By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
The head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is calling the University of Notre Dame’s decision to host and honor President Obama at their commencement ceremony this year 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,” said Cardinal Francis George 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.
According to a report by LifeSiteNews.com, 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.”
Cardinal George indicated that he had spoken with the administrative committee of the bishops’ conference and also 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.”
Cardinal George also 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).” While saying that calls to disinvite Obama would fall on deaf ears, he added that some form of protest at the ceremony would be legitimate.
“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 thus far against the scandal.
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