Sincere apologies for the absence of a Weekend Hotline last week. It was one of those weeks during which we were all running around, going to conferences, doing radio shows and generally getting so caught up in pro life activism that we simply failed to provide a message for our callers. And believe me. We heard about it. I’m glad we have such loyal Hotline supporters.
Fighting
One thing that has been keeping us very busy is the abomination whirling about the University of Notre Dame with the invitation to the abortion supporter, President Barack Obama, not only to deliver the commencement address on campus Sunday, May 17, but to receive an honorary law degree.
This is the same Obama who has so far promised Planned Parenthood that he will sign the Freedom of Choice Act when it comes to his desk, has reinstated tax funding of abortions in foreign countries, has okayed spending of tax dollars to do experiments on life human beings in the early stages of their lives as embryonic stem cells, and is toying with getting rid of conscience clauses for health care workers so that they would be required to perform abortions or refer for abortions and other unconscionable involvement in moral evil.
Just reading all the articles, columns watching the talk show hosts and doing interviews has kept us super-busy. The bottom line is that Fr. John I. Jenkins, Holy Cross president of Notre Dame, in inviting Obama to be the graduation honoree on Our Lady’s Campus is a slap in the face of everyone who ever attended Notre Dame or worked for the premier Catholic University in the United States; a slap in the face of the Holy Father who has condemned the honoring of pro-abortionists and the Cardinals and Bishops who have put into writing that those who disagree diametrically with Catholic Moral principles should not be honored by any Catholic institutions or organizations.
No matter how you cut it, this invitation is counter to the USCCB’s statement, “Catholics in Political Life,” which states clearly: “Catholic Institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms that suggest support of their actions.”
While some muddled thinking from writers like the Washington Post’s Thomas Reese, the Chicago Sun-Times’ Carol Marin, Richard Roeper and Neil Steinberg and Chicago Tribune writer and former Notre Dame law professor, Doug Kmiec-none of whom understand basic Catholic Morality and why inviting a militant pro-abort to be honored on a Catholic Campus is a grievous and hostile act-others of us are offended enough to make plans to get this invitation withdrawn or at least make a few waves that will remain a part of Notre Dame lore for years to come-and perhaps even kick-start the return of Notre Dame to true Catholicity. That’s our hope, at least.
Eric Scheidler Honored With Award
In other news, Eric Scheidler, Communications director for the Pro-Life Action League, was honored Sunday with the annual “Caritas Award’ by Project Love at the Rise and Dine Breakfast at the Naperville Country Club. Project Love is based in Downers Grove, IL and provides financial aid to pregnant women and new mothers in need. In the past 13 years they have given out over 700 grants.
Eric spoke on his role as a pro-life activist almost from birth, and the fact that pro-life is alive and well and especially active in the northeast corner of Illinois since Planned Parenthood opened the largest abortion mill in the nation in Aurora, IL nearly two years ago, and is now in court fighting charges of fraud-for using false information in getting a permit to operate an abortion mill.
