Notre Dame: exercise nuclear option?
UPDATE, 10:20a: Petition signatures at NotreDameScandal.com just topped 160k.
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Tom Roeser, chairman of the board of Catholic Citizens of Illinois and popular radio talk show host, has proposed on his blog:
What can authenticist Catholics do about Notre Dame which has invited Barack Obama to be its 2009 commencement speaker-an invitation Obama has accepted?
Catholics can…(a) write the president, Rev. John Jenkins, CSC but will get a very nice letter back.
They can (b) write the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Francis George and they will get a very short, crisp letter back saying he does not have jurisdiction over Notre Dame, thank you and please pray for me as I pray for you as we pray for all etc.,etc., etc.
They can (c) write the bishop of Fort Wayne–South Bend, Bishop John Michael D’Arcy and ask him to pressure Notre Dame to change its mind. They will get a pro-forma letter back.
They can (d) make a list of the trustees of the university and write them, try to pressure them. Not very effective.
Finally, by organizing a group of alumni they can write to and visit the bishop, Bishop D’Arcy and urge him to employ the “nuclear option.”…
The nuclear option belongs to every Ordinary – the power to remove the Catholic identification from the offending school. A negotiation can begin where the Ordinary says that unless the university behaves like a Catholic institution, it should not misrepresent itself as one….
Assuredly, for an Ordinary to even raise the possibility of stripping Catholic identity will strike a match that could launch a revolution to reclaiming Catholic universities….
A related column by Gene Zurlo at Inside Catholic:
During the recent presidential race, President Obama’s campaign was able to divide Catholics and forge a majority (54%) who voted against the teachings of the Church. How could this have happened? These Catholics either must not know what the Church teaches, or simply don’t care.
It is the responsibility of our bishops to teach the Faith and discipline the faithless, but many of them have failed to meet their responsibilities. What can the lay faithful do to move our bishops to action?…
It is clear our efforts heretofore have had little effect, probably because we weren’t pushing the right buttons that would motivate our bishops. Recent events, however, suggest a course of action that the laity can take to encourage change.
A few weeks ago, legislation was introduced in… CT… that would have put severe limits on the control of bishops over their diocesan finances and administration. In almost no time, the 3 CT bishops reacted with a force and alacrity rarely seen, particularly when compared with issues of life and marriage.
A few years ago, faithful Catholics in the Archdiocese of San Francisco were able to move then-Archbishop William Levada to action by threatening to withhold contributions. This worked because the archdiocese realized that their policy of placating dissident Catholics in order to retain their contributions was a losing proposition in the face of the potential loss of money from faithful Catholics.
These events teach us that threats to power and revenue streams will get the attention of bishops and can move them to right action. In those dioceses where bishops do not defend life and marriage and who tolerate Catholic politicians who vote and otherwise act against the Church’s teachings, faithful Catholics should organize “donor strikes.” Notify the diocesan bishop that funds formerly given to the diocese and parishes (from which the diocese collects a tax) will be redirected to charities such as Priests for Life or Human Life International….
[HT for Roeser post: Jim Finnegan; for Zurlo piece: Deal Hudson]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
It’s simple, if they don’t want to be Catholic, then don’t be. Change the name and stop identifying themselves as a Catholic school.Stop sending the message that you can call yourself Catholic and divert from Church teachings.
Great idea. Remove “Catholic” from the school and everyone will be happy.
(I’m not being sarcastic. I think this is a good solution to the problem)
Remove Obama from the ptrogram and the compromise standoff is over. Geert wilders was kept out of UK. Obama kept off campus for his general offensiveness is proper.
I think I said this before, actually, but maybe I wasn’t clear.
That’s what I meant by “clean house.”
I’m not sure on the politics exactly, but the authorities in the Church who are over the ones in charge of Notre Dame should either remove them from their positions at Notre Dame (if they have that ability) or demand that if they do not step down the school will be stripped of Catholic status. Regardless, those involved with positions in the church–such as Jenkins–should have their status taken away, at least temporarily.
Isn’t this part of the reason that the Catholic Church has a hierarchical structure–to make it possible for discipline of wayward clergy?
As long as the Church tolerates its leadership trampling on its values, many who might otherwise be drawn to it will be turned away.
Oops, above meant to read: Stop sending the message that you can’t call yourself Catholic and divert from Church teachings.
Boycott the ceremony OR:
Insert ear plugs when he speaks. Stand up with your back facing him. Have graphic pix floating around inside and out of his supported atrocities and crimes against humanity. (Expose and smear his record with a 1001 listing). Hiss and boo him. Yawn, sneeze, scratch itchy nose, fiddle with ears-hair-nails, cough, chew bubble gum (make bubbles), get itchy, look cross-eyed, roll your eyes, burp, etc. BE OBVIOUSLY DISTRACTED! Give him NO applause with a thumbs down gesture.
That man deserves NO RESPECT from this body! SABOTAGE the ENTIRE EVENT! LOL Admit it is a joke having him there, so make it a deserving JOKE! If the powers-to-be don’t respect the dignity of the issue, why should you? Have FUN with it! LOL Show ’em that King Con Abortion Czars are skank! Have courage and character. The “powers” don’t.
“Great idea. Remove “Catholic” from the school and everyone will be happy.
(I’m not being sarcastic. I think this is a good solution to the problem)
Posted by: Hal at March 26, 2009 9:47 AM”
As I have said numerous times before Hal, every day you dig that hole you’re in a little deeper. The problem is that eventually, the light at the top will appear to you as a vanishing point and you will not even be able to see it.
Or perhaps you are already there?
And again as I have said numerous times in the past, “you make me weep”.
Why, because it so pains me to see a seemingly good guy abort himself.
Hal, I’d agree with you, but it’s not that simple since it’s named after our Mother.
I know that if an institution were named after my earthly mother, I wouldn’t let it do abominable things in her name.
Or they could select someone to give the valedictory address, who addresses this very topic of the Catholic doctrine of the sanctity of life and make the President and everyone else squirm big-time. I would love to see that happen. Confront Obama as he should be confronted – publicly.
Harvard and the like were Christian institutions and gave into secualrism and now they are bastions of demonism, humanism, and atheism.
Why should we expect anything different for ND?
It’s sad, but true but really our choice. How much do we love Him? Are we willing to give everything for Him?
However, He said, “be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”.
Yippie!!!!
YES, have the Dog whimper-walking out with his tail between his boney legs! LOL! Get Creative. Blow this Abortion Czar away with direct hits, blatant avoidance (never look him in the eyes unless it is to throw daggers)! Make them all squirm in their own slime! Perfect! Launch an intensive effort! No holes barred! Have a snit face of constant displeasure and disgust. Keep your nose wrinkled to him. Stick your tongue out at him when licking your lips, scratch your face with that certain finger, make faces, acquire a facial tick…. be creative. SABOTAGE THE EVENT! How DARE he darken your stage and denigrate your commencement! Handle it!
Remember! He will press to have Catholic Hospitals performing all life phase abortions! Remember: He is EVERYTHING the Catholic Faithful is NOT! Remember: He wants WORSHIP!
He’ll blunder….LOL The fact that Notre Dame idolizes THAT makes him even MORE of a monster of destruction. An insatiable vampire of despotism. What a farce! Fake Catholic leaders scheming in spirit to kill the soul of our students.
Not that this makes things any better, but I think we may not be aware of the fact that Notre Dame hasn’t really been living up to its Catholic name for a long time. It hasn’t been considered a bastion of Catholic orthodoxy like Franciscan University or Christendom College, at least in my recent memory. My only point is that we shouldn’t really be surprised about all of this. If Catholic University or Ave Maria invited Obama, yes, I would be surprised. But I guess at this point, this is the kind of garbage I expect from a school like Notre Dame which has lost its Catholic identity.
Hmmm, I wonder what Alvin Plantinga thinks about all this? He’s a philosophy professor at ND, a non-Catholic, but probably the greatest Christian philosopher of the 20th century and one of my heroes… That would be interesting to find out.
NO TO DONOR STRIKES
I’m not sure if this is seriously being advocated – and I understand that the goal is actually to ‘redirect’ funds. But that’s just fundamentally the wrong way to deal with this.
(1) It will encourage donor strikes from the other side of the aisle as well. Then where would that leave us?
(2) Contrary to popular belief, most of the money is not going into a big screen TV at the rectory. It goes to funding service trips, donations to the poor, facilities for Catholic schools, competitive salaries for lay workers in the Church, outreach and rehabilitation programs, etc. Who are you really threatening?
(3) I believe the cause of Life is as vital as anything, but this might encourage ‘donor strikes’ for less important causes. One guy at our Church threatened us with a $50K donation because he didn’t like the teen mass.
(4) Finally, this is not the most important situation to do this in. Yes, if the Church starts advocating Planned Parenthood, I would hold back my donations – but to make donation threats because I disagree with their strategy? C’mon.
An ethically challenged Deal Hudson, once again leading the call for moral clarity! lol. The same old fools in new suits.
None of today’s “outraged” protesters had much to say when pro-choice, pro-death penalty, pro-war, pro-torture Condoleezza Rice spoke at Notre Dame’s commencement. At least President Obama agrees with the Catholic Church on most of these issues.
Support the University’s decision. Sign the petition:
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/4ObamaatND
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Alex, please list for us all the major Pro-Abort Biggity Bad Beasts in his administration. Hear are a few that merit a Donor Strike:
Biden
Clinton
Kathy Sebelius
David Ogden
Ellan Moran
Polesi
THEY ARE WORSE THAN PLANNED PARENTHOOD….
Psalm 59: 4
They have set an ambush for my life; the powerful conspire against me. For no offense or misdeed of mine, Lord,
The aborted have NO ONE but US to be the WOMB WAR PEACEMAKER WARRIORS.
GET SERIOUS! ! !
I agree with Irish 93, If Condoleezza Rice was not protested, I see no reason to get all upset about Obama.
Wow! YLT @12:09, so if you ever experience contrition for the things that you have done or experience a conversion of heart then it will be acceptable to throw your past back in your face?
Hal: “I agree with Irish 93, If Condoleezza Rice was not protested, I see no reason to get all upset about Obama.”
How can you be a lawyer? There is no way. I call BS after that statement.
If someone gets off for a crime, does it mean EVERYONE should get off for that same crime? Of course not. Rice should have been protested as well. She was not, which is a shame, but it does not change how Obama should be treated.
Also, you assume that Rice and Obama are the same in all regards because they are similar in one regard. Could it be possible that part of the problem with Obama is not his personal stance but the ACTIONS he has taken to support this stance?
Oliver, we’re not disagreeing here. You think Rice should have been protested, so your position is consistent that Obama should be too. There are some, I assume, who were not upset that Secretary Rice came to Notre Dame, but are upset that President Obama is speaking. That’s a bit inconsistent. Although, as you point out, you could distinguish the two on their level of commitment to a woman’s right to choose. (I’m not sure how strong Rice is on the subject.) Seems like a false distinction for men and women of principle however.
The Planet’s Ginormous Snuff-Surgery Czar’s Honorary Diploma should not cause the same amount of Donor Strikes as teen mass disapproval. Those affected by the Donor Strike can stand up against this sham! Dirty dollars don’t do doo-doo anyway.
Funny how threats of cutbacks of police and fire always manipulate when they want to control you!
Enough is Enough. We have only a very little time left to keep this country afloat. Why should we tolerate washing our hands and feet in his Bloody Sickness of Soul?
WHAT? He condones ZERO informed consent laws?
Please get some perspective! Incinerate the ceremony with Guerilla Sabotage Creativity! LOL He’ll be a menace to this country and world for decades to come…. give him his first taste of descent! Idolized rock stars don’t run countries. Idiots put him in office and HE KNOWS IT!!!
“Support the University’s decision. Sign the petition:”
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/4ObamaatND
Read the comment section – it is pretty lame. Are these the Catholics that ND is producing for the next generation? Come on ND, you must do better than this.
Regarding Condi Rice: she did not CO-SPONSOR FOCA, nor did she tell Planned Parenthood that FOCA is the first thing she’d sign into office as President of the US. Logical reasoning is short in supply these days.
Whoa! Alvin Plantinga gets a mention in these comments? So cool.
Yeah, his work on Warrant is awesome. Quite a slog to read through, though. Much tougher than the Dune trilogy. ;-D
As for Rice versus Obama, the point of consistency is worth pondering, but consistency is less important than valence. Obama is committed to and empowered to enact policies inconsistent with a pro-life ethic. Condi was not committed enough to opt out of an administration whose policies were contrary to her views.
Analog: Should Notre Dame have a gay commencement speaker? It would not be in the least inconsistent with Catholic faith to have a celibate gay speaker, no.
Likewise, Condi’s pro-choice beliefs were neutered during her time in the Bush administration. She didn’t act on them officially, subordinating her own views to “the will of the administration” (to evoke the language of the analogy).
Oh, another Plantinga fan, great! Rasquel, I just finished reading Warrent: The Current Debate and I’m really looking forward to Warrant and Proper Function and Warranted Christian Belief, mostly because I know where he’s going with these ideas. Have you read Warranted Christian Belief? What did you think?
Also, have you read God and Other Minds? I think that book is underrated. It’s crazy what he does in there. I don’t know how someone as brilliant as Plantinga can even exist. God love you.
Oops, above meant to read: Stop sending the message that you can’t call yourself Catholic and divert from Church teachings.
Posted by: Pansy Moss at March 26, 2009 10:34 AM
yes this has been promoted and encouraged either directly or indirectly by poor catechesis and lack of direction by the bishops in every Western country.
It started with birth control and now has moved on to abortion and euthanasia.It’s simply NOT ok to use birth control/abort/sterilize etc and call oneself a Catholic. It’s just NOT.
Secondly, what Bobby says is true. ND and many other so called “catholic” institutions including our hospitals and schools ARE essentially no longer catholic. Many participate in all of the above in contravention to Catholic teaching. I made an identical comment on another ND thread.
@Bobby: I will check out Plantinga.
“@Bobby: I will check out Plantinga. ”
Excellent, angel. I’m not trying to be a jerk or anything, but it helps VERY MUCH if you are somewhat familiar with the basic tenants of epistemology before reading him. As Rasquel said, it’s pretty hard stuff, but very rewarding.
I have a neighbor who went to Notre Dame and they just called him for an alumni donation! Boy did he give them an earful! I can only hope many others do the same!
no jerkiness involved! lol (I’m quite the novice at this stuff!)
Thanks for the tip. :)
I’ll have to check that out, then, Bobby… and I’m not worried about my grasp of epistemology, so I’m expecting a treat!
This is really ridiculous. The lack of respect shown towards Fr. Jenkins’ judgement and control over the institution of which he is president is completely untoward. Trying to get Bishop D’Arcy to force Fr. Jenkins’ hand in this matter is a shameful attempt at subverting Fr. Jenkins’ rightful position as the man responsible for managing ND’s affairs, including who they invite to speak at commencements and to whom they award honorary degrees. I also note the utter lack of respect shown not only to President Obama himself but the very office of the President of the United States. Having the leader of the free world speak at commencement is a remarkable honor for the university and can only heighten their already laudable reputation as one of the foremost centers of higher education in this country. If anything could damage Notre Dame’s standing in this capacity it is the complete lack of respect for its autonomy being displayed. Finally, if President Obama’s speaking engagement is such an affront to the Catholic Church then I’m curious as to why the Vatican has yet to issue a statement?
RSF
“if President Obama’s speaking engagement is such an affront to the Catholic Church then I’m curious as to why the Vatican has yet to issue a statement?”
“The Vatican” can not be involved in every single issue in the world that is taking place. They simply can not police every single Catholic group all the time all over the world. All sorts of garbage goes on in the name of “Catholicism” and even when the magesterium speaks, it tends to be ignored in the name of “American autonomy.” But the each diocese has a Bishop who is supposed to govern his flock. However, it is currently unclear to me how much sovereignty the Bishop has over the ND affairs. As Canon Lawyer Ed Peters notes
“This matter is not simple and my analysis of it would not lend itself to blog-style discussion anyway. But, for the benefit of readers who have asked, I can at least take two options off the table. Briefly:
1. The local bishop cannot put Notre Dame under a local interdict, even for a brief period, if for no other reason (and there would be other reasons) than that local interdict is not a penal option under the 1983 Code. While local interdict (and community interdict, its cousin) were possible under the Pio-Benedictine Code (see 1917 CIC 2268-2277), today, interdict is a purely personal penalty, meaning that only specific individuals, convicted of a canonical crime, can be interdicted (1983 CIC 1332).
2. The local bishop cannot forbid the celebration of Mass in campus oratories and chapels by a precept under 1983 CIC 1225. While the argument here rests more on scholarly opinion than does that above, I think the weight of that opinion would not support a bishop’s using a precept to forbid Mass on campus during graduation weekend.
Mind, nothing in Bp. D’Arcy’s statement today suggested that he was considering either option, but my advice to folks who have been considering suggesting them would be to save your time: neither action would be supportable under 1983 Code.”
“The Vatican” can not be involved in every single issue in the world that is taking place. They simply can not police every single Catholic group all the time all over the world. All sorts of garbage goes on in the name of “Catholicism” and even when the magesterium speaks, it tends to be ignored in the name of “American autonomy.”
But the response we’ve seen to this would suggest to me that this is not something that can be neatly categorized as one among “every [other] single issue in the world” currently going on. I’ve seen strongly worded responses, including many concerned that this will make it appear as though the Roman Catholic Church itself either endorses or is indifferent to Barack Obama’s stance on the “life issues”; I’ve seen calls for Fr. Jenkins’ immediate resignation, organized pushes to convince alumni to withhold donations, even suggestions that Notre Dame be stripped of its title as a Catholic university (in this very article itself that we are commenting to, in fact). If this situation is really this dire, then surely the Holy See or some other relevant Vatican official can offer some words on the situation? They’ve never been bashful about releasing official statements about any number of issues before and the world certainly listens when they do. Or, perhaps, this whole situation is actually nowhere near as serious as its being made to appear?
Or, perhaps, this whole situation is actually nowhere near as serious as its being made to appear?
Posted by: rsf at March 26, 2009 5:53 PM
Put my vote on that option.
rsf,
Having the leader of the free world speak at commencement is a remarkable honor for the university and can only heighten their already laudable reputation as one of the foremost centers of higher education in this country. If anything could damage Notre Dame’s standing in this capacity it is the complete lack of respect for its autonomy being displayed.
“Lack of respect for its autonomy being displayed”? Why bother being called Catholic if you only want to be Catholic when it suits the University’s marketing plans?
rsf,
If this situation is really this dire, then surely the Holy See or some other relevant Vatican official can offer some words on the situation?
As I commented on a prior thread, a good father lets his grown sons fight their own battles. I think Notre Dame will have to figure this one out on their own for the time being, IMHO.
As I commented on a prior thread, a good father lets his grown sons fight their own battles. I think Notre Dame will have to figure this one out on their own for the time being, IMHO.
But even a good father will intervene for the wellbeing of his sons if he feels they are making a truly grave mistake. Maybe this is viewed by more discerning minds as a small misstep or not even a real issue at all?
rsf,
Time will tell.