Who knew Catholic Priests could be so bigoted.
“We write as priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross and as proud graduates of the University of Notre Dame to voice our objection to the University’s decision to honor President Barack Obama by inviting him to deliver this year’s Commencement address and by conferring on him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree,” the priests’ letter begins. […]
They also cited the U.S. bishops’ instructions that Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of “fundamental moral principles.”
Gosh, where were these guys when Ronald Reagan, a divorced man, and supporter of death squads in Central America, spoke at Notre Dame? Isn’t that a fundamental violation of their moral principles too? JFK a known philanderer and adulterer, who had sent troops to Vietnam, was given Notre Dame’s highest honor, but hey, I’m sure he wasn’t objectionable. Abortion wasn’t an issue back then.
It seems these folks only object to pro-choice speakers at Catholic Universities. Because supporting the right of each woman to choose whether to have an abortion, to allow her that make the decision about a private and fundamental moral issue which effects her life and immortal soul (if you believe in souls) is the only violation of the Catholic Church’s moral principles that really counts. Still I wonder where these priests were when a self declared protestant President who used torture and waged an unjust and immoral war gave the commencement address in 2007 at St Vincent’s College, a Catholic institution.
Did they sign a highly publicized letter back at that time objecting to honoring President Bush by allowing him to give the commencement address at St. Vincent’s College? Hadn’t he acted in defiance of the Catholic Church’s moral principles (and not just by expressing his opinion)? Did they object when the Pope granted Bush an audience because for the Pope to be seen honoring a man whose actions defied the Church’s moral principles would defile the Papacy? Well, not that I can find, though I did locate this defense of the selection of Bush as a Commencement speaker in 2007 by the President of St. Vincent College:
Inviting an individual to speak on campus is not an endorsement of his or her policies or politics. I understand that during his presidency in the 1960s Mr. Brennan invited Herbert Aptheker, a leader of the Communist Party USA, to speak on campus. Was the college endorsing Mr. Aptheker’s policies and politics? Why the double standard?
Hmmm. Yes. Why the double standard, indeed?
