The absence of Bishop D'Arcy from Notre Dame's Commencement ceremonies will send a clear message to the university's defiant president but I think a stronger one should be sent as a follow-up to today's announcement. After all, any student could opt out of the ceremony (I think he should), as could a parent or an alumni, as a form of protest. In a circumstance such as this, a bishop, as a leader, needs to do more than simply recuse himself from an execrable situation. D'Arcy's firm statement of intent is an okay start but this step should only be Phase One. Fr. Jenkins' poorly reasoned, transparent riposte to his detractors should erase any doubt that this episode, as he sees it, is about securing Notre Dame's worldly prestige and not at all about sticking to Catholic principles.
Question: So long as the university insists on marching forward with the Obama recognition, could the Commencement Mass be cancelled by decree of the bishop? The combination of a solemn Mass, followed shortly thereafter by the Obama blue ribbon spectacle would be outrageous. Putting the kibosh on any possibility of a graduation liturgy at Notre Dame might épater Fr. Jenkins et al. into revoking the poorly conceived invitation.
In any event, it will be interesting to see what the US ambassador to the Holy See, Professor Mary Ann Glendon, a fierce defender of life, will say or do in the coming months regarding her selection for recognition at the same ceremony. And Archbishop Raymond L. Burke's forceful admonishments, given in an interview to the National Press Club (to be made public tomorrow), will no doubt place increased pressure on the episcopal potentates here in the US.
No comments:
Post a Comment