Notre Dame University Should Cancel Obama

INDIANAPOLIS – The Roman Catholic bishop whose diocese includes the University of Notre Dame says he will boycott President Barack Obama's commencement speech at the Catholic school because Obama's policies on stem cell research and abortion run counter to church teaching.

Bishop John D'Arcy of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend said in a statement Tuesday that Obama's recent decision to federally fund embryonic stem cell research "has now placed in public policy ... his long-stated unwillingness to hold human life sacred."

"While claiming to separate politics from science, he has in fact separated science from ethics and has brought the American government, for the first time in history, into supporting direct destruction of innocent human life," D'Arcy said.

Obama has said the decision was aimed at easing human suffering.

The Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame's president, said Monday that the invitation for the May 17 event did not mean the university supports all of Obama's positions. A school spokesman, Dennis Brown, said he saw no circumstances under which it would rescind the invitation.

The White House issued a statement Tuesday saying Obama welcomes the "spirit of debate and healthy disagreement on important issues."

"While he is honored to have the support of millions of people of all faiths, including Catholics with their rich tradition of recognizing the dignity of people, he does not govern with the expectation that everyone sees eye to eye with him on every position," the statement said.

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The Cardinal Newman Society, an organization dedicated to the "renewal" of the nation's Catholic colleges and universities, issued an alert on its Web site. As of Tuesday evening, the organization claimed more than 85,000 had signed an online petition to stop the "scandal."

The Pro-Life Action League is urging supporters to call university president Rev. John Jenkins to ask him to uninvite Obama, something a university spokesman has said is highly unlikely. Joe Scheidler, a 1950 Notre Dame alumnus and national director of the Chicago-based organization, said the group plans to bring at least 100 "graphic pictures" to greet Obama and those attending the commencement.

"We will line the streets around South Bend," he said, predicting that buses from the Chicago area, Indianapolis and Michigan would bring at least 1,000 protesters here.

Obama is expected to be awarded an honorary degree, making him the ninth president to receive one from the university. He will be the sixth U.S. president to speak at a Notre Dame commencement.

You may contact the president of the college and express your feelings:

http://president.nd.edu/contact-us