Three U.S. bishops revisit Obama honor at ND

[demosincebirth]

September 7, 2009 • VOL. 47, NO. 15 • Oakland, CA

By Nancy Frazier O’Brien
Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) — In two national Catholic publications, two U.S. archbishops and a bishop are revisiting the controversy over the honorary degree conferred on President Barack Obama by the University of Notre Dame.

Retired Archbishop John R. Quinn of San Francisco and Bishop John M. D’Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind., the diocese in which Notre Dame is located, wrote separate articles about the matter for the Aug. 31-Sept. 7 issue of America magazine.

Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan of Santa Fe, N.M., talked about the controversy and how it was handled at a June meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in an Aug. 12 interview with National Catholic Reporter, published in the newspaper’s Aug. 26 edition.

Opposing views
Archbishop Quinn said he felt the U.S. bishops’ response to the controversy “communicated several false and unintended messages” to the U.S. public, while Bishop D’Arcy said his refusal to attend the commencement ceremonies at which Obama was honored arose from his responsibility to see that Catholic universities “give public witness to the fullness of Catholic faith.”


more: http://catholicvoiceoakland.org/2009/09-07/inthisissue17.htm