Cardinal: Obama (Notre Dame) invite an 'embarrassment'

[sabra]

Source: Chicago Trib

Cardinal Francis George is urging Catholics "to call, to e-mail, to write letters" about the "extreme embarrassment" the University of Notre Dame has caused by inviting President Barack Obama to speak at its commencement next month.

But George acknowledged, at a weekend conference on human dignity and infertility, that the South Bend university is "not going to disinvite the president ... no matter what you do."

He said the bishops conference will be working with Notre Dame to clarify what the university's responsibilities should be as a Catholic institution.

"Whatever else is clear, it's clear Notre Dame didn't understand what it means to be Catholic when they issued this invitation," George said. "And didn't anticipate the kind of uproar that would be consequent to the decision, at least not to the extent that it has happened."

Read more: http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/04/cardinal-obama-invite-an-embarrassment.html

[niyad]

1. did they have a problem with lying, murderous bush?

[maseman]

35. Hey Cardinal Asshole with the funny hat

Letting priests rape little boys and then shuffling them off to other parishes rather than firing/de-frocking/prosecuting them is an embarassment.

[Thrill]

2. Inviting the President is an embarassment?? Get over yourself

And find it funny all these people think this is about them. The only thing that matters is what the Class thinks.

Part of me wants Obama to say he can't come.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. "Lack of tax an embarrassment."

Oh! Never mind!

[Hugin]

7. I'm still trying to get my mind around this...

"a weekend conference on human dignity and infertility" :wtf:

I'm thinking DU needs a weekend conference on racism and twinkies.

[CatholicEdHead]

4. The St Paul/Minneapolis Archbishop also put his foot in his mouth today

by doing a blanket attack on gay rights and branding Obama "anti-Catholic". :crazy:

[Mz Pip]

5. No wonder the Church

is losing followers. This single issue crap is getting tiresome. Knock yourself out trying to create a controversy.

Perhaps they would prefer to have torture/secret assassination guy Dick Cheney speak.

[Downwinder]

13. Now you are getting to something they are familiar with,

INQUISITION.

All of these Governments running around apologizing for their past acts. Has the Vatican ever apologized for the inquisition?

[crikkett]

34. You know, I think they did. But I can't remember when or where I read it.

probably here on DU.

[kay1864]

18. "No wonder the Church is losing followers"

Not significantly. Up 1.4% in 2005, down 0.6% in 2007, according to the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches.

2005: http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=23906
2007: http://washingtontimes.com/weblogs/belief-blog/2009/Feb/25/catholics-southern-baptists-losing-members/

[hedgehog]

36. The number of Catholics is staying about the same because as

native born Americans leave the Church, Latino Catholics are coming to the US.

[cloudbase]

6. What is clear in this instance

is that Notre Dame understands what it means to be an institution of higher learning.

[AngryOldDem]

28. Exactly. Furthermore...

...any faith of any meaning and import should be able to survive questions and challenges. Its followers, furthermore, should have the confidence and trust in their faith that would likewise survive challenge, esepcially when they hear views that differ from their own. That is one of the purposes of a college education, be it at a state or private school -- to challenge, provoke thought, and provide the skills to thoughtfully live in a modern world.

The more I see these attempts by the Church to further insulate itself and its followers from the world is leading me to conclude that perhaps the institution isn't built on the rock of Peter, but rather, on sand. Surely an institution that has supposedly been around for some 2,000 years, and which supposedly was founded by Christ himself, can withstand a 60-minute address from the President of the United States. If that's too much of a threat...well, that's not Barack Obama's fault.

[Mrs. Overall]

8. Didn't Newt Gingrich just become Catholic? Invite him and his ex-wives

and let him speak on the Republican response to social justice issues.

[Historic NY]

30. let him explain how he was having extramarital sex when he was impeaching Clinton...

http://www.realchange.org/gingrich.htm

[jedr]

9. "No one expects the Inquisition"

Some how I envision Monty Python and and cast all in red and an iron maiden ready to be used. Yes this is an embarrassment, but not to Obama.

[damntexdem]

10. yeah, isn't a Catholic university's responsibility to be a lap dog of the hierarchy?

Isn't supposed to forget all academic integrity and prostitute itself to the prelates?

How could it invite such a disreputable lowlife as the popular, intelligent president of the U.S.?

Shouldn't it toss out its tradition of inviting newly-elected presidents because some bishop has his shorts in a twist?

[Butch350]

11. I am so glad I dumped the Catholic Religion!!

[sallyseven]

16. There is a steady stream of dumpers

right behind you. The bishops and the catholic church have chased us away.

[walkaway]

12. I can't wait until this stupid cult is so small....

...you could drown it in a bathtub.

[frylock]

14. the catholic church is an embarrassment..

sincerley, recovering catholic.

[dcindian]

15. This coming from a Cardinal who encouraged a priest accused of molesting children

to not interact with children after the accusation instead of notifying police. Perhaps this cardinal would be less embarrassed if one of his buddy child rapist were to do it instead?

[bluestateguy]

17. The Catholic Church covers up child molestation

That's all I need to say.

[FightingIrish]

19. It's the fuss these conservative Catholics are making that is the real embarrassment

Most of them have no authority to speak for the University of Notre Dame and would do the school great harm if they succeed. This editorial says it very well:


Notre Dame's Obama flap
Attempts to disinvite the president as commencement speaker are an unwelcome intrusion of religion into academic life.


After Barack Obama was elected president, Pope Benedict XVI sent him a congratulatory letter. So did Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. At the time, neither the Vatican nor the Catholic bishops were under any illusion about Obama's opposition to outlawing abortion, a position that obviously put him at odds with the church's agenda. That didn't prevent them from welcoming a dialogue with the new president or offering to work with him in common pursuits

More at Link

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-notredame1-2009apr01,0,4893557.story

Cardinal George, your hypocrisy is showing.

[Submariner]

20. So the Vicar of St. Pedophilia

is going to pull this crap when they're up to their eyeballs in a child molestation and rape scandal? Stay classy Pope Benny the Rat. Maybe I'll live to see the demise of this sick super-cult. What a bunch of racist idiots. The catholic church talks in code. They are racist, sexist and destructive and need to be put out of business.

[Joey Liberal]

21. Cardinal Francis George is a Prick n/t

[FightingIrish]

23. And apparently a lying sack of shit as well

Jan. 20, 2009
By Dennis Coday

Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has pledged that he and his fellow prelates will work with the incoming administration of Barack Obama and the 111th Congress to "advance the common good and defend the life and dignity of all, especially the vulnerable and poor."

In a Jan. 13 letter to the president-elect, Chicago Cardinal Francis E. George offered a broad outline of policy priorities that concern the U.S. bishops, ranging from economic recovery that covers all segments of society to protecting the lives of the "most vulnerable and voiceless members of the human family," especially unborn children.

http://ncronline.org/node/3123

[tularetom]

22. Maybe Obama should molest a few altar boys

The cardinal could relate to that.

[rosesaylavee]

24. Anyone have a phone number or email?

I think Cardinal George needs to hear from me. I googled and came up empty.

[FightingIrish]

25. Archbishop's Office [phone] Archbishop's Residence [phone]

What's he hiding behind the funny hat?

[rosesaylavee]

27. Too small to be the holy hand grenade of Antioch...

Thanks for the numbers. I will give him a call.

[benld74]

26. I have been a Catholic all my life,,,

but I disagree with some of the churchs' teachings. Does that make me a BAD Catholic? I guess I'll take my chances after my death.
BUT when I read stuff like this in the papers, I am embarrassed that a leader of my church has stuck his nose into a politically charged 'talking poiint'. AND thats all that it is.
Tend to your own flock Bishop, else you make the Catholics sound like the other so-called Christians, that spew hatred, violence bigoted opinions, whenever they open their mouths.
My mother once wrote to me to place Jesus in your life and eveything else will fall into place. I guess either I've been lucky or my mother is right.

[Jakes Progress]

29. I listened to some AM

jockey who called and interviewed a senior at ND who was against Obama getting recognition. Her silly attitude is typical of the problem with Catholic rage.

This is supposed to be about Obama supporting a woman's right to choose. She said the church was against choice so Obama should be dissed. But the church is also officially against capital punishment, but she and the whole Catholic Outrage Council had no problem with bush and reagan and their hobby of execution.

Very hypocritical. Any way you look at it, it doesn't speak well for the level of education at the school that their students think so sloppily.

[hedgehog]

37. Last I heard, the majority of current students want Obama there.

[beltanefauve]

31. Inviting Barack Obama

to speak at Notre Dame is an embarrassment? But inviting Condi Rice to speak at Boston College was not? Typical Catholic hypocrisy at work here. I left this religion a long, long time ago and never looked back.

[Jefferson23]

32. Make a complete ass out of yourself, go right ahead.

I find it hard to believe that most Catholics support such an abuse of power. Go fuck yourself buddy.

[ShortnFiery]

33. Between this and Newt Gingrich converting to my beloved faith, no wonder I stopped attending Mass

regularly over six months ago. There's an Universal Unitarian Church within my area, they seem the most open minded. I think that I'll attend this Easter Sunday. I want to worship God but not anymore within the dogmatic traditional Catholic Churches of TODAY. :(

[IndianaGreen]

38. Another of the pedophile enabling clerics spewing RW propagands

The German Pope will destroy the Catholic Church.

[The Second Stone]

39. The cardinal is an embarassment to catholics

The catholic church thinks that the position of Democrats on abortion trumps treatment of the poor, the death penalty, war, torture and everything else that Republicans support?

[Javaman]

40. yet another example of the catholic church being out of touch with reality. nt

[TEmperorHasNoClothes]

41. well the pope is an embarrassment and so are those who believe that shit

[The Stranger]

42. Francis George is a worthless piece of shit.

He should be told to go fuck himself.

[Cha]

43. Is the cardinal afraid of

losing his grip/money?