Imagine that Yeshiva University  invites Bishop Richard Williamson ““ known for having denied the Holocaust ““ as its keynote speaker for commencement and gives him an honorary degree.
Does this make sense? Well, a comparable situation will take place in a few weeks at the University of Notre Dame.
On May 17, President Obama will be the principal speaker and the recipient of an honorary law degree at Notre Dame’s 164th University Commencement Ceremony.
On the one hand, according to its mission statement, Notre Dame is a Catholic University.
The Church holds abortion to be nothing other than the slaughter of innocent children. If one is to call himself Catholic, he must hold the Church’s views. On the other hand, Obama is the most pro-abortion rights president this nation has known.
Obama has voted against the Born Alive Act in Illinois, an act that requires doctors to assist infants born alive after a botched abortion. Try to picture the situation of a stretcher in a surgery room and consider the three- or four-minute difference between this and infanticide.
Just as for Yeshiva, inviting a figure with opposing beliefs to Notre Dame makes no sense.
Though inviting President Obama may not mean acceptance of his views, it at least shows indifference. A Catholic institution should be ashamed to show indifference toward the 1.2 million abortions performed in the U.S. every year. Notre Dame should withdraw its invitation to the President.
What are some of the arguments that you hear around campus to justify such a decision?
1. Notre Dame should be tolerant and understanding since it’s an educational institution.
Then let Obama come for a public debate or a seminar, but don’t wine, dine and award him. Being respectful and open is different from giving public praise and honor.
2. Catholics should balance out the fact that Obama is pro-life in areas such as caring about others, helping the poor and caring about the environment.
Good. Please keep it up, Mr. President. But can anyone sincerely compare such promises with a million human lives snuffed out annually? It’s a whole different level.
3. Catholics should put their differences aside and learn from others.
If Obama himself had put differences aside and followed the trend, he would still be a community organizer in Chicago.
In some situations you have to put differences aside, in others ““ with your values and beliefs at stake ““ you just can’t. For a Catholic institution, defending the life of the unborn is definitely in the second group.
4. Religion and politics should be separated anyway.
We hope that the wall of separation they refer to is not really suggesting the subjection of religion to the state. It seems like the university is kowtowing its beliefs to Obama’s politics.
Maybe we are exaggerating a little bit? Consider this: In his recent visit to Turkey, Obama respectfully took off his shoes in a mosque. Surprisingly, less than two weeks later, in his visit to Georgetown university ““ a Catholic institution ““ the White House requested that the monogram IHS, a symbol of the name of Jesus Christ that stands behind the stage where Obama spoke, be covered during the President’s speech. Scary.
Try to convince Richard Joel ““ president of Yeshiva University ““ that inviting Williamson is an act of openness, respect and growth; that he should put differences aside; oh, and by the way, tell him that Williamson is actually not that bad: He holds soup kitchens at his church on Fridays.
Good luck!
If Notre Dame wants to keep calling itself Catholic, it should uninvite Obama. He not only stands against the fundamental right to life but ardently advocates for the expansion of abortion. Notre Dame should grow up and stand firm on its morals and not acquiesce to the pressures of politics and prestige. As Bishop D’Arcy of South Bend, Ind., puts it, “The measure of any Catholic institution is not only what it stands for but also what it will not stand for.”
Gallo is a first-year graduate student at the Anderson School of Management. Boles will be a student at UCLA in fall.