By Susan Brinkmann, OCS Staff Writer In the wake of the Notre Dame commencement scandal, Catholic college leaders representing some of the worst violators of the U.S. bishops’ 2004 ban on honoring public opponents of Catholic teachings are lobbying the bishops to withdraw their policy. As U.S. bishops gather in San Antonio, Texas, this week for their biannual meeting, the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU), which represents more than 200 Catholic institutions, released a report from its board of directors saying “that it would be desirable for the [U.S. bishops] to withdraw” the 2004 policy. The ACCU leadership goes on to suggest that “juridical expressions of bishops’ or universities’ responsibilities should be kept to a minimum” in order to maintain a good relationship between the bishops and educators.” In other words, says Patrick J. Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society, “Catholic colleges and universities would like all of the privileges of being Catholic, but none of the responsibilities of being high-profile witnesses for the fullness of the Catholic faith.” Their statement makes it clear that they would prefer to rule themselves and that they blame the tensions arising from scandalous activities on Catholic campuses on the bishops, not themselves. For instance, in May, the president of the ACCU, Richard Yanikoski told the South Bend Tribune that he saw a “degree of ambiguity” in the bishops’ 2004 policy and claimed that the Church’s canon lawyers disagree whether the policy applies to speakers or honorees who are not Catholic. Several bishops strongly rejected that same argument when it was made by Notre Dame president Rev. John Jenkins, C.S.C., to defend his decision to honor President Obama. A month before the president’s infamous speech, leaders of the nation’s 28 Jesuit colleges and universities were put on record as supporting Notre Dame’s honor of President Obama by Rev. Charles Currie, S.J., president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Father Currie told the National Catholic Reporter that lobbying of the bishops had already begun: “[We] have been talking to individual bishops to see if we can’t lower the volume and lessen the heat of the discussion.” Reilly concluded: “It is sadly all too clear that the many secularized Catholic colleges and universities are more concerned with doing away with the rules than ending the scandals,” Reilly said. © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace®  http://www.womenofgrace.com