Notre Dame

[True-believer]

My Day at Notre Dame

May 18, 2009

Dear Friends,

Sunday was a great day for Priests for Life at Notre Dame. At the same time that the President spoke and was honored by the University, I was speaking to and honoring the seniors who refused to attend their commencement ceremony, and instead invited me to lead them in the "Class of 2009 Vigil for Life."

My reflections on the day are below, and we are preparing audio and video clips to post on our website.

The students are asking that you continue praying rosaries of reparation. You can show solidarity with these students by signing up for your prayer pledge at www.PrayerCampaign.org.

Also, did you hear about the Gallup poll showing more Americans than ever (and more than half) saying they are pro-life? See more details at www.priestsforlife.org/statistics. The ongoing daily prayer campaign that many of you carry out with us is part of the reason for this. Prayer really does work! Please keep it up, and thanks for all your support of Priests for Life.

Fr. Frank Pavone

National Director, Priests for Life

My Day at Notre Dame

Fr. Frank Pavone

National Director, Priests for Life

There was an eerie stillness and silence across the Notre Dame campus as my colleagues, a few of the seniors and I walked across the campus very early on the morning of Commencement Day. It was the calm before the storm of what we knew was an historic day.

I started with a national Foxnews interview along with Fr. Richard McBrien. We were asked our views of the Commencement. My message was: Everyone can imagine people they would protest speaking at a commencement: an avowed racist, anti-Semite, or advocate of terrorism. So the failure to object to one who is unwilling to call for an end to abortion is the failure to see that abortion is as bad or worse than those other evils. We have to stop trivializing abortion.

Moreover, the university gave the President an honorary law degree. Law exists to protect human rights; but this president has admitted that he doesn't know when a child receives human rights. How can he defend human rights when he doesn't know who has them?

After speaking to various media, I greeted people on campus who were coming from all over the country to stand with the courageous students who boycotted their own commencement and invited me to lead them in an alternate ceremony.

After I greeted and blessed the demonstrators who were at the campus entrance, and concelebrated a special Mass for Life, I led the Class of 2009 Vigil for Life. We meditated on the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, on the victory of life over death, and on the fact that Jesus is King over every nation, over the courts, the Congress, and the White House. As I gave the students and their families reflections on these truths, the current occupant of the White House was calling the graduates to have "open minds, open hearts" and a spirit of dialogue.

Now dialogue with our opponents on this issue is something we at Priests for Life specialize in. I maintain friendships with abortion advocates and practicing abortionists. The clarity of our own convictions never means we despise, demonize, or shut out other people. And yes, we are willing to collaborate with others in morally legitimate ways to reduce the numbers of abortions.

But the President's remarks had a glaring omission. While willing to dialogue and to promote adoption, he gave no indication of any willingness to protect the children in the womb. And that's the crux of the issue. In his remarks, he referred to the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision that outlawed segregation. Certainly, his call for open minds does not include openness to reconsider the segregation issue. There's a right answer to it, period.

So it is with the protection of the unborn. And as quiet again descended on campus at the end of the day, I reflected... Open minds, yes, but for the purpose of eventually firmly closing upon the truth! And isn't that supposed to be the purpose of Catholic universities?

Fr. Frank's columns are podcast, see www.priestsforlife.org/podcast

Find this column online at www.priestsforlife.org/columns/columns2009/09-05-18-notre-dame.htm

Praise for our Work

Fr. Pavone: Thank you so much for this message and for your commitment to life. And for making a place where post-abortive women can be accepted into the church and have a place to contribute...--Patricia.

[guibox]

This whole thing was blown out of proportion and a waste of time. So what if the President's personal views are different? Was he speaking about abortion or free choice at the commencement? Do we start to boycott everybody because their beliefs differ from our own? Are we endorsing a person's beliefs on a specific subject when we allow them a platform on something completely unrelated

So should I stop a person from speaking at my Adventist school's commencement program if they do not believe in the state of the dead, the sanctuary and the Sabbath?

Perhaps we then need to scrutinize their personal life too to make sure there are no sins that we disagree with.

Notre Dame needs to get a life.

[jlbyrd]

My feelings exactly.

[Woody]

This whole thing was blown out of proportion and a waste of time. So what if the President's personal views are different? Was he speaking about abortion or free choice at the commencement? Do we start to boycott everybody because their beliefs differ from our own? Are we endorsing a person's beliefs on a specific subject when we allow them a platform on something completely unrelated

So should I stop a person from speaking at my Adventist school's commencement program if they do not believe in the state of the dead, the sanctuary and the Sabbath?

Perhaps we then need to scrutinize their personal life too to make sure there are no sins that we disagree with.

Notre Dame needs to get a life.

Good Comment Guibox

[Jeannieb43]

This whole thing was blown out of proportion and a waste of time. So what if the President's personal views are different? Was he speaking about abortion or free choice at the commencement? Do we start to boycott everybody because their beliefs differ from our own? Are we endorsing a person's beliefs on a specific subject when we allow them a platform on something completely unrelated

So should I stop a person from speaking at my Adventist school's commencement program if they do not believe in the state of the dead, the sanctuary and the Sabbath?

Perhaps we then need to scrutinize their personal life too to make sure there are no sins that we disagree with.

Notre Dame needs to get a life.

Agreed.

[bonnie]

Quote:

This whole thing was blown out of proportion and a waste of time. So what if the President's personal views are different? Was he speaking about abortion or free choice at the commencement? Do we start to boycott everybody because their beliefs differ from our own? Are we endorsing a person's beliefs on a specific subject when we allow them a platform on something completely unrelated

So should I stop a person from speaking at my Adventist school's commencement program if they do not believe in the state of the dead, the sanctuary and the Sabbath?

Perhaps we then need to scrutinize their personal life too to make sure there are no sins that we disagree with.

Notre Dame needs to get a life.

I wonder how we would feel if the GC asked a person that actively spoke against and worked towards abolishing the sabbath to be guest speaker.Catholics would probably see that as narrow minded and not of great importance as well

Abortion is a very real issue within the catholic denomination. I don't think it is the matter of getting a life but rather the prevention of what they consider taking a life.

How is it that so many non catholics know what they should have done?

[Woody]

I don't think that Obama was going there to speak about abortion.

And if a non-SDA were to come and speak to us ... I doubt it would be about the Sabbath.

We have much to learn from non-SDA preachers. But the Sabbath issue is not one of them.

[bonnie]

I don't think that Obama was going there to speak about abortion.

And if a non-SDA were to come and speak to us ... I doubt it would be about the Sabbath.

We have much to learn from non-SDA preachers. But the Sabbath issue is not one of them.

I didn't think that he planned on speaking on abortion. Nor did I mean the example as if he were to come speak on the sabbath.

As active as he has been on the abortion issue it doesn't seem all that strange that there would be those that object.

If he as president were to work that actively against the sabbath and vote for laws that would harm us,I don't think I would care much for the decision to have him speak.

Some of us actually think that will happen someday by a president.

No one is denying that there are many,many christian non-SDA pastors.And that there would be many worthwhile lessons from them.

It does seem more and more that if there is someone that voices a strong conviction,they better be pretty close to perfect. The only conviction that I see is considered wrong is to have a conviction.

I guess I just don't get why the actions off some Catholics concerning the matter of abortion and how seriously some do view that is so surprising.

I would guess some probably think we are pretty nutty to consider the sabbath

[Derrell M]

My, my, my... see? I knew it. Ya'll are a buncha church-infiltratin', government-takin-over, Adventist torturin', Papist luvin' Jesuits!

[bonnie]

My, my, my... see? I knew it. Ya'll are a buncha church-infiltratin', government-takin-over, Adventist torturin', Papist luvin' Jesuits!

This has what to do with papist luvin Jesuits?

Sorry if you are offended that I happen to believe some day we will face some difficult times at the hands of government and others.

Or that a conviction of that nature is seen as a call by you to ridicule.

You are entitled to your belief