to write letters, to express what's in your heart about this: the embarrassment, the difficulties."

However, Cardinal George emphasized that the U.S. presidency "is an office that deserves some respect, no matter who is holding it," and said that Notre Dame would not disinvite the president, since "you just don't do that (disinvite the president of the United States)." According to the cardinal requests to revoke the invitation would fall on deaf ears, but he also observed that there is legitimate potential to organize some form of protest at the ceremony.

"You have to sit back and get past the immediate moral outrage and say, 'Now what's the best thing to do in these circumstances?'" said the Cardinal.

"I can assure you the bishops are doing that."

Cardinal George is the ninth U.S. bishop to speak out against the scandal.

The issue is the word innocent. Pat argued strongly that every one who was put to death was obviously guilty. The problem is that, in recent years, dna evidence has shown many men/women convicted of a capital crime were really not guilty.

One cannot logically be consistent unless you opposed capital punish and abortion. In a word, you cannot oppose abortion if you don't oppose the death penalty too.

One cannot logically be consistent unless you opposed capital punish and abortion. In a word, you cannot oppose abortion if you don't oppose the death penalty too.

The execution of a convicted killer can in no way be compared to an extinguishing of a innocent life in abortion.

Joe,

I'm sure that some honorary degrees don't mean very much, but--at least theoretically--the conferring of such a degree is meant to imply that the accomplishments of the individual receiving it are so great that the university would be honored if one of their PhD graduates had accomplished as much. It is a way of showing the highest degree of honor and of going on record as fully supporting the recipient in his or her endeavors.

I read this whole thing as the ND president trying to leverage Obama's popularity and the fact that he was supported by a large number of Catholics to further distance Catholicism in America from the Pro-Life movement.


Peace,
Deacon Richard