Notre Dame Shame?

I have never been a fan of Notre Dame. Perhaps the ‘subway alumni’ and the glorification of Knute Rockne and others down through the years didn’t sit well with me. But hey, let’s put sports aside for a moment and talk about politics. The invitation of President Obama to the May commencement at Notre Dame under the watchful eyes of Touchdown Jesus is indeed great political and religious fodder. And one of the leading voices of dissent is none other than Bishop John D’Arcy of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese which includes Notre Dame. The bishop says he will not attend the ceremony because he disagrees with Obama’s policies on stem cell research and the funding of international family planning groups which can advise abortions as an alternative form of birth control.

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During my years as a talk host in Ft. Wayne I was fortunate to have Bishop D’Arcy on my program several times to talk about such issues. He is not one to overlook the sins of those advocating the killing of innocent babies, or to hold back on any morality based discussion. The word among those who knew this feisty Irishman in his early years was that he was sent to the Midwest as a result of his whistle blowing over the problems of child molestation by some priests in the Boston diocese. D’Arcy pushed the hierarchy and they pushed him out into the cornfields of Indiana. You can disagree with the Catholic Church dogma but, when it comes to topics like abortion and stem cell research, men like D’Arcy are quick to show their displeasure in political decisions that demean human life. By boycotting the Notre Dame commencement he is sending a strong signal that the church will not implicitly endorse the President’s latest decisions. What I find most interesting is the response Mr. Obama had to Rev. Rick Warren’s question as to when life begins. You may remember then Senator Obama said it was above his pay grade to know that answer, while John McCain quickly stated that life begins at the moment of conception. Had the President-in-Training done his homework, he would have known it was not a theological question. Science has already determined that at the moment of conception a distinct human life is created. But back to the ‘Fighting Irish’. While the bishop is adamant about not cozying up to the administration’s politics, many of the Notre Dame Student body have mixed feelings. Some will go out of respect for the office, while others will protest when and where they are allowed. Still many will simply be graduating and a commencement speaker, no matter the stature, is just part of the ceremony. If I were interviewing Bishop D’Arcy on the radio I think I might suggest that he go to the graduation event. And that he wears something appropriate like a t-shirt that reads “MAKING POLICY THAT KILLS INNOCENT LIVES IS ABOVE YOUR PAY GRADE”. Okay, that may be a little wordy for a t-shirt, but how the same words on a banner stretched between the open arms of Touchdown Jesus?