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The President, Notre Dame, and Catholic Divisions |
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Prayer-Soldier writes "News Commentary: From the time that it was learned the University of Notre Dame extended an invitation to President Obama to be the commencement speaker at the university's 2009 graduation, controversy was stirred. It is Notre' Dame's tradition to invite new presidents to speak to a new generation of graduates, but what caused many Catholics to raise voices in protest to this event is President Obama's views on life issues, such as embryonic stem cell research and abortion. Such views and the record of his actions are in direct opposition to the Christian values of the Church. While this was the spark, there is a much greater issue that was revealed by these events.
As the news spread, the Cardinal Newman Society established a web site to collect signatures for a petition to ask that the university rescind the invitation. There was little chance that the 364,541 signatures collected, as of 15 May 09, were going to stop the event, but a clear message of concern was sent. The petition cited the United States Council of Catholic Bishops statement of “Catholics in Political Life,” published in 2004, which states, “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.”
An opposing petition was established by a coalition of organizations. The wesupportnotredame.org, collected 36,919 electronic signatures by the time the graduation ceremony started. The sponsors of Fr. Jenkins' supporters include organizations devoted to issues of social justice such as Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and Catholics United. According to their web sites, they appear supportive of President Obama's policies and, especially in the case of Catholics United, are critical of and appear to be in opposition to conservative Catholics.
As days passed, many voices were raised in criticism and support of the Notre Dame invitation. Statements by approximately 70 Catholic Bishops criticized the invitation. Former Ambassador to the Vatican, Mary Ann Glendon, declined to participate in the ceremony. Glendon was to receive the Laetare Medal during the event. The medal is the oldest and one of the most prestigious awards presented to American Catholics.
As many were noticing the apparent silence of the Vatican on the issue, Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the head of the Roman Catholic Church's highest office overseeing Church law addressed the subject at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. According to the transcript of Burke's speech posted on the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast's web site, he stated, “Over the past several months, our nation has chosen a path which more completely denies any legal guarantee of the most fundamental human right, the right to life, to the innocent and defenseless unborn.” Burke then took the issue head on and commented, “The profound granting of an honorary doctorate at Notre Dame University to our President who is as aggressively advancing an anti-life and anti-family agenda is a source of the gravest scandal. Catholic institutions cannot offer any platform to, let alone honor, those who teach and act publicly against the moral law.”
As the event drew nearer, pro-life organizations seized upon the media spotlight the issue was receiving and took the opportunity to protest. Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, former presidential candidate Alan Keys and Norma McCorvey (the woman identified as Roe in the landmark case Roe V. Wade) were arrested as they attempted to demonstrate on campus without a permit. Many students and parents voiced concerns that such outside groups were attempting to hijack the graduation which should be about the accomplishments of the students and not political agendas.
The controversy continued to build with each passing day and pundits spoke to make their political points. Various forms of protests were planned and the stage was set to climax with the President's appearance. In the speech transcript posted by “The Huffington Post,” President Obama addressed the controversy. He related, “...recognizing that our fates are tied up, as Dr. King said, in a "single garment of destiny" - is not easy. Part of the problem, of course, lies in the imperfections of man - our selfishness, our pride, our stubbornness, our acquisitiveness, our insecurities, our egos; all the cruelties large and small that those of us in the Christian tradition understand to be rooted in original sin.”
President Obama commented, “As I considered the controversy surrounding my visit here, I was reminded of an encounter I had during my Senate campaign.” Obama related the story of a pro-life supporter who wrote, then senatorial candidate Obama, an email of concern. Obama related, “What bothered the doctor was an entry that my campaign staff had posted on my website - an entry that said I would fight 'right-wing ideologues who want to take away a woman's right to choose.' The doctor said that he had assumed I was a reasonable person, but that if I truly believed that every pro-life individual was simply an ideologue who wanted to inflict suffering on women, then I was not very reasonable. He wrote, 'I do not ask at this point that you oppose abortion, only that you speak about this issue in fair-minded words.'”
As President Obama recited, “In fair-minded words,” a baby's cry could be heard in the background. Perhaps no one noticed the irony of that sound as the debates over life were climaxing in speeches, protests and punditry. The irony is that it is the very acts that would silence a baby's cry before it is ever heard that was stirring the conflict that was swirling around Notre Dame.
President Obama continued, “I didn't change my position, but I did tell my staff to change the words on my website. And I said a prayer that night that I might extend the same presumption of good faith to others that the doctor had extended to me. Because when we do that - when we open our hearts and our minds to those who may not think like we do or believe what we do - that's when we discover at least the possibility of common ground.”
After the speech, one of the pundits speaking on CNN pointed out the President's comment, “I didn't change my position.” The observer said it was a slight of hand. He related that words are the easy part, but it is the actions that must be observed. The point was that changing words so that they appear to be somewhat more acceptable across political divides is not the same as deeds.
While President Obama became the lightening rod of energy that drove the passions of Catholics and other Christians committed to the sanctity of life, the real issue is not about the President. The real issue is the divisions of Catholics and Christianity in general in relation to those who would defend life from conception and those who attempt to dehumanize the unborn for the purposes of other agendas.
The petition supporting Fr. Jenkins stated, “While some partisan groups driven by narrow ideological agendas are attempting to smear the Notre Dame community for extending this invitation, I agree with Fr. Jenkins' statement that Notre Dame is justly honoring our nation's first African American president - an 'inspiring leader who faces many challenges.'”
The “narrow, ideological agenda” to which the petition alludes concerns the lives of the unborn. The core of Christian faith are the two greatest commandments of which Jesus spoke, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." (Matthew 22: 37-40) In those words, Jesus did not say, “Except for the unborn.”
President Obama's speech is almost a footnote compared to the concern that should exist amongst Catholics as to the divisions that surfaced surrounding this event. Divisions within the faith have existed since the early days of the Church and are the source of deviation from our relationship with God. In Paul's first letter to the church of Corinth, he stated, “God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose. For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by Chloe's people, that there are rivalries among you. I mean that each of you is saying, 'I belong to Paul,' or 'I belong to Apollos,' or 'I belong to Cephas,' or 'I belong to Christ.' Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:9-13)
In the events surrounding Notre Dame, Catholics must ask themselves, are they or are they not followers of Christ? Is it only the politics of this world they seek to survive? We must recognize that politics are simply that which is of man, but the commandments our Lord taught us to follow are of God. When we deviate from our Lord's commandments, we separate ourselves from God. What good can come from playing politics with the commandments of our Lord and Savior? "
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Posted on Monday, May 18 @ 01:40:47 MDT by drbonebrake
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