Should President Obama decline the invitation to give this year's commencement address at Notre Dame?

I was born and raised Roman Catholic. I played the good little Catholic role until I turned of legal age. Then I decided I didn't need any Church to tell me how to run my life and what to believe in. I appreciate the fact that they left the doors open for me for whenever I felt the need to visit. But other than that, I am my own person.

If Notre Dame invited the President to speak and he has the time and desire, go for it. Anyone who doesn't like him or what he stands for or believes in........well, stay home.

It amazes me that with all of the problems our country has, people are going to b!tch about this.

The Holy Cross acronym, CSC, was known as Cash, Strictly Cash when I was there in the 50's. It is still appropriate!

Well then you are not a Catholic a basic tenent of our Faith is obedience so if you can not accept certain things then by all means go become a protestant.

John, please go back to CCD. You are simply wrong on your theology.

Family Woman, I am a craddle Catholic and very well versed in my Faith. Let's see in the Old Testamen The Lord instructed Israel to destroy Moab because they sacrified their children to Moloch and you saw the effects of that. He chastised Egypt for killing the children of Israel. Gave us instruction for Worship in both testaments, remember this Jesus did not come to nullify the law but to confirm the law The Old and New Testaments run together and never separate. You need to go to CCD yourself if you wish to engage in Theology.

And you may practice Catholicism but I live it everyday that is the difference between us.

I am a practicing Christian and I am tired of our idiot government and the abnormal praise of someone so ungodly as our leader. Obama is two faced and changes with the wind. He says he is a Christian and believes in killing babies. People who have these conflicted views better take another look at their bibles and their President. P.S. I would risk the wrath of man any day over the wrath of God; Obama's day is coming along with those who are worshiping him!

the catholic church does not change it's doctrine to suit people. If a priest molests a child, it is not ok. It's a sin. The doctrine doesn't change and say that its ok to molest other people. Even when there was a corrupt pope, the doctrine didn't change to say a pope could have a mistress or declare war. Those are both sins.

If you want to follow your own beliefs, do so. If a school wants to say it's Catholic, it needs to follow the tenets of the faith. All Notre Dame has to do is become a public school. No big deal. Adults may choose what school they attend. No one forces teens to go to Notre dame.

Does that mean that everyone who is invited to speak at Notre Dame or any Catholic school, needs to support the Church's teachings? So, if a speaker does not believe in transubstantiation, don't invite him? If a speaker does not believe in the Pope, don't invite him, if a speaker does not believe in the Virgin Mary, don't invite him? That leaves out quite a few people. Keep the Catholics insulated, that is how they thrive!

Madveteran, keep practicing and you will get there. God created us and gave us life and free choice was part of that gift. We blew it then and we have continued to blow it daily through the centuries. Because someone feels that God's design for us is unchangeable does not mean he condones the killing of babies, no more than any other act against God's laws. How these people act is their choice as set by God. We can only pray that respect for creation and the word would stop such acts as abortion, and the Church, including Catholics, should be more interested in guiding people to act with the love of Christ than forbidding them to make that choice. I do understand your attitude though as a veteran myself, I was often denied the opportunity to make a choice, and that could become a life style of not having to be self responsible, which is the easy way out.

Cathy Clark: how can someone not believe in the pope?? He's alive. He's a person. Not fictional. One may not agree with what he says, but how can one not believe he exists? Catholics insulated?? Since when?

What I mean by that is there are likely a few people who do not believe that God is speaking through the Pope; I think that is called the Protestant Reformation or something.

Precisely. This whole issue simply highlights the hypocrisy embedded here. This is not about religion or morality, but about politics and control. Is that why you go to church? Is that how you want your tithe dollars spent? If you are an American, you should understand that freedom of religion also means freedom FROM religion. Muslims can't impose their ideals on Catholics, and neither can impose their views on anyone else. These priests, who already have a highly skewed view on the real world have an agenda that is blind to actual morality and American values (apparently).

LEt us consider Canon Law and the fact that when priests speak honestly.. A good Catholic may disobey the Church and its dogma.. so long as the person truly believes her/she is not sinning ... the hook is.. if you are wrong on the issue then you face God (at least not a smug Jesuit or Holy Cross father etc.)..

Mary,

Ok, it's ok to pull a baby's head from the womb and suck it's brains out??? Is that what you advocate?

You can call yourself anything you want but you are NOT Roman Catholic. The church has made it clear that anyone who participates in, supports or campaigns for the hideous act of infant murder, abortion, automatically excommunicates themselves from the Church. Any priest who tells you different is in direct contradiction to his vows and should be dismissed from the priesthood! The fact that you "know many Catholics who are pro choice" merely shows that they are all in the state of mortal sin and will lose their souls unless they change their attitudes and ask forgiveness in confession. That group includes Pelosi, Biden, Kennedy, Leahy and all other so called Catholic politicians who promote abortion legislation.

Where charity and love prevail... hmmm. I would suggest a more careful study of your catechism. Perhaps 1/3 of all pregnancies terminate in the first trimester... As I don't think God is the biggest abortionist of all time, perhaps we need to understand the biology involved better. I certainly believe in the seamless web of life - but I think fetal life is not well understood enough to legislate or moralize about. A woman, her physician and her spiritual guide must do the best they can... certainly this is not advocating abortion. No one is trying to argue that this is a desirable thing to come about, but when a woman's life is in danger or a fetus is irreparably damaged?? The church's teaching has changed before in matters science - give it a little time - and in the meantime - perhaps less judgement is in order - the Gentle Christ is judge enough...

I agree Tamara, the issue is that the Bishop has not yet issued a command to the Rev. in question the Catholic Dioceses has actual command over the Priest as well as Rome and they can say stop immediately and he has to obey or risk Catholic decertification which in turn will imply loss of status, students, and of course money. It happen to St. Ignatious in Houston where they quickly returned to their Catholic Foundation once the process to boot them out of the Catholic System started.

I am also a grad and my heart is heavy for the graduates of 2009, since the focus will be on this controversy and not on all of the hard work they have put into getting their degrees. May 17th is suppose to be about the graduates not about the President like him or not.

you're insulting

He's not insulting anyone. Your ignorance of the facts, as well as the deeper philosophical issues, prevents you from understanding his comment.

Precisely John.

Precisely, Joanna.

Shelia amen to that just thinking I almost made my daughter go there sickens me I would have pulled her out in a flash. Gladly she convinced me to send her to another school that although secular has a heavy Catholic pro life presence on Campus.

What does any of this have to do with Catholics running the world?? Obama has managed to find plenty of "catholics" that agree with his culture of death.

Culture of death? I'm afraid that you're confused with Captain Torture and the Never-Ending Crusade (War) of Political Covenience (Bush, if you're obtuse).

Tarc,

I am sure that President Bush never advocated sucking the brains out of any preborn child....Do you know he did? I don't think so or were you just showing intellect?

No, he just didn't care about the children without health care we already have here... Also, not all religions or people for that matter agree about when a fetus has a human soul and human rights... What if the child lacks a brain? or a brain stem? What about spinal bifida? Really... STUDY... LEARN... THINK... PRAY... LISTEN... and not just to the bishops who sadly are the least informed about this issue. They haven't seriously looked at the biology involved since the 2nd Century arguments - never completely decided then mind you... Hmmm and they insisted the sun circled the earth too... How many were imprisoned, tortured and even sent to the stake over that little tid bit of science the bishops didn't like...

Your going back a few hundred years Camille, these are not the same priests during the Spanish Inquisition. Last I saw, the Catholic church today does alot to help the poor, as do many Christian denominations. Atrocities dont come with these kinds of people...atrocities come with evil...like terrorism and anarchy...

Notre Dame made a big mistake in making this controversial, if Obama speaks here, his adoring fans will take away from the graduates...

Personally, I think he just likes the PR

You don't have to go back hundreds of years you can go back to this morning Thurs., April 9, 2009.

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30134892/

DUBLIN - The Archbishop of Dublin said Thursday that an upcoming report on child sexual abuse involving Catholic priests will likely reveal that thousands of youngsters were abused from 1975 to 2004.

These priests need to be taking care of their own issues in their own house, not spending their time & money to protest a speaker they don't like at a college.

No Camille,

The lack of education does...You are a case in point..

Saying something and doing something are entirely 2 differnt things

And there are a billion catholics who also turned their heads. Where was the outrage? How could they allow these pedophiles to destroy these young children's lives? I hold them all responsible.

Thousands of boys? Hundreds of priests? When this ugliness was found out, the church banned these priests by outrage of the catholic faithful, and civil authorities prosecuted these sickos, and many of these boys were given large amounts of money in suit cases they won.

Stop Catholic bashing, for people who are followers of our "tolerant" president, you sure are anti-Catholic...not all Catholics are pedophiles, no more than all German's are Nazis or all white people are racist...

Obama should stop the controversy and bow out even though he has every right to speak ...I dont think he really needs this honorary degree...

I agree the issue of President Obama is nothing,but a smoke screen to rally the deep resentment that he prmotes in those unable to control others. His refusal to combine church and state is the root of the problem. They seem to have forgotten he taught Consitutional Law and unlike others he upholds it. Like it or not.

I agree the issue of President Obama is nothing, but a smoke screen to rally the deep resentment that he promotes in those who are unable to control others. His refusal to combine church and state is the root of the problem. They seem to have forgotten he taught constitutional law and unlike others he upholds it. Like it or not. Regarding priest their is no amount of money that can replace the pain, degradation, lost, disbelief and trust that is lost in the rape of a child by their supposed guide to the Lord. The Catholic Church paid money to silence the children and their families and made them sign gag orders protecting the church thereby the priest. So no if that is your best explanation you are out. This is not a pain that can be brought it doesn't go away, and many priest raped many children.

They did, and the church's leadership just covered them up and sent them off to other parishes so they could continue their reign of terror. What do you think happens to a child who is molested by a priest, told that if he tells anyone he will go to hell, and who spends the rest of his life wondering if he is gay? Suicide? Oftentimes. And the reason I hold all catholics accountable is because I never heard of a letter-writing campaign to the pope demanding the priests be allowed to marry. These are men with desires. They can't have affairs with adults because then they will be found out. So, they molest little children who they can brainwash with fear. Nice church! The reason that priests were not allowed to marry is so all their property would go back to the church. Everything about this church is about greed and money. Read about the history of your popes. Real nice group of guys. The fact that with population skyrocketing the pope still says no to birth control and then tries to tell people in Africa not to use condoms, they won't help, is evil in my opinion. Yeah, abstinence only for a country besieged by AIDS. Complete and utter ignorance. Yes, I am Catholic bashing.

You also let Bush come and speak even though he was the governor of a state that killed hundreds of people on death row -- some of whom were innocent. Isn't the pope also against the death penalty? Such hypocrisy! Such mindlessness by 1/6 of the world's population. Frightening! It's a cult.

Trip,

Are you on a trip? Where in any of these post does anyone say they intend to harm the President...You post lost all believability with that statement...

Being a proud and practicing Catholic support partial birth abortion,or do you just support the people who do...You can't have it both ways. Remember your soul is in jeopardy..

Thank you, TTard. You typed exactly what I was thinking.

You know that not everyone on the football team is a virgin, right?

Indeed we must be tolerant; dialogue should be engaged....but if you just want to honor a graduate by attending the ceremony I question if this is the proper venue. What should be a joyful experience is turning into a controversial joke.

You're right, all have the right to invite and speak; however it would be interesting to know the criteria for giving honorary degrees. I believe the error occurred when they chose to give him one; has Obama done anything (yet) that would merit this Catholic School's honor? One must also remember, private schools still reserve the right to choose (thankfully) their public speakers; our public schools choose to censor theirs.