ND President Jenkins digs in: “We Are Tremendously Proud” to Honor Obama at Notre Dame.

If you haven’t signed the petition at NotreDameScandal.com, then what are you waiting for? 

H/T: patrickmadrid

When President Obama spoke this past week  at Georgetown University, an allegedly Catholic institution, the White House requested that all Georgetown insignias and symbols be covered, according to CNSNews.com.

Seems the Presidents like the idea of speaking at Catholic universities, so long as there’s no pesky references to Jesus.

The White House is now blaming the flap on the Star Spangled Banner, but CNSNews.com also notes that Laura Bush spoke at Georgetown without covering up the “IHS” monogram.

If you haven’t yet signed the petition to Fr. Jenkins, President of the University of Notre Dame, requesting that he rescind his invitation to President Obama giving this year’s Commencement Address, then visit NotreDameScandal.com.

Janet Smith, a Catholic professor at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, had some thoughts on the decision of Notre Dame to invite President Barack Obama:

I know that if someone like George Wallace had been elected president of the United States, no matter how much good he had done – no matter how many causes “near to Notre Dame’s heart” he had elevated, Notre Dame would not have invited him to be the commencement speaker nor given him an honorary degree. The world would not have believed that Notre Dame remained “firm and unwavering” in its opposition to racism. It would not have thought that Notre Dame was hoping to spark a national dialogue on racism. It would have thought Notre Dame had lost its mind and faith.

It truly is a scandal that Notre Dame has decided to honor President Obama. There is no reason that Catholics should believe that we can look to Notre Dame for leadership on the most controversial issues of the day, issues that involve the yearly killing of millions of the innocent. It is such a shame.

Well said. (HT: American Papist)

If you haven’t signed the petition to Notre Dame yet, please do so.

[cross posted at CatholicVote.com]

While our film intentionally highlights the contributions of Catholics in American history, a key element left out (not intentionally), is the contribution of Catholic schools to American prosperity.  Indeed the legacy of Catholic education in America is unparalleled, and despite the economic challenges of late, Catholic schools continue to provide a vital service not only to the Church, but to the civic health of our country by nurturing responsible citizenship.

The Catholic News Service features a piece today titled Where Are Presidential Candidates on Education Issues. The article explains:

In their 2007 document, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility,” the U.S. bishops emphasize that parents should be able to choose the best education for their children and that the government, through tax credits and scholarships, “should help provide resources for parents, especially those of modest means.”

For all the partisan divisions among Catholics, it strikes me as odd, that on the issue of support for Catholic schools, Republicans and Democrats haven’t worked very closely.  Regrettably, the Democratic Party has wed itself to the powerful teachers unions who place the preservation of the status quo in public schools above the needs of children.  And while Republicans have touted school choice for years, not much has been accomplished.  Most recently, a bi-partisan coalition helped pass a modest measure allowing a small number of children (2000 to be exact) in failing D.C. schools to use a $7,500 taxpayer voucher to attend a private school.  However, last I checked, the Democratic Congress (including Barack Obama) favored a phase out of this program. I hope I am wrong.

On their campaign websites, Obama and McCain offer very different alternatives.

McCain’s camp argues:

If a school will not change, the students should be able to change schools. John McCain believes parents should be empowered with school choice to send their children to the school that can best educate them just as many members of Congress do with their own children. He finds it beyond hypocritical that many of those who would refuse to allow public school parents to choose their child’s school would never agree to force their own children into a school that did not work or was unsafe. They can make another choice. John McCain believes that is a fundamental and essential right we should honor for all parents.

[snip]

John McCain will place parents and children at the center of the education process, empowering parents by greatly expanding the ability of parents to choose among schools for their children. He believes all federal financial support must be predicated on providing parents the ability to move their children, and the dollars associated with them, from failing school.

Barack Obama’s plan is broken down into many pieces, but generally involves increased “investment” (funding) for public schools beginning with “universal pre-school,” better teachers, and “supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them.”  Obama is opposed to school choice.

Regardless of who is elected. I hope both give serious thought to the contribution of Catholic schools in America and how they might improve the acknowledged dismal state of education in our country.

Perhaps a good start might be recalling one of the more famous lines of Ronald Reagan: “There is no limit to what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.”

Both Pope Benedict XVI and President Bush have highlighted the importance of Catholic schools in America. President Bush has been busy promoting his Pell Grant for Kids program, which would give children in failing schools the opportunity to attend Catholic school.

Now, Bill Bennett is sounding the alarm. He notes a recent study that showed 300,000 students have been displaced by Catholic schools that have shut down. That has placed a $20 billion burden on the government education system. Bennett talks about the foresight of a priest and bishop in Wichita, Kansas, that have made Catholic education free for all parishioners. A remarkable acheivement!

Academic Freedom in Catholic Higher Education is the title of a forum hosted by the Heritage Foundation next Friday, April 18th. The forum follows the historic address by the Holy Father to Catholic educators at Catholic University in Washington D.C. the night before.

Do the scandalous Monologues, blasphemous art, pro-abortion politicians, and other controversial items belong on the campuses of Catholic universities?

Should be interesting. RSVP here