Notre Dame President Defends Obama Invitation
Rev. John Jenkins argues that only Catholics are bound by the rules of Catholics in political life, not Protestants like President Obama.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The University of Notre Dame's selection of President Barack Obama as its commencement speaker follows the "letter and spirit" of a statement passed by U.S. bishops in 2004 and cited frequently by critics as a reason Obama should not have been invited, the school's president says.
In a letter to trustees, the Rev. John Jenkins said university officials believe the statement, known as "Catholics in Political Life," refers specifically to honoring Catholics whose actions are not in accord with the church's moral principles. Obama is Protestant.
"This interpretation was supported by canon lawyers we consulted, who advised us that, by definition, only Catholics who implicitly recognize the authority of Church teaching can act in 'defiance' of it," Jenkins wrote in the letter last week. "Moreover, fellow university presidents have told me that their bishops have told them that in fact it is only Catholic politicians who are referred to in this document."
The letter was obtained by the Web site LifeSiteNews.com, which posted the text of the letter. University spokesman Dennis Brown confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday the letter was written to trustee members by Jenkins as a "private correspondence."
Rev. John Jenkins argues that only Catholics are bound by the rules of Catholics in political life, not Protestants like President Obama.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The University of Notre Dame's selection of President Barack Obama as its commencement speaker follows the "letter and spirit" of a statement passed by U.S. bishops in 2004 and cited frequently by critics as a reason Obama should not have been invited, the school's president says.
In a letter to trustees, the Rev. John Jenkins said university officials believe the statement, known as "Catholics in Political Life," refers specifically to honoring Catholics whose actions are not in accord with the church's moral principles. Obama is Protestant.
"This interpretation was supported by canon lawyers we consulted, who advised us that, by definition, only Catholics who implicitly recognize the authority of Church teaching can act in 'defiance' of it," Jenkins wrote in the letter last week. "Moreover, fellow university presidents have told me that their bishops have told them that in fact it is only Catholic politicians who are referred to in this document."
The letter was obtained by the Web site LifeSiteNews.com, which posted the text of the letter. University spokesman Dennis Brown confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday the letter was written to trustee members by Jenkins as a "private correspondence."
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