Ten Holy Cross Priests Condemn Notre Dame Inviting Pro-Abortion Barack Obama
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 8, 2009
South Bend, IN (LifeNews.com) — Ten priests who are members of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, which helps run the University of Notre Dame, have condemned the Catholic college’s decision to invite pro-abortion President Barack Obama to give the school’s commencement address and receive an honorary degree.
The priests signed an open letter published Wednesday in the campus newspaper.
"It is our deep conviction that Notre Dame should lead by word and deed in upholding the Church’s fundamental teaching that human life must be respected and protected from the moment of conception," they write.
"We especially regret the fissure that the invitation to President Obama has opened between Notre Dame" and pro-life Catholics who oppose the decision, they said.
The priests applauded local Bishop John D’Arcy, who has said he would not attend the graduation ceremonies because of the Obama invitation.
They asked Notre Dame president, Rev. John Jenkins, also a Holy Cross priest, and the university’s board of fellows to reconsider the invitation because Obama supports abortion. The indicated the Catholic reputation of the university would suffer if it failed to rescind the invitation.
However, Jenkins has defended the decision and said honoring Obama and allowing his to address the graduations would honor the educational institution.
The priests include Father Wilson Miscamble, professor of history and former rector of the Holy Cross Congregation’s Moreau Seminary, who has been a critic of Notre Dame’s failure to hire sufficient numbers of Catholic professors
The group also includes Father Daniel Parrish, who is identified on the Notre Dame web site as working in the Office of the Executive Vice President.
Patrick Reilly, the president of the Cardinal Newman Society, a pro-life Catholic watchdog group that has been monitoring the situation at Notre Dame, told LifeNews.com he appreciates the letter.
“More than 250,000 individuals, many thousands of alumni and students, more than two dozen bishops, and now these 10 Holy Cross priests have opposed Notre Dame’s plan to honor President Obama,” he said.
“As Catholics prepare for the holiest days of the year, we pray that Notre Dame’s leaders will listen to the pleas of so many of the faithful and end the scandal caused by their actions," he added.
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