The University of Notre Shame

It’s understandable that student newspapers at public universities are left-leaning. The advisors of the papers are usually left-leaning and they often have a left-leaning administration leaning on them. So their coverage of issues like abortion and homosexuality is often skewed. But private religious universities once provided a safe haven for those who wished to express views not approved by the immoral minority. It’s tough to comprehend the extent to which they have fallen prey to political correctness in recent years.

The Observer, the student newspaper at the University of Notre Dame, has shown that our nation’s Catholic universities no longer provide an escape from the politically correct orthodoxy running rampant on our nation’s public campuses. And the paper has shown a remarkable contempt for intellectual honesty – not to mention the Ninth Commandment.

The Observer declined to print a column that defends Church teachings on homosexual activity, which was written by Charles Rice - a Notre Dame Professor of Law. Rice has written a regular column with the Observer for nearly two decades.

At 996 words, Professor Rice’s column is a little long. At first, Observer Editor Matt Gamber used the column’s length as an excuse for non-publication. The excuse sounded credible but, after doing a little research, I’ve concluded that his excuse is an outright lie.

When Barack Obama came to speak at Notre Dame, Professor Rice wrote an 1172-word column, which harshly criticized his appearance as at odds with the school’s principles. Note to Matt Gamber: An 1172-word column is longer than a 996-word column. That much is as clear and obvious as the Bible’s teachings on homosexuality.

But, now, Matt Gamber is saying that the subject matter of homosexuality could best by handled by printing opposing views on the subject. But why must a student newspaper at a Catholic university censor Professor Rice in the absence of some “opposing viewpoint”? And what are the implications of this new policy?

If Professor Rice decides to write a column opposing polygamy, will the Observer withhold its publication until someone submits a pro-polygamy column?

If Professor Rice decides to write a column opposing incest, will the Observer withhold its publication until someone submits a pro-incest column?

If Professor Rice decides to write a column opposing adultery, will the Observer withhold its publication until someone submits a pro-adultery column?

Finally, if Professor Rice decides to write another column opposing abortion, will the Observer withhold its publication until someone submits a pro-abortion column?

The answers to my four hypothetical questions follow: No, no, no, and no.

And the reason for the pattern is simple: The Observer carves out a special “opposing viewpoint” exception for homosexuality because the Observer is intensely homophobic.

And the reason for the intense homophobia manifested by Matt Gamber and the Observer is also simple: Homosexuals are less tolerant of criticism than any other portion of the American population, including feminists and Muslims.

But the consequences of homosexual intolerance are not as simple. They are twofold: 1) Homosexual intolerance tends to result in the suppression of contrary views, and 2) Such intolerance tends to make others fearful of talking to homosexuals. In other words, homosexual intolerance actually promotes homophobia.

The present situation at Notre Dame is damaging to both sides of the debate. The Observer should allow Professor Rice to present his views (as unthinkable as it may seem to present the views of the Catholic Church at a Catholic university). Then, they may decide whether the views of the opposition warrant publication.

I believe the other side should be presented after Professor Rice’s column is printed if someone at Notre Dame actually thinks the Holy Bible is unclear on the issue. If they do, the Notre Dame community will wind up with a greater appreciation of the truth via its juxtaposition with falsity.

But the prior restraint of the views of Professor Rice is not defensible. While not a technical violation of the First Amendment – Notre Dame is a private school - it is an assault on both Catholicism and common sense. And it leaves many Catholics wondering whether there is any safe haven in this land that once placed religious liberty above political correctness.

Notre Dame Paper Snubs Prof's Column Upholding Church Teaching on Homosexuality

My take: It's time to recognize that Notre Dame is no longer Catholic. To declare so is the only leverage the bishop has. Notre Dame is an insult to observant Catholics, the Bishop, the Pope and most importantly to Our Lady for whom it is named.

By Kathleen Gilbert

Updated 6:18pm EST 3.3.2010

NOTRE DAME, Indiana, March 3, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The editor of the University of Notre Dame's campus newspaper has refused to publish an installment of a former ND professor's biweekly column because he said the column, which defended the Catholic Church's teaching on homosexuality, required a "differing viewpoint" as a counterbalance.

Dr. Charles Rice, Professor Emeritus of law and faculty member, resigned writing for the column after receiving an email from the editor of the Observer, who explained that his most recent column had been rejected due in part to its pro-family content. In his column, Rice cited the Catechism to lay out the Church's teaching against homosexuality, and explained that homosexuality's current push for legitimacy was a natural consequence of the contraceptive mentality.

Rice, who spoke with LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) about the matter today, has written for the "Right or Wrong?" column since 1992.

“I personally had some concerns with the content of the column," Editor Matt Gamber told Rice in an email, "particularly considering The Mobile Party comic incident earlier in the semester at The Observer." Gambler was referring to a cartoon published in the Observer that was seen as degrading to homosexuals.

Gambler said Rice's piece was "factually correct," but that he "did not feel it lent itself to creating a productive discussion, all things considered. I was a bit concerned with certain language as well."

Gambler continued: “In the future, if you would like to examine this topic, we thought it might be beneficial to do so in a point-counterpoint format, perhaps with an author of an opposing or differing viewpoint. That way, each ‘side,’ to speak, would have the opportunity to present relevant facts, evidence and analysis to define its position.”

In response, Dr. Rice stated that, “ In a university that claims to be Catholic, I am not willing to restrict my presentation of Catholic teaching to a format that treats the authoritative teaching of the Church as merely one viewpoint or ‘side’ among many."

"If you require that future columns of mine on homosexuality comply with a format such as you propose, it will be inappropriate for me to continue writing the column for the Observer.”

The editor also cited the column's length, which he said "far exceeded" the newspaper's guidelines; Rice, however, responded that the column "is in fact significantly shorter than each of the three previous columns published this semester in the Observer. I was not asked to shorten any of them.”

The column by Dr. Rice laid out the "governing principles as found in the teaching of the Catholic Church" regarding homosexuality. Rice cites the Catechism to explain that the Church considers homosexual conduct to be "acts of grave depravity," and that while the inclination to homosexual acts is not a sin, it is also intrinsically disordered.

While "unjust discrimination" against homosexuals is wrong, he notes, this "does not rule out the making of reasonable and just distinctions with respect to military service, the wording of university nondiscrimination policies and other matters including admission to seminaries."

The encroaching viewpoint of homosexuality as legitimate, Rice points out, is "a predictable consequence of the now-dominant contraceptive ethic," which deliberately separates the unitive aspect of sex from the procreative.

"Further," Rice notes, "if individual choice prevails without regard to limits of nature, how can the choice be limited to two persons?

"Polygamy (one man, multiple women), polyandry (one woman, multiple men), polyamory (sexual relations between or among multiple persons of one or both sexes) and other possible arrangements, involving the animal kingdom as well, would derive legitimacy from the same contraceptive premise that justifies one-on-one homosexual relations."

In a subsequent email to Rice, Gambler stated that he did not wish "to question the Church teachings or argue the points you presented in your essay, but rather, because the paper is still recovering from the incident with The Mobile Party comic, we would prefer to examine this issue at a later time."

Notre Dame, which hosts a gay-friendly student group on its campus, has been known to host pro-homosexuality viewpoints with some regularity.

Last April, Notre Dame launched a series of events known as "StaND Against Hate Week" designed to promote an "inclusive spirit" for homosexuality.

"The whole thing is - I think 'disappointing' is a mild term," Rice told LSN, adding that he did not plan to respond to Gambler's latest email.

(Read Prof. Rice's full column here.)

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Notre Dame Announces Homosexual-Themed Events for Easter Week
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09041402.html

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/mar/10030310.html

National Catholic Education Conference Keynoter is Pro-abortion, Pro-Sodomy Liberal Garrison Keillo

2/28/2010 10:50:00 AM

By Florence Sebe

Yes. You read that right.

Keynote speaker for the National Catholic Education Association convention in Minneapolis, April 6-8, 2010, is none other than Garrison Keillor -- "author, storyteller, and host of Public Radio's A Prairie Home Companion."

http://www.ncea.org/UserFiles/File/Convention/10_MN_Prelim_Program_v6.pdf

Garrison Keillor is also outspokenly and publically pro-abortion and pro-sodomy. In his own words:

http://www.nathancallahan.com/garrison2.html

http://www.publicradio.org/columns/prairiehome/the_old_scout/archives/2009/09/29/stuck_in_the_shallows.shtml

What is a man, who personally and professionally works against the teaching of the Catholic Church, doing at a national Catholic education conference -- much let alone as a keynote speaker? (And if you ante up, you can participate in the private meet-and-greet photo op, too!)

Ask the question! Demand accountability!

Below are contacts for the NCEA and the USCCB Secretariat of Education. Dr. Ristau, President of the NCEA is also a member of the Education Secretariat for the USCCB.

Additional Contact Information:

Dr. Karen Ristau, President

National Catholic Education Association

president@ncea.org

NCEA Executive Committee

Stephanie Welling, Chairman

swelling@archstl.org

Frederick S. Lenz, Jr.

flenzjr@aol.com

Sr. Donna Marie O'Brien, OP

dmobrienop@hotmail.com

Sandra Leatherwood

sleatherwood@catholic-doc.org

Henry A. Sorbet, Jr.

hsorbet@lcpa.org

Craig A. Kubiak

kubiak@kubiaklawoffice.com

Sir Thompson M. Faller, Ph.D.

faller@up.ed

Anne Wuycheck

wuycheck@cox.net

Br. Lawrence Harvey, CFX

lharvey@xaverianbrothers.org

Br. Celestine Algero, SC, Ed.D.

algeroc@mcgill.pvt.k12.al.us

Regina M. Haney, Ed.D.

haney@ncea.org

D. Michael Coombe, M.Div.

mcoombe@ncea.org

USCCB Secretariat for Education

Most Reverend Thomas J. Curry

info@la-archdiocese.org Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles

Members

Most Reverend Oscar Cantú mailbox@archsa.org

Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio

Most Reverend John C. Dunne bishopsoffice@drvc.org

Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre

Most Reverend Walter J. Edyveanhttp://www.bostoncatholic.org/West.aspx

Auxiliary Bishop of Boston

Most Reverend Ronald W. Gainerhttp://home.catholicweb.com/lexingtonbishop/index.cfm/contact

Bishop of Lexington

Most Reverend Francis J. Kane

Auxiliary Bishop

Archdiocese of Chicago

Vicar for Vicariate II

1641 W. Diversey Pkwy.

Chicago, IL 60614

Phone: 773-388-8670

Fax: 773-388-8676

Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago

Most Reverend Joseph P. McFadden Bjmcfadd@adphila.org

Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia

Most Reverend Richard E. Patescommunications@dmdiocese.org

Bishop of Des Moines

Most Reverend John C. Wester shirley.mares@dioslc.org

Bishop of Salt Lake City

Bishop Consultant

Most Reverend Michael J. Sheridan egriffith@diocs.org

Bishop of Colorado Springs

Consultants

Dr. John Convey convey@cua.edu The Catholic University of America

Sr. Mary Elizabeth Galt, BVM

info@la-archdiocese.org Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Jennifer Kraska ccc@cocatholicconference.org Colorado Catholic Conference

Dr. Mary McDonald tallie.hodges@cc.cdom.org Diocese of Memphis

Rev. Martin Moran moran@ccmanet.org Catholic Campus Ministry Association

Dr. Karen Ristau president@ncea.org National Catholic Educational Association

Mary Ellen Russell info@mdcathcon.org Maryland Catholic Conference

Dr. Richard A. Yanikoski accu@accunet.org Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities

Staff

Marie A. Powell mpowell@usccb.org Executive Director, Secretariat of Catholic Education

Sr. Suzanne Bellenoit, SSJsbellenoit@usccb.org Associate Director for Public Policy, Secretariat of Catholic Education

Barbara Humphrey McCrabbbmccrabb@usccb.org Assistant Director for Higher Education, Secretariat of Catholic Education

Terry ThamesOGR@usccb.org Associate Director, Office of Government Relations

Had enough pussyfooting? Copy all correspondence to the Papal Nuncio:

His Excellency The Most Reverend Pietro Sambi

The Apostolic Nuncio to the United States

The Apostolic Nunciature

3339 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20008-3687

phone: 202-333-7121

fax: 202-337-4036

His Excellency Archbishop Celestino Migliore

Permanent Observer of the Holy See to The United Nations

25 E. 39th St.

New York, N.Y. 10016-0903

fax: 2l2-370-9622

email: office@holyseemission.org

email: hsmission@holyseemission.org

email: HolySee@un.int

http://www.holyseemission.org/contact_us.html

Note: Archbishops Sambi and Migliore are positioned in the U.S. and are important to notify as they relay news daily back to the Holy See.

NATIONAL CATHOLIC EDUCATION ASSOCIATION CONVENTION PROGRAM

List of Exhibitors is the last page in the PDF.

http://www.ncea.org/UserFiles/File/Convention/10_MN_Prelim_Program_v6.pdf

Study: Female Students More Promiscuous at Catholic Colleges

Study: Female Students More Promiscuous at Catholic Colleges

Manassas, Va. – A new study concludes that women at Catholic colleges are more promiscuous than their peers at secular colleges, raising new alarms about the state of Catholic higher education.

Another study finds that colleges with strong “moral communities” have a positive influence on students’ religious practice—but Catholic colleges generally lack clarity about the Catholic faith and have the same impact on Catholic students as do public universities.

“The evidence is clear: there is a serious crisis in much of Catholic higher education, and the consequences are real for Catholic families,” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society. “We need to pay more attention to those Catholic colleges that are consistently faithful as models for the renewal of Catholic education.”

Researchers from Mississippi State University looked at a survey of 1,000 college students nationwide and were surprised to find that “women attending colleges and universities affiliated with the Catholic Church are almost four times as likely to have participated in ‘hooking up’ compared to women at secular schools. A “hook up” is defined as a casual physical encounter with a male student, without the expectation of an ongoing relationship.

The researchers consider whether the data challenges the “moral communities” argument, according to which some analyst believe that campus communities with shared moral convictions tend to have a strong moral influence on students.

“At first blush, these results might appear to challenge the ‘moral communities’ thesis,” the researchers write, because students are behaving contrary to Catholic teaching while attending Catholic institutions. “On closer inspection, however, our findings might instead suggest that not all religiously affiliated colleges and universities constitute ‘moral communities.’”

Overall, the study found clear differences in the sexual activity of Catholic students who attend weekly Mass. Whereas 24 percent of Catholic women who attend Mass weekly have “hooked up” (compared to 38 percent of nonreligious students), the rate more than doubles to 50 percent of Catholic women who attend Mass infrequently—far more than their nonreligious peers.

The study was published in the September 2009 issue of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, but went unnoticed prior to a Religion News Service article on Thursday.

In the same journal issue, Calvin College professor Jonathan Hill reports on his study comparing the experiences of students at Catholic colleges, mainline Protestant colleges, and generally more fervent evangelical colleges. Hill examines student attendance at religious services and finds a marked difference at the more conservative Protestant colleges, where religious convictions are shared and embraced by strong “moral communities.”

At Catholic colleges, however, “annual declines in religious service attendance [are] approximately 2.5 times the rate of students enrolled in public higher education.” The declines are primarily found among non-Catholic Christians, but Catholic students are no more religious than their peers at public universities—a finding that is confirmed by the Georgetown study. Hill attributes the lax religiosity at Catholic colleges to the lack of a “clear, robust, religious tradition on many of these campuses.”

In a report last month, Catholic researchers at Georgetown University found significant declines in Catholic practice and fidelity among students at 34 Catholic colleges in the United States.

Likewise, a 2008 study published by The Cardinal Newman Society found that 46 percent of current and recent students at Catholic colleges nationwide—and 50 percent of female students—said they had engaged in sex outside of marriage. Three out of five agreed strongly or somewhat that premarital sex is not a sin, and 78 percent disagreed strongly or somewhat that using a condom to prevent pregnancy was a serious sin.

# # #

New Study Confirms Crisis in Catholic Higher Education

Manassas, Va. – Attending a Catholic college has minimal impact on a Catholic student’s practice and embrace of the Catholic faith, according to a new study released Sunday at a gathering of Catholic college presidents in Washington, D.C.

The study was presented to the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) by researchers at Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA).

“Catholics should be alarmed by the significant declines in Catholic practice and fidelity at many of America’s Catholic institutions,” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society. “Everyone expects a Catholic college to be markedly different from a secular one.

Students should be inspired to embrace and deepen their Catholic faith, not negotiate around Catholic moral teaching.”

The CARA study largely confirms a 2003 study released by The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS), which found significant declines in students’ support for Catholic moral teaching on abortion, marriage and sexuality after four years at a Catholic college or university. The declines were generally greater at non-Catholic private and public institutions.

According to the CARA report, 16 percent of students at Catholic colleges and universities become more pro-life and more convinced of traditional marriage, whereas 31 percent become more supportive of legal abortion and 39 percent embrace same-sex “marriage.” Only seven percent increase attendance at religious services, while 32 percent reduce attendance. Eight percent of Catholic students leave the Catholic faith while attending a Catholic institution.

But CARA researchers went a step further, considering the potential impact of a variety of demographic factors on students’ support for Catholic teaching. They found that attendance at a Catholic college has no statistically significant effect on a variety of measures, including students’ support for abortion, the death penalty and same-sex marriage. Students report some improvement in attending religious services (not necessarily Catholic), reading about religion and spirituality (not necessarily Catholic) and deeming it “important to improve the human condition”—a concern that is presumably shared outside the Catholic faith.

Commenting on the study to InsideHigherEd.com, ACCU president Richard Yanikoski argued that the loss of faith at Catholic colleges and elsewhere reflects societal trends. Despite CARA’s analysis showing that the choice of a Catholic college has little significant impact on a student’s faith practice and beliefs, Yanikoski pointed to the raw data indicating that “a typical Catholic undergraduate student attending a Catholic college or university emerges more spiritually intact than if she or he had attended a public or secular private institution, but not nearly as spiritually active as would have been the case a few decades ago.”

“That’s hardly something to celebrate,” Reilly said. “If the ACCU thinks it a happy fact that Catholics lose their faith somewhat slower at Catholic colleges than elsewhere, then they fail to appreciate the concerns of faithful Catholic families.”

In the CARA report (found at http://cara.georgetown.edu), authors Mark Gray and Melissa Cidade state their agreement with The Cardinal Newman Society’s assertion in its 2003 report: “Regardless of where students begin their college journey, Catholic colleges should be helping students move closer to Christ, and certainly doing a better job of moving students toward the Catholic faith than secular colleges do.”

In October 2008, The Cardinal Newman Society published a comprehensive study of practices and beliefs of current and recent students at Catholic colleges and universities. The study, conducted by the reputable Washington, D.C., polling firm QEV Analytics, found that:

Nearly 1 in 5 respondents knew another student who had or paid for an abortion.
46% of current and recent students—and 50% of females—said they engaged in sex outside of marriage.
84% said they had friends who engaged in premarital sex.
60% agreed strongly or somewhat that abortion should be legal.
60% agreed strongly or somewhat that premarital sex is not a sin.
78% disagreed strongly or somewhat that using a condom to prevent pregnancy was a serious sin.
57% agreed strongly or somewhat that same-sex “marriage” should be legal.
57% said the experience of attending a Catholic college or university had no effect on their participation in Mass and the sacrament of reconciliation.
54% of respondents said that their experience of attending a Catholic college or university had no effect on their support for the teachings of the Catholic Church.
56% said their experience had no effect on their respect for the Pope and bishops.

Both the 2008 and the 2003 CNS reports can be found at www.CatholicHigherEd.org.

Scheidler: Jenkins Remains Utterly Immovable on ND 88

Says talking to Jenkins about the issue like talking to a "stone"
By James Tillman

WASHINGTON, DC, January 25, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- Joseph Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League says that prior to last week he had sent letters “begging and pleading” for a chance to meet with Father John Jenkins, President of Notre Dame, but he was never given the chance to do so.

So when he saw Father Jenkins at the March for Life in Washington last Thursday, he thought that it was "too good a chance to miss."

Jenkins had agreed to attend this year's March for Life as part of the pro-life measures he began on campus in response to the outcry caused by his invitation of President Obama to speak at last year’s Notre Dame commencement.

However, Jenkins’ announcement that he intended to participate in the March for Life did little to assuage the criticisms of pro-life activists, in large part because of his continued refusal to ask that the charges against the 88 peaceful pro-life protestors who were arrested on the campus last year be dropped.

The 88 pro-lifers face up to a year in prison and a $5,000 fine if they are found guilty of the charge of trespassing. Currently an online petition effort, demanding that Fr. Jenkins request that the charges be dropped, has been signed by over 5,000 concerned individuals.

However, according to Scheidler, Fr. Jenkins remains obstinate in his refusal to do so, saying that talking to Jenkins about the issue was like talking to a “stone.”

Scheidler told LifeSiteNews (LSN) that he told Fr. Jenkins “that many, many of my friends wanted me to talk to him about removing the charges of the Notre Dame 88. So [Father Jenkins] said, 'Well, now you've told me what they want,' and that was it."

“So I thought, 'Well, that wasn't very good,'” said Scheidler. “So I went back and I said, 'You know, I not only was a student at Notre Dame but I taught at Notre Dame, and I'm very fond of Notre Dame. And I am really concerned that these 88 people were arrested for simply going on the campus doing something that they should do,' or something to that effect. And he said 'Alright, now you've said that.' And he was very off-putting."

Joseph Scheidler is among those listed as "Notable Alumni" on the Notre Dame website. Other Notre Dame alumni are of a similar opinion as Scheidler; according toReplaceJenkins.com donations totaling over $16 million from over 1,500 alumni have been withheld from Notre Dame because of Father Jenkins' actions.

According to Scheidler, the whole impression Father Jenkins gave was that, "You can talk to me all day about this, and my mind's made up."

"I think he's going to stand his ground on this," he continued. "Although, you know, anything could happen. But I wouldn't want to be one of the 88, because they are facing, you know, a possible 6 months in jail and possible 5,000 dollar fine."

"I don't give much hope for any change. ... You might as well have been talking to a stone."
Such inflexibility, according to Scheidler, makes Jenkins' arrival at the March for Life little more than an empty gesture. "Going to the March was a very small payment for having Obama there," Scheidler said, "and nothing for saving these 88 people ... [from] paying for what was not a crime."

"He has said before that it’s out of his hands," he continued. "Well, it's not. He could say 'Drop the charges,' and they'd be dropped."

The problem posed by Father Jenkins’ obstinacy makes Scheidler fear for Notre Dame’s reputation, especially after Jenkins’ recent reelection to another five years in his position. “He's got five more years handed to him,” said Scheidler, “and I have great fears that Notre Dame is going to lose its reputation. It’s losing it fast. And it would be almost impossible to get it back.”

To sign the petition to Free the ND 88, click here.

EWTN.com - Trustee of Catholic College Served as Planned Parenthood Board Member, Received College's Highest Honor

January 25, 2010

A onetime board member of Planned Parenthood of Western New York serves on the board of trustees of an upstate New York Catholic university, according to the university’s web site. Dr. Ellen E. Grant, who joined St. Bonaventure University’s board of trustees in 2001, is also a recipient of the Gaudete Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the university.

Founded by Franciscan friars in 1858, St. Bonaventure University has 2,406 students, 1,932 of them undergraduates.

Planned Parenthood Clinic Listed on Jesuit University's Student Health Services Site

Planned Parenthood Clinic Listed on Jesuit University’s Student Health Services Site

January 05, 2010

The web site of the Student Health Services office at Loyola University New Orleans includes Planned Parenthood among its list of local clinics and offers a link to Planned Parenthood of Louisiana and the Misssippi Delta. The university’s web site also notes that students who have taken the sociology department’s capstone course (Sociology Internship/Practicum) “have interned at Planned Parenthood.”

Founded in 1912 by the Jesuit Fathers, Loyola University New Orleans has 4,474 students, 2,658 of whom are undergraduates.


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Notre Dame's Jenkins Would Do it Again - Calls Obama Visit "Successful"

By Kathleen Gilbert

SOUTH BEND, Indiana, January 6, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The unprecedented controversy that rent the U.S. Catholic community over President Obama's abortion-themed commencement speech and his reception of an honorary law degree at the University of Notre Dame last May has apparently not fazed the school's president, who called the climax of the scandal "a successful" day that he does not regret.

When asked in a South Bend Tribune interview published December 27 whether he would do it all over again, Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins answered, "Yes, I would."

"He is the president of the United States, and there was a tradition of Notre Dame inviting presidents to be commencement speakers and receive honorary degrees, and we continue that tradition," he said. Jenkins went on to point out the historicity of Obama as the nation's first black president, saying it was "an honor for us to welcome him to campus."

"For all the controversy, I think it was a successful day," he said.

The decision to host the President at the Catholic university sparked an immense outpouring of criticism in the weeks leading up to the speech, with 80 active U.S. bishops and over 360,000 petitioners opposed to the decision.

"It's important not to be afraid of controversies. If the issues are addressed with reason and respect, that's the best you can do. And universities, particularly, should be places where controversy can be addressed with reason and mutual respect," Jenkins said. He insisted that "there were things in [Obama's] life and his leadership that we could affirm." Regarding areas of disagreement, especially the President's enthusiastic support for abortion, the day allowed an opportunity to "speak about those differences openly."

"I thought he said things that he'd never said before on the issue of abortion - such as seeking a reasonable conscience clause, such as reducing the number of abortions - and I think it was a day when there was genuine dialogue among people who differed. And that’s really what a university is about," he said.

However, there is a group of individuals who have reason not to be completely satisfied by Jenkins' words about the need for "genuine dialogue": the 88 pro-life individuals who were arrested on campus May 17 while protesting President Obama are still facing up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine on charges of trespassing. While witnesses say pro-Obama protesters were allowed to roam free, the arrested individuals were singled out for displaying any pro-life message - including slogans on the sanctity of life, a large wooden cross, and images of Mary.

Fr. Jenkins has denied pleas from several corners to request that the charges be dropped - a request lawyers say the St. Joseph county prosecutor would likely heed. Fr. Weslin, one of the 88 arrested, called on his fellow priest in June to dialogue over the scandal - a request Jenkins ignored.

Notre Dame law professor emeritus Charles Rice called Jenkins' pursuit of token pro-life initiatives a "mockery" while he allowed the protesters to continue facing charges.

"It would be a mockery for you to present yourself now at the March, even at the invitation of Notre Dame students, as a pro-life advocate while, in practical effect, you continue to be the jailer, as common criminals, of those persons who were authentic pro-life witnesses at Notre Dame," wrote Rice in a September letter to Fr. Jenkins.

In the Tribune interview, Jenkins also touched upon his relationship with the local ordinary, Fort Wayne-South Bend bishop John D'Arcy, who took the unusual step of boycotting the commencment exercises, and instead showed up at a smaller ceremony held by Notre Dame graduates protesting the invitation elsewhere on campus. The Notre Dame president has met with D'Arcy several times since the event, he said, and they remain at loggerheads. He says he has not discussed the issue with Bishop Kevin Rhoades, who will take over for the retiring Bishop D'Arcy in January.

Upon learning of the invitation, about which he had not been consulted, D'Arcy stated last March that "the diocesan bishop must ask whether a Catholic institution compromises its obligation to give public witness by placing prestige over truth," and condemned the appearance of "surrender to a culture opposed to the truth about life and love."

Meeting in June, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a resolution expressing solidarity with Bishop D'Arcy and his "solicitude for [Notre Dame's] Catholic identity."

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jan/10010609.html

Georgetown law program placed fellowship winner with Planned Parenthood

The Women's Law and Public Policy Fellowship Program at one of the nation's leading Jesuit universities placed a fellowship winner with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, according to the university's web site.

Typically, organizations such as Planned Parenthood must apply to the Women's Law and Public Policy Fellowship Program of the Georgetown University Law Center in order to host a fellow. Once the university's fellowship program approves the organization's application, a grant is awarded to the organization so that the fellow can be paid a stipend.

"The Women's Law and Public Policy Fellowship Program (WLPPFP) accepts applications from organizations located in the Washington, D.C. area that would like to host a Women's Law Fellow for the upcoming Fellowship year," notes the web site of the Georgetown University Law Center.

"The Women's Law Fellow must be assigned to work on legal and public policy issues affecting the status of women ... If your organization is awarded a Women's Law Fellow, the $37,500 annual stipend will be covered by WLPPFP through a grant to your organization."

"The Women's Law and Public Policy Fellowship Program makes every effort to accommodate the Fellows' placement preferences," notes another university web page. "However, the Program cannot guarantee any particular placement organization, even if an applicant has a prior relationship or connection with an organization involved in legal and policy issues affecting women."

During the 2006-7 academic year, fellowship winner Diana Aguilar worked in the Public Policy Law and Litigation Department of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. According to a university web page:

Fluent in Spanish, Diana has represented her department at two international conferences, one in Peru last fall and one in Colombia this spring. One of her major research projects this year has dealt with an employment discrimination case, where Diana analyzed all of the Title VII Supreme Court cases from the last decade as well as related decisions written by the two new Supreme Court Justices prior to their appointment. In the case at issue, known as In re Union Pacific Railroad Employment Practices Litigation, the plaintiff argued that an employer engages in sex discrimination if it covers prescription drugs in its health insurance plan but refuses to cover prescription contraceptives. Diana has also investigated issues ranging from complex constitutional law principles to the standards for granting a rehearing en banc in federal circuit court litigation. She also reports on the activities of the department for an electronic bi-weekly newsletter.

"Her Fellowship with Planned Parenthood Federation of America," noted another university web page, "is generously supported by the Huber Foundation and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation."

According to a recent university publication, the fellowship program "celebrates the continued achievements of our outstanding alumni, who strive to improve the lives of women and their families throughout their careers. Our alums constitute a powerful network of experienced and committed lawyers across the United States and Africa ... Diana Aguilar continues to serve as an Associate Staff Attorney with the Public Policy Litigation & Law department at Planned Parenthood Federation of America."

In that capacity, Ms. Aguilar is working to prevent the appearance a ballot initiative that would allow Alaska voters to decide whether minors should inform their parents before having an abortion.

Founded in 1789 by the Jesuits, Georgetown University has 15,318 students, 7,092 of whom are undergraduates.

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

Outreach (Georgetown Law, 2006)
Outreach (Georgetown Law, 2007)
Outreach (Georgetown Law, 2009)
The Women's Law and Public Policy Fellowship Program (Georgetown Law)
Placement Organization Application (Georgetown Law)
Planned Parenthood of Alaska v. Campbell (Center for Reproductive Rights)
Former Planned Parenthood CEO teaches at Georgetown’s nursing school (CWN, 12/22)

Michigan Catholic College Posts Planned Parenthood Job Openings

Comment: This is about as evil as it gets. "Master, a thief has broken through the gate..."

Michigan Catholic College Posts Planned Parenthood Job Openings

December 01, 2009

The career and counseling services office of a Michigan Catholic college is publicizing a job opening at Planned Parenthood. Aquinas College's career services office posted the position of registered nurse at Planned Parenthood on November 12; the phone number listed as a contact number is that of Planned Parenthood of West and Northern Michigan.

Aquinas College's career services office "aids students in identifying unique skills, abilities, interests, and values in order to establish productive career paths and goals." Founded in 1922 by Dominican sisters, the Grand Rapids-based college has 2,159 students, 1,872 of whom are undergraduates.

In 2005, the college's newsletter had urged readers to "check out the following job opportunity publications available in Career and Counseling Services ... Planned Parenthood Centers of West Michigan, Vice President of Resource Development."

Aquinas College in Grand Rapids is not associated with Aquinas College in Nashville or Thomas Aquinas College in California, both of which appear on the Cardinal Newman Society's list of 21 faithful Catholic colleges.

University of San Francisco to Host Head of Pro-Abortion Amnesty International

On October 27, the Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Research at the Jesuit, Catholic University of San Francisco (USF) will host a book signing and panel discussion by the head of Amnesty International, despite that organization's 2007 move to promote abortion rights, California Catholic Daily has reported.

"The Catholic Church has made it abundantly clear that the decision of Amnesty International to support abortion is a direct betrayal of its own mission in service of human rights," said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS). "How sad it is that USF is degrading its Catholic identity by giving a platform to the head of this once-admirable, but now morally compromised organization."

Since 2001, Irene Khan has been the secretary general of Amnesty International, a "human rights" organization founded in 1961. It was under Khan's leadership that the organization changed its official position on abortion from neutrality to support for abortion "rights."

In September of 2006, Bishop William S. Skystad, representing the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), wrote to Khan in defense of the unborn against the move to a pro-abortion stance.

Also, a statement by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace promised that if Amnesty "persists in this course of action, individuals and Catholic organizations must withdraw their support because, in deciding to promote abortion rights, Amnesty International has betrayed its mission." [emphasis added]

As California Catholic reported, in August 2007, Amnesty's executive committee formally voted to adopt a pro-abortion policy. Concerned for its Catholic identity, another Jesuit college in Sydney, Australia, went so far as to sever ties with the organization. Catholic hierarchs serving as Amnesty members also resigned.

Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan, a longtime social activist, responded to Amnesty's new pro-abortion stance, stating, "One cannot support an organization financially or even individually that is contravening something very serious in our ethic."

In 2004, the USCCB issued the statement "Catholics in Political Life" which precludes granting a platform such as the one USF intends to give Khan. The statement reads:

"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."

The University of San Francisco webpage announcing Ms. Khan's discussion says the event is sponsored by: "the Office of the President, University Ministry, Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought, and the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good."

The Cardinal Newman Society previously outlined some of the more recent tragic betrayals of USF's Catholic identity in a press release here.

Notre Dame President Fr. Jenkins Gets 2nd Term Despite Catholic Identity Abuses

On Friday, October 19, 2009, the president of the University of Notre Dame, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., was appointed to a second term as president.

"Notre Dame has suffered terribly in recent years because of a lack of leadership and commitment to its Catholic identity," said Patrick J. Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS). "The Board of Trustees has once again neglected their responsibility to uphold Notre Dame's Catholic mission by reelecting a president who has displayed public disrespect for the bishops and has permitted repeated scandals including the honors to President Obama and performances of The Vagina Monologues."

Fr. Jenkins was first elected to a five-year term as president of Notre Dame on April 30, 2004, becoming the university’s 17th president. Chairman Richard Notebaert announced last Friday that the University of Notre Dame Board of Trustees elected Fr. Jenkins to serve a second five-year term.

On May 17, 2009, Notre Dame bestowed an honorary doctor of laws degree upon U.S. President Barack Obama, whose pro-abortion and other anti-life policies and statements have set him opposed to fundamental moral teachings of the Catholic Church.

Led by Bishop John D'Arcy of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese, in which Notre Dame is located, 83 U.S. bishops vocally opposed the honor for the pro-abortion president. They were joined by the more than 367,000 individuals who signed The Cardinal Newman Society's petition at NotreDameScandal.com, calling on Fr. Jenkins to rescind the honor.

Fr. Jenkins acted in direct defiance of the 2004 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) statement "Catholics in Political Life", which most bishops cited in opposing the honor for President Obama. The statement prohibits Catholic institutions from honoring "those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles." In June, 2009, the USCCB released a statement affirming Bishop D'Arcy's "pastoral concern for Notre Dame University."

The scandalous play The Vagina Monologues has been hosted more than once at Notre Dame on Fr. Jenkins' watch. Despite growing momentum against the play, public opposition by Bishop D'Arcy and an annual CNS campaign informing Catholic college presidents of the dangers of the play, in 2008 Jenkins issued a statement officially approving the return of the Monologues after a one-year hiatus. In protest, a committee of bishops moved their theological seminar off the Notre Dame campus. Although the play did not return in 2009, Fr. Jenkins has not taken any apparent action to prevent future productions.

Fr. Jenkins also sits on the board of Millennium Promise, an anti-poverty organization which reportedly supports the distribution of condoms and encourages abortion services where legal.

In September 2009, Fr. Jenkins issued a statement announcing new pro-life initiatives at the University of Notre Dame. CNS has commended the show of good will, but noted that there are "serious steps that Notre Dame should take immediately to atone for its shocking betrayal of the U.S. bishops and the Catholic Church last spring."

Notre Dame Pays Student Expenses to D.C. March for Gay "Marriage"

The University of Notre Dame gave financial assistance to five students to participate in Sunday's national gay rights demonstration, which was organized in part to advocate homosexual “"marriage," a campus newspaper has reported.

The "National Equality March" on Sunday, October 11, in Washington, D.C., was sponsored by Equality Across America, which aims to build a national grassroots network asserting homosexual couples' "right to marry" as well as other demands. The Catholic Church believes that marriage is possible only between a man and a woman.

"Faithful Catholics will ask whether Notre Dame has learned its lesson from the scandalous commencement ceremony last spring," said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society. "What university seeking to reassure families of its Catholic identity would pay for students to attack the family and oppose Catholic teachings on marriage?"

Students from Notre Dame's Progressive Student Alliance (PSA) petitioned the Student Activities Office and were granted funding to travel to and participate in the demonstration. The Notre Dame students marched two miles across D.C. and then joined gay rights activists for a Capitol Hill rally.

The president of the Progressive Students Alliance told The Observer, "The fact that we were University-approved was surprising but it was a wonderful surprise. The University hasn't always been entirely receptive in the past."

Read The Observer's article here.

Aquinas Catholic College to Host "All Day Long" Homosexualist Even

Aquinas Catholic College to Host "All Day Long" Homosexualist Event

By James Tillman

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, October 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Aquinas College, a Catholic college located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is planning to hold an event titled "Love is everywhere … AQ Celebrates Human Rights" this coming Monday. The event features showings of multiple movies about homosexuals, a "coming out" story, and "ribbons and face-painting to celebrate our unique differences," according to the college website.

The prospective event will take place "all day long" at various locations and times on the campus.

Founded by Dominican Sisters in 1886, Aquinas College is an institution "rooted in the Catholic Dominican tradition," according to its website. It states that on campus "Values, ethics, and morality are explored in the context of Judeo-Christian ethics and Catholic teaching with full respect for other religious traditions, academic freedom, and personal conscience."

Nevertheless, despite professed adherence to the Catholic tradition, the proposed event explores views profoundly contrary to those advanced by the Church.

The two films that will be shown during the event are "Seven Passages - The Stories of Gay Christians," and "Milk." The first movie features characters who advance revisionist interpretations of the scriptural passages that have traditionally been seen as evidence that sodomy is a sin. Conversation with the key players in the film will follow the screening. The second movie is a celebration of the life of Harvey Milk, the murdered homosexual "gay rights" activist elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors.

The event will also have training and information regarding how to be an "'AQ certified' Safe Zone advocate" for the Aquinas College campus. Safe Zones have been established at colleges around the US as areas where homosexuals may feel welcomed and accepted.

The event, in addition to being sponsored by Aquinas' Campus Life, is also sponsored by the student organization The Alliance. The Alliance is described on Aquinas College's website as having the mission of bringing "inclusiveness to the Aquinas College community." The Alliance's facebook page describes itself as "Serving Aquinas' LGBTQIA community by promoting education, tolerance, community, and love in their purest forms. Let's all hug."

The event will also feature a "coming out" story by Dave Craft, facilitator of Allies and Advocates Training. Allies and Advocates Training is designed to bring about a campus climate in which homosexual students feel "respected" and "affirmed."

Aquinas College has been previously been at the center of controversy due to similar issues. In 2008 it cancelled the appearance of John Corvino and his lecture "What's Morally Wrong with Homosexuality?" This lecture "examines and dismantles the most common arguments against homosexual conduct" according to an online biography.
In 2003, the college's commencement speaker was the strongly pro-abortion Roger Wilkins, who has served on NARAL's National Commission on America Without Roe and participated in a Washington, D.C. press conference presenting the commission's report.

A spokesman for Aquinas College declined to comment, disclaiming any detailed knowledge of the event.