In a recent blog post, Morris wrote that “hundreds of thousands of American Catholics, including high-ranking church officials, have expressed outrage over what they see as Notre Dame’s betrayal of [distinctly Catholic] values for the sake of worldly prestige.” Calling Notre Dame the “jewel of American Catholicism,” Morris questions how “Notre Dame officials can reconcile their choice to honor a president who has rejected – and continues to reject so aggressively – their cornerstone value of the right to life.”
Morris uses misleading language. First, people aren’t upset because they believe President Obama betrays “distinctly Catholic values” – they’re upset because he’s a pro-choice president. (Only use the plural when you’re referring to more than one distinctly Catholic value, Father.) But, if this is about the sanctity of life, then why wasn’t there an outcry when President Bush spoke at Notre Dame’s 2001 commencement? He was the guy who’d later go to war and cause thousands of American deaths, not to mention huge Iraqi and Afghani casualties. You’ll have to forgive me for remembering that abortion and stem-cell research aren’t the only issues when it comes to the right to life.
In other news, Notre Dame doesn’t need any more prestige, Fr. Morris. To accuse the university of seeking Obama as its commencement speaker for the sake of fame is as close-minded as saying Obama shouldn’t be president simply because of his stance on a single issue. Notre Dame, who has clearly said they don’t support all of the president’s views, sends a clear message with this invitation: “We’re open to dialogue, and won’t completely shut those with differing opinions out.” It’s funny, because in a Feb. 2006 blog post, Morris wrote, “Respect for belief is just as important as freedom of expression. They were never meant to be at odds with each other.” I guess that doesn’t apply when the other person’s belief isn’t the same as yours.
Morris thinks that Notre Dame sends out a different message, though: “As you go forth into this world, the best way to find common ground on divisive issues, as President Obama has invited us to do, is to whitewash our institutions of what makes us uniquely Catholic, Protestant, Jewish . . . or whatever else gets in the way of prestige, or the sitting president’s agenda.” I’d like to see that press release. How about this, Padre Morris: By speaking at the commencement of a Catholic institution, President Obama is gesturing that he’s willing to be in conversation even with those who expressly disagree with him, in an ecumenical spirit of sorts. That’s kind of what presidents do.
As a Catholic, I certainly stand in opposition to some of what Obama stands for.
The world – the Church especially – would benefit from a certain spirit of open-mindedness, though, that at the very least would allow people to enter into dialogue with those they disagree with. If Obama came to LMU for commencement, what would it say about our University if we were to start a petition like this to prevent that from happening? Can we really say we’re committed to a service of faith, the promotion of justice and the education of the whole person if we shut out those who don’t think the same way we do? Fr. Morris seems to think so.
Kudos to Notre Dame for nabbing the president of the
-Jose Martinez
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2 comments:
This should be an article in the Opinion section. Very well said, Mr. Martinez.
Okay, so here's two cents: I definitely agree with you as far as the need for dialogue, open conversation, etc. The world definitely needs more of that. But Notre Dame is a Catholic institution, and the USCCB has issued statements (particularly in their document "Catholics in Political Life" in 2004) which states that "the Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."
Under that principle, former President Bush should not have been honored either. This is not to say that such speakers should not be invited for dialogue, since I do believe such conversation is both productive and necessary. But explicitly honoring speakers who hold positions contrary to Catholic teaching -- for example, by conferring honorary degrees, as is customary for commencement speakers -- is inappropriate for Catholic institutions.
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