OUR LADY

Yesterday, I was perusing the Catholic News Service website, and I came across the following article:

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0901839.htm.

First Impression: “My, how unfortunate and embarrassing that the Vatican rescinded an invitation to a Papal Audience. It looks like the Vatican goofed again.” Second Impression: “Oh my! The Vatican is modeling proper behavior and risking a little bad publicity in order to do the right thing.”

I don’t pretend to know all the intricacies of the politics involved with the invitation of this Palestinian mayor nor of the dis-invitation; but apparently the there were enough people in Israel who were upset by this invitation to cause the Vatican to rethink the wisdom of proceeding as if nothing was amiss. There are certain people and institutions whose actions influence the world in significant ways. Popes, presidents……institutions of higher learning….shape our world probably more than we know or wish to acknowledge.

Who should pay particular attention to this object lesson from Rome? Well, any of us to find it hard to admit that maybe we made a mistake and are afraid of looking like an idiot. Maybe anyone who is re-evaluating a decision made for they believed to be a good reason but has instead proved to be injurious to themselves and those around them. Possibly……THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME.

Here is the message to the leadership in South Bend: Man up! Admit your mistake. You have an anteroom full of angry Catholics (many of whom are bishops and archbishops) who are repulsed by your invitation of a man who is openly antagonistic to one of the most solidly held and uniformly taught doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church: the sanctity of life (yes, Nancy, this is true even in the Church in America). And not only that, you are conferring upon this man, who has yet to prove that he is capable of doing anything of substance other than writing a couple of “hey look at me….aren’t I impressive” autobiographies and recycling the decayed philosophies of Marx and Guevara, an honorary degree.
Rescinding the invitation of a sitting President would undoubtedly be embarrassing. The top leadership of the University should probably think long and hard about their futures. But, when the issue is as important as the preservation of the life of the unborn or of those at the end of their life; then a little egg on the face should be tolerable.