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Among its many grand traditions, Notre Dame invites new presidents to speak at its graduation commencement — it hadn’t mattered what your political party or your views. The list is as diverse as Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. May 17, President Barack Obama has been invited to speak at the university and a firestorm is brewing.
The growing outcry was fueled by critical letters from two bishops. Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of the Phoenix Diocese has called the selection of Obama a "public act of disobedience" and "a grave mistake." Bishop John D’Arcy of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese, in which Notre Dame is included, has refused to attend the ceremony.
Letters are pouring in to the Notre Dame student newspaper from both alumni and students. The alumni sentiment heavily opposes the president’s appearance, while the students are pretty much in favor of it. Overall, opposition appears to be mounting at this writing. A coalition of conservative students has announced its opposition. It is understandable if a number of graduates wished the issue would go away so their ceremonies are not turned into a political football.
The new president is not yet in office 100 days, so what has he done to tick off religious conservatives at Notre Dame and elsewhere? Mr. Obama has already plunged into some thorny social issues, which are a tinderbox for the religious right — federal funding for stem-cell research and international family planning groups that approve of a woman’s right to choose. The new president also is in favor of full benefits for same-sex partners in civil unions, although he presently does not support gay marriage.
As columnist Andrew Sullivan, a gay married man, has pointed out, some Catholics find themselves in a peculiar moral position these days. They welcome Newt Gingrich, married three times, into the fold, but have problems with a president who is a devoted family man and churchgoer. They warmly endorsed a leader who instituted a policy of torturing prisoners while opposing the one who ended torture. They are foursquare for the institution of marriage, except when it involves two gay people who have fallen in love.
To its credit, Notre Dame has refused thus far to rescind its invitation. Its president has been quoted as saying, while Notre Dame is not in agreement with all of Obama’s policies, he thinks it is important to engage in a dialogue. As if to buttress that, President Obama recently has met with the Cardinal of Chicago during which they reportedly discussed issues affecting the religious community.
As one who lived through a time when a Catholic could not be elected president, it seems strange to see the fears of so many anti-Catholic bigots gaining credence. John F. Kennedy had to reassure non-Catholics he would not be taking marching orders from Rome when he entered the White House. As laughable as that fear might appear, we have seen some church officials try to influence our electoral process, most notably in the last two elections. The idea a president would be boycotted at a university commencement ceremony because he doesn’t adhere to Catholic doctrine once would have been thought unthinkable.
Much of this is the fallout from the erosion of separation between church and state in America. It is the byproduct of one political party catering to a core of religious conservatives to the point where they began to see our democracy as a theocracy. In an attempt to win votes, the pluralism of American beliefs was forgotten. Respect for other viewpoints was out and replaced by dogma. That may be OK in a country where there is one state religion, but in America it can undermine a democracy built on diversity of belief. It is very difficult to form a consensus when each side is busy proving the veracity of its claim by pointing to a passage in the Bible. America may be a religious nation, but its tradition of secular government — rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar’s — has served us well.
The White House and the Vatican are arranging a meeting between Obama and the pope when he goes to Europe for the G20 meetings beginning today. The Holy See has unofficially confirmed such a meeting will take place, even though the Vatican has criticized the new president about his stance on abortion and stem-cell research. If this gathering takes place, as it seems before the commencement, won’t it make Notre Dame’s conservative alumnae and the two bishops seem closed-minded and out of touch?
There was no question where Obama stood on federal funding for stem-cell research and a woman’s right to choose when he ran for president. He won the election, in some part, on those very issues. According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 54 percent of Catholics voted for Obama. You may be one of those who disagree, but he is not just the president of those who voted for him, but of us all.
Even at Notre Dame on May 17.
