More Thoughts on Notre Dame

I've been struggling to find the right words to complement Mark's excellent piece on the shameful event that took place at Notre Dame this past weekend -- an absolute travesty that places the final nail in the coffin of credibility for alleged Catholic Church leaders.


As a lifelong Catholic who is still smarting over the disgrace that was the clergy pedophilia scandal, Notre Dame's embrace of the most radical pro-abortion president ever to occupy the White House is simultaneously shocking and demoralizing. However, it's not the first time priests, nuns and lay people have gone astray, all in the name of "the poor."

It brings back vivid memories of Catholic school with its many contradictions: nuns and priests (rightfully) admonishing us that abortion is indeed murder and yet voting consistently for the pro-abortion Democrat in every local, state and national election; (correctly) informing us of the plight of the world's less fortunate, yet inexplicably condemning America rather than the despotic regimes that purposely starve and terrorize their own people; and wrongly chastizing "the rich" while at the same time cheerfully accepting the fruits of their hard-earned labor at the collection basket during weekly Mass.


I was a high school student for most of President Reagan's first term and can clearly remember a conversation I once overheard in the yearbook office between a young priest and a female lay teacher regarding the 1984 election. The two openly agonized over the choice between a "war monger" who was admittedly pro-life; and a good man who promoted nuclear disarmament (Mondale) yet stood in solidarity with groups like Planned Parenthood. "What's a good Catholic to do?" they sighed.

Here's a suggestion that applies both then and now: Get a freakin' clue!


In the name of "Catholic Social Justice" today's priests (with some notable exceptions, including Father Jonathan and Father Frank Pavone) will rationalize just about anything, including infanticide. Is it any wonder Obama garnered 54% of the Catholic vote in spite of his support of horrific legislation like the grossly misnamed Freedom of Choice Act, and his refusal to vote in favor of comfort care for defenseless babies who survive abortions?


Funny, none of these priests know at a practical level what it's like to have to make a mortage payment, buy their own groceries or balance a budget at the end of the month (kind of like the federal government). So I guess from their perspective, socialism is a good thing.


I beg to differ. As the saying goes, "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for life." Capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any other system in the world. Further, it is most in line with the God-given free will inherent in every individual, who has both the authority to make his/her own decisions and the obligation to also live with the consequences of his/her actions.


And while all of this may be true, it leads me back to the most basic right of all: the right to life. Planned Parenthood's founder, Margaret Sanger, was an avowed eugenicist who believed certain races and ethnicities (blacks, Jews, Italians) should be eliminated.


The fact that Mr. Obama is aligned closely with an organization that repeatedly refuses to report the rapes of minors to the proper authorities; neglects to inform women of the realities of abortion with the use of ultrasound technology; and enthuiastically provides abortions at all stages (including the 9th month of gestation) for any reason whatsoever, should preclude him from addressing graduates and accepting an honorary degree at any self-respecting Catholic university. That this travesty took place at Notre Dame, the citadel of Catholicism here in the United States, just adds insult to injury.


But as Mark noted earlier, priests, nuns and the go-along laiety will someday have to answer to a much Higher Authority. God have mercy!