Bishop of Phoenix accuses Notre Dame president of disobeying U.S. bishops
<http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=15497>http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=15497
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Bishop Olmsted / Fr. Jenkins
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Phoenix, Ariz., Mar 26, 2009 / 04:49 pm
(<http://www.catholicnewsagency.com>CNA).- The outcry over the
invitation of President Obama to deliver the Notre Dame's
commencement address and receive an honorary law degree has now drawn
Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix into the fray. In a strongly worded
email to Fr. John Jenkins obtained by CNA, Bishop Olmsted accuses the
university's president of committing "a public act of disobedience to
the Bishops of the United States."
"I am saddened and heavy of heart about your decision to invite
President Obama to speak at Notre Dame University and even to receive
an honorary degree," began Bishop Olmsted.
But the prelate went further, charging that Fr. John Jenkins, the
university's president, has committed "a public act of disobedience
to the Bishops of the United States" by inviting Obama to the May 17
Commencement.
The grounds for the bishop's charge are found in a 2004 statement
from the U.S. bishops which calls on the Catholic community and
Catholic institutions not to "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."
The Bishop of Phoenix also said that Fr. Jenkins could not have
invited President Obama out of ignorance. "No one could not know of
the public stands and actions of the president on key issues opposed
to the most vulnerable human beings," he said in his email.
After quoting Pope John Paul II to say that all other human rights
are meaningless if the right to life is not respected, Bishop Olmsted
said he hoped that Fr. Jenkins would realize he has made an error.
"I pray that you come to see the grave mistake of your decision, and
the way that it undercuts the Church's proclamation of the Gospel of
Life in our day."
The University of Notre Dame and Fr. Jenkins have also come under
fire from Bishop John D'Arcy, in whose diocese they are located.
<http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=15467>Bishop D'Arcy said
on Tuesday that he will not be attending the commencement ceremony
and suggested that Notre Dame "has chosen prestige over truth."
An online petition calling for Fr. Jenkins to cancel the invitation
to President Obama had reached over 170,000 signatures as of Thursday
afternoon.
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