Obama's Planned Notre Dame Commencement Speech Riles Catholics
Barack Obama will give commencement speeches at the U.S. Naval Academy, Arizona State, and the University of Notre Dame this year. The Naval Academy has received the news with little dispute, and Arizona State actually moved its ceremony to accommodate the president.
But when the president isn't sticking it to a certain Naval Academy graduate and Arizona senator, he's riling the Catholic community at Notre Dame. Critics say that Obama's honorary degree is an affront to the school's Catholic teachings, citing the president's stances on abortion, gay rights, and embryonic stem cell research. Groups like the Cardinal Newman Society and the Pro-Life Action League have encouraged all Catholics to flood the university with phone calls and to sign online petitions (which have tens of thousands of signatures already).
The Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame's president, defended the choice, saying that it has been a standing tradition to invite the U.S. president to speak and that he was "honored" that Obama accepted the invitation.
"The invitation of President Obama to be our Commencement speaker should in no way be taken as condoning or endorsing his positions on specific issues," Jenkins said. "We invited him because we care so much about those issues, and we hope for this to be the basis of an engagement with him. You cannot change the world if you shun the people you want to persuade, and if you cannot persuade them, show respect for them and listen to them."
Tags: Navy | colleges | Barack Obama | University of Notre Dame | Arizona State University
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Obama's honorary degree
For all the practicing Catholics...how many of you practice birth control, how many of you are divorced or married to someone who was married before? Life is not black or white. I am conservative on many issues, but there may be a time in a persons life when abortion may be necessary. This is not a decision taken lightly by most women. This is an issue that is personal. The church does not take care of a family, or worry about how it survives. There is a strength for many people in religion, but religion is not helpful when it is a religion of fear. The Catholic Church needs to be supportive of life, not judgmental toward individuals decisions. That is what makes religion distructive.
notre dame,s decision to invite President Obama as commencement speaker.
i think that catholics who donate to notre dame should find some other charity to donate to, who is in keeping with the doctrine of the faith,and the teachings of the magesterium of the catholic church, especially on abortion. thank you.
Lets be real
Yes down with Obama, he the one who said let open dialogue with the enemy, why waste time to talk with them lets bomb them to death(REPUBLICAN0), we are Republican god fearing man if you dont agree with me We will destroy your home , and family
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