Archbishop Slams Brother Bishops for Criticism of Notre Dame Award to Obama

[canadianguy1143]

lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/sep/09090104.html

The thread title is a little misleading as to the intent of this thread but the rules of CAF are clear.

In the aformentioned link above the following is stated:

Sheehan then compared the Notre Dame situation to Pope Benedict XVI’s having made French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who is pro-abortion and pro-homosexuality, an honorary canon of the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

Several critics of the Notre Dame backlash have pointed to Rome’s traditional honor to French heads of state as a foil for the negative reaction to the Obama honor. However, the honor, dating from 1604 with King Henri IV, is regarded as a symbolic gesture supporting the French people’s special role as “eldest daughter” of the Catholic Church, rather than a statement on the leader’s personal worthiness.

A preliminary search on the Internet shows no real information on this honorary title but is it any less honorary than the honorary title that Obama got at Notre Dame?

 

[Secret_Square]

Well, we do have to remember that when it comes to people who hold any kind of public office (either in secular government or in the Church) there is a distinction between honor given to the office vs. honor given to the PERSON who holds that office.

Actions like kissing a bishop’s ring or playing “Hail to the Chief” for the POTUS don’t necessarily indicate that we agree with everything they do or think they personally are saints or geniuses or great statesmen; it simply emphasizes the importance of the office the person happens to occupy.

Apparently, the honor given to Sarkozy is intended as an honor to his office only – it is automatically given to the French head of state whoever that may be and has been so done for more than 400 years.

Now, what about the Notre Dame invitation and honorary degree to Obama? This may seem like hairsplitting but here goes: I believe the invitation to speak could be construed as simply an honor to the presidential office, since Notre Dame has invited every newly elected president since Eisenhower to speak (although not all presidents accepted the invitation).

However, the honorary law degree specifically citing Obama for certain accomplishments in his career is an honor to him personally. So, IMHO, it was the honorary degree – not the invitation to address the commencement – that was offensive.

All that being said, the distinction between honoring an office and honoring a person is becoming harder and harder to explain as a growing number of public officials embrace policies directly contrary to Catholic morality such as legalized abortion and same-sex marriage. So it might behoove both the Holy See and Notre Dame to drop the practice of AUTOMATICALLY honoring heads of state, due to the scandal it inevitably causes.

 

[RobbyS]

lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/sep/09090104.html

The thread title is a little misleading as to the intent of this thread but the rules of CAF are clear.

In the aformentioned link above the following is stated:

A preliminary search on the Internet shows no real information on this honorary title but is it any less honorary than the honorary title that Obama got at Notre Dame?

Sheehan makes a very strained comparison. Kennedy was not a head of state. Notre Dame is not a sovereign state.