Bishop says Notre Dame is wrong to honor Joe Biden

[qui_est_ce]

IOW, he’s using the Church to suit himself?

Agree. I was taught that faith should comfort the afflicted and afflict the comforted.

Jesus wasn’t just some nice guy patting people on the back. He calls us to a higher level, obedience to his father’s will.

 

[zz912]

From the USCCB: Catholics in Political Life:
usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/church-teaching/catholics-in-political-life.cfm

To make such intrinsically evil actions legal is itself wrong. This is the point most recently highlighted in official Catholic teaching. The legal system as such can be said to cooperate in evil when it fails to protect the lives of those who have no protection except the law. In the United States of America, abortion on demand has been made a constitutional right by a decision of the Supreme Court. **Failing to protect the lives of innocent and defenseless members of the human race is to sin against justice. ****Those who formulate law therefore have an obligation in conscience to work toward correcting morally defective laws, lest they be guilty of cooperating in evil and in sinning against the common good. **

As our conference has insisted in Faithful Citizenship, Catholics who bring their moral convictions into public life do not threaten democracy or pluralism but enrich them and the nation. **The separation of church and state does not require division between belief and public action, **between moral principles and political choices, but protects the right of believers and religious groups to practice their faith and act on their values in public life.

Catholics need to act in support of these principles and policies in public life. It is the particular vocation of the laity to transform the world. We have to encourage this vocation and do more to bring all believers to this mission. As bishops, we do not endorse or oppose candidates. Rather, we seek to form the consciences of our people so that they can examine the positions of candidates and make choices based on Catholic moral and social teaching.

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.

 

[zz912]

Has Joe Biden supported the legalization of Abortion and same sex marriage???

Yes and yes.

 

[zz912]

But neither Vice President Biden nor Speaker Boehner ARE any of the things you mentioned above. Both are respected leaders in the American government and both are practicing Catholics who are open about their faith. The University is acknowledging the lifelong service of both men in trying political times. And it appears that Cardinal Wuerl will be receiving an honorary doctorate during that ceremony, lending his support to the honor given both men.

It may be controversial to some, but to many others, it is well deserved.

VP Biden supports and encourages heinous evils contrary to Church teaching. His views and public actions are repugnant to the Catholic faith, and it is a serious and grave scandal for a Catholic university to honor him.

Hopefully Cardinal Wuerl and Speaker Boehner withdraw from the event/award so that they do not cause further scandal by appearing to condone or agree with the award.

 

[Maximilan_Kolbe]

VP Biden supports and encourages heinous evils contrary to Church teaching. His views and public actions are repugnant to the Catholic faith, and it is a serious and grave scandal for a Catholic university to honor him.

Hopefully Cardinal Wuerl and Speaker Boehner withdraw from the event/award so that they do not cause further scandal by appearing to condone or agree with the award.

Again, I always wonder if we changed “abortion” to “rape” or “molesting children” if somehow folks would say “well yeah, he did support molesting babies, but his efforts to secure affordable health care should not go unnoticed.”

It shows you how folks like those at Notre dame and their ilk are clueless about the faith, or about how evil abortion really is.

People want to complain about the boorish or sexist comments by a political candidate, but it’s not big deal when a guy supports killing a child in the womb. Get some priorities.

 

[Trader]

Here we go again. In 2009 Bishop D’Arcy objected to the granting of an honorary degree to President Obama and refused to attend the commencement ceremony. He eventually led an all night prayer vigil on the campus and celebrated mass and participated in an alternative commencement for those students who also refused to attend their own graduation ceremony. Bishop Rhoades has also responded forcefully, and I strongly support him, just as I did with Bishop D’Arcy. Bishop D’Arcy died in February 2013.

I will be seeing Bishop Rhoades several times during Holy Week and will gladly convey any support you want me to. In 2009 Bishop D’Arcy asked for emails concerning the situation to be sent to the Family and Pro-Life office. I am guessing the same applies this time:
diocesefwsb.org/Family-Life-Contact-Information

Last time one CAF member asked me to convey a hug and a kiss. Bishop D’Arcy was older than me and very much a father figure. Bishop Rhoades is younger than me; no requests for kisses please.

Here is the link to Bishop Rhoades official statements:
diocesefwsb.org/Bishop-Statements

 

[7_Sorrows]

ND along with Georgetown U are Catholic in name only.The both are lousy examples of what a Catholic University should embody.

Sad isn’t it?

 

[Trader]

The day after Bishop Rhoades was installed as our bishop, he and Bishop Emeritus D’Arcy went to Notre Dame to visit Father Jenkins. Retaining the Catholic identity of Notre Dame was one of his top priorities. This has to be very disappointing for him.

I once heard Notre Dame described as a secular university in a Catholic neighborhood. The campus is filled with chapels, a basilica, the grotto, and tons of Catholic art, including the massive mosaic on the library known as “Touchdown Jesus”. Bishop D’Arcy did great work to strengthen the theology department, so much so that faculty received papal honors, and Bishop D’Arcy was able to bring us priests from all over the world to serve in our parishes while they took courses at Notre Dame. One of those priests from Nigeria served in my parish and is now a bishop in Nigeria. Others came from Ireland, Nigeria, Kenya, Sri Lanka, India, and Burma.

In 2009 Notre Dame tried to balance the choice of President Obama for an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by giving the Laetare Medal to Mary Anne Glendon. She refused to accept the award on the same platform with President Obama and without Bishop D’Arcy.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ann_Glendon

Now they are trying the same trick by jointly naming both a pro-life and a pro-choice politician. Bishop D’Arcy made it quite clear that he did not object to a debate on the issue; he objected to bestowing honors on someone who publicly opposed basic teaching of the Church, which was in line with the USCCB resolution. When Notre Dame replied that USCCB resolutions do not have the force of law, Bishop D’Arcy made it the law in his diocese as was his right as ordinary under canon law. Bishop Rhoades is a canon lawyer himself as well as a forceful speaker. Since this is not the first offense for Father Jenkins, further action may be required. Please remember Bishop Rhoades and Father Jenkins in your prayers.

 

[Tomdstone]

ND along with Georgetown U are Catholic in name only.The both are lousy examples of what a Catholic University should embody.

They have approval from the local bishop to call themselves Catholic. And they have the approval as Catholic universites or colleges from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. I don;t see where you have the authorisation to determine whether or not a college is authentically Catholic or Catholic in name only. I think it is better to trust the American Catholic bishops to make that determination rather than an anonymous internet blogger.
usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/catholic-education/higher-education/catholic-colleges-and-universities-in-the-united-states.cfm#alpha

 

[JPUSC]

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.

Pope Praises Italy’s Leading Abortion-Rights Activist

Pro-life leaders expressed shock after Pope Francis praised the “Margaret Sanger” of Italian politics.

In an interview early in February the Pope called former Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino one of the nation’s “forgotten greats.” Bonino for decades has been known as Italy’s most outspoken abortion-rights activist.

In his interview with the Italian daily Corriere Della Serra, the Pope acknowledged that his praise, in which he compared her to historical figures such as Konrad Adenauer, who was the first post-world War II chancellor of Germany, and the famed French statesman Robert Schuman, could be considered controversial.

He noted she has critics but dismissed them, saying, “True, but never mind. We have to look at people, at what they do.” He also praised her work and advice in dealing with Africa.

Bonino, a leading member of the Radical Party and former European commissioner, is well known for having an abortion at the age of 27 and then working with the Information Centre on Sterilization and Abortion, which was responsible for 10,000 abortions.

She entered politics after being acquitted on charges of performing illegal abortions, the site says, and there are photos of her performing abortions using a homemade device operated by a bicycle pump.

newsmax.com/Newsfront/pope-francis-italy-bonino/2016/02/27/id/716397

christiantoday.com/article/pope.francis.praises.italys.leading.abortion.rights.proponent.draws.flak.from.church.traditionalists.pro.life.advocates/80803.htm

Pope Francis Enters the House Chamber and Gives The Only Handshake to John Kerry

Lawmakers had agreed not to reach out for handshakes from Pope Francis as he entered the House chamber, so it was a pointed and deliberate move when the Pope saved his only handshake for Secretary of State John Kerry.

The Pope knows Kerry from his recent work on the Iran deal, but this is also a profound shift for Kerry. Josh Lederman of the AP pointed out that Kerry was once denied communion over his support for choice for women.

politicususa.com/2015/09/24/pope-francis-enters-house-chamber-handshake-john-kerry.html

Every Congressman Wanted to Shake Pope Francis’s Hand, But That Honor Went to Just One Person

Secretary of State John Kerry received a distinct honor during Pope Francis’ historic address to a joint session of Congress Thursday. He was the only person present who shared a handshake with the Bishop of Rome.

In a letter sent out last week, House and Senate leadership warned their colleagues not to reach out to Pope Francis:

“out of respect for the pope’s schedule and the expectation of a timely address.”
But Pope Francis distinctly reaches out to Kerry, not vice versa.

Kerry first met Pope Francis in March 2014, when he travelled to the Vatican with President Obama. But the relationship between the two men is undoubtedly strengthened by the pontiff’s endorsement of the Iran nuclear deal, of which Kerry was the lead American negotiator.

ijreview.com/2015/09/428658-pope-francis-iran-deal-john-kerry-letter-handshake

 

[commenter]

They have approval from the local bishop to call themselves Catholic. And they have the approval as Catholic universites or colleges from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. I don;t see where you have the authorisation to determine whether or not a college is authentically Catholic or Catholic in name only. I think it is better to trust the American Catholic bishops to make that determination rather than an anonymous internet blogger.
usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/catholic-education/higher-education/catholic-colleges-and-universities-in-the-united-states.cfm#alpha

Yes, bishops do have the authority.
The bishops rely partly on (name removed by moderator)ut from the laity. We provide information to them, and to other laity. For instance, the Cardinal Newman Society has provided information about certain colleges to bishops, who have directly followed up by dropping the college from their diocesan directory, so it is no longer identified as Catholic.

But Catholicism is a matter of degree. Some universities are strongly Catholic, others are minimally Catholic. In both cases it is helpful for laity to communicate that. For that matter, some public, or non-Catholic private colleges are much better or worse an environment for Catholic students. It helps to communicate that, too.

Based on criteria of the bishops and Holy See, Notre Dame and Georgetown are not Catholic universities. The local (arch)bishops no longer have a relationship with the institutions as such, only with the religious communities there, and in a general sense, with Catholic individuals who are part of those institutions. The bishops need help from the laity to communicate that those institutions are no longer Catholic.

Even if you don’t live in South Bend or Washington, you can contact the religious orders that allow their name to be used as “cover” for ND and Georgetown, especially if the Jesuits or Holy Cross fathers are in your area, seeking your support for things. The religious orders are the only part of those institutions that are under the Church.

 

[zz912]

Pope Praises Italy’s Leading Abortion-Rights Activist

Pope Francis Enters the House Chamber and Gives The Only Handshake to John Kerry

Truly scandalous.

 

[Joe_5859]

The problem of secular humanism, and deChristianization, at Notre Dame has been going on for 45 years! So much for the need to take the longer view. Bishops have a responsibility to students, parents, and potential job seekers, who think this and other institutions are Catholic, when they are not.

The leaders of Notre Dame are lying, claiming it is Catholic. We can’t blame the bishop for their sin. But the bishop has a responsibility, after meeting and discussing and trying to dissuade people from lying, to make sure the truth gets out there. The bishop is doing his job, issuing this statement, and the diocesan website does not list Notre Dame as a local Catholic institution at all. Notre Dame is too wealthy and national for one bishop to have much impact.

But there are many smaller faux-Catholic institutions that are more dependent on the lingering reputation of being Catholic. They still get gifts from donors, alumni, parents pay extra-high tuition, all in the inaccurate perception that those institutions are Catholic. Prolifers can ask their diocese to stop referring to them as Catholic. They can contact the college’s big donors, alumni associations, etc, and get the word out that this institution is not what it formerly was, it is now secular. They can identify colleges that are genuinely prolife (Christendom, Steubenville, etc) and get the diocesan newspaper and Catholic high schools to promote them instead.

If a religious order - Holy Cross, Jesuits, etc - continues to allow their name as part of misleading advertising, we should mount campaigns to persuade those religious orders to either reform the college, or withdraw their name from it.

I know people who have gone to Notre Dame recently and they indicate every reason for hope about the future Catholic identity of the university. I think the long view is paying off. Yes, the administration still makes head-scratching decisions, but there is also vibrant Catholic life on campus. A university is more than just the present administration.

 

[Tomdstone]

Based on criteria of the bishops and Holy See, Notre Dame and Georgetown are not Catholic universities. .

The American bishops list them as Catholic universities.

 

[commenter]

I know people who have gone to Notre Dame recently and they indicate every reason for hope about the future Catholic identity of the university. I think the long view is paying off. Yes, the administration still makes head-scratching decisions, but there is also vibrant Catholic life on campus. A university is more than just the present administration.

I am sure there are individual faculty and students at Notre Dame, and state universities, who are vibrant Catholics. Perhaps the secretary in the billing department goes to daily Mass, and Adoration. Many students who come in Catholic, leave as Catholics from Notre Dame (and Indiana State).

Individuals are important, but we are talking about the University as such. I bet the families of Notre Dame students are more Catholic than the Administration. In some ways, an inconsistently Catholic college is worse than an explicitly secular college. At a state university, students are aware secularism is the climate, they are forewarned and forearmed.

At a sort-of-Catholic university, students get mixed messages, they don’t know who to trust, they let their guard down. Bishop Sheen taught at a Catholic University for several decades.** He**, one of the all time supporters of Catholic higher education, reportedly said that it would be better for a Catholic to go to a State University than to one that was identified as Catholic, but inconsistent.

 

[Joe_5859]

I am sure there are individual faculty and students at Notre Dame, and state universities, who are vibrant Catholics. Perhaps the secretary in the billing department goes to daily Mass, and Adoration. Many students who come in Catholic, leave as Catholics from Notre Dame (and Indiana State).

Individuals are important, but we are talking about the University as such. I bet the families of Notre Dame students are more Catholic than the Administration. In some ways, an inconsistently Catholic college is worse than an explicitly secular college. At a state university, students are aware secularism is the climate, they are forewarned and forearmed.

At a sort-of-Catholic university, students get mixed messages, they don’t know who to trust, they let their guard down. Bishop Sheen taught at a Catholic University for several decades.** He**, one of the all time supporters of Catholic higher education, reportedly said that it would be better for a Catholic to go to a State University than to one that was identified as Catholic, but inconsistent.

Fair enough. You raise good points. I’m just trying to be optimistic about Notre Dame’s future.

 

[commenter]

Fair enough. You raise good points. I’m just trying to be optimistic about Notre Dame’s future.

Always good to emphasize the positive whenever possible. (Joe, your last name isn’t Biden, is it?)

One possible solution, if we can’t persuade Notre Dame to restore its Catholic identity, is if the University would allow an orthodox Catholic, independent college within the University. Allow it to hire their own faculty for Theology and Philosophy, maybe some other areas, and their own dorm, and their own dorm rules. The students would be impacted by the good and bad of the university in general, taking some courses elsewhere at ND but earning a degree from this college.

That college could seek the Theology mandatum, get recognized by the local bishop as a “Catholic institution”, could be featured in the diocesan website as a Catholic resource. I could see it as a liberal arts undergrad, and maybe offer at least Masters degrees in Theology and Philosophy.

 

[KEP1983]

Always good to emphasize the positive whenever possible. (Joe, your last name isn’t Biden, is it?)

One possible solution, if we can’t persuade Notre Dame to restore its Catholic identity, is if the University would allow an orthodox Catholic, independent college within the University. Allow it to hire their own faculty for Theology and Philosophy, maybe some other areas, and their own dorm, and their own dorm rules. The students would be impacted by the good and bad of the university in general, taking some courses elsewhere at ND but earning a degree from this college.

That college could seek the Theology mandatum, get recognized by the local bishop as a “Catholic institution”, could be featured in the diocesan website as a Catholic resource. I could see it as a liberal arts undergrad, and maybe offer at least Masters degrees in Theology and Philosophy.

So Catholic teaching should be marginal and ignored by the campus at large by a Catholic university?

One of the most liberal femenist anti-catholics I’ve ever met is a recent graduate of Nktre Dame in “women’s studies.” She didn’t get taught anything about the faith there. She literally went to Nktre Dame to learn how terrible religion is and become indoctrinated in radical feminism.

Maybe the Church needs to just revoke the name “catholic” from them.

I’m glad we have a bishop speaking out against this after so many years, alongside Pope Benedict speaking put about a huge crisis in the church. These two stories are both connected. The bishops need to stand up and start speaking the truth like this. Hopefully they can go beyond words and start actually doing something about it. There’s no way Notre Dame or other schools should be allowed to keep the name “catholic” without doing major overhauls to their faculty and teaching.

 

[Midwest88]

From the above definition, I simply cannot see how Biden is awarded this medal.

Same here. It’s an odd choice. I thought maybe Biden had academic ties to the university, but then I remembered he was formally educated in the Northeast. I think whomever was in charge of the nomination just chose a prominent so-called Catholic, hence Biden is the recipient.

 

[Midwest88]

i am a graduate of notre dame. i am shocked and ashamed of notre dame honoring president obama & vice president biden; two absolute pro-abortion advocates

i root for the sports teams on tv; the administration of that school is dead to me

i don’t give them a dime and i haven’t set foot on the campus in many, many years

bold: I think the same way. I believe there were a few videos on youtube from priests and former students appealing how Notre Dame is failing at being a Catholic university. I then went on a law school review site where it said that the university’s Catholic heritage might be bothersome to atheist law students. I couldn’t help but shake my head and chuckle because Notre Dame, it seems for several decades, is becoming more secular.