Obama Notre Dame Speech: Cardinal George Rips Invitation As An 'Extreme Embarrassment' To Catholics (VIDEO)

UPDATE 4/3 Scroll Down To Watch Video Of George's Remarks

One of America's most prominent Catholics has joined the chorus slamming the University of Notre Dame for inviting President Obama to speak at the school's May 17 commencement.

Cardinal Francis George, the archbishop of Chicago, called Obama's planned appearance an "extreme embarrassment" to Catholics while speaking at a recent conference hosted by the archdiocese's Respect Life office in Rosemont, according to a video his remarks on lifesitenews.com.

"[T]he problem is in that you have a Catholic university - the flagship Catholic university - do something that brought extreme embarrassment to many, many people who are Catholic," George told the crowd. "So whatever else is clear, it is clear that Notre Dame didn't understand what it means to be Catholic when they issued this invitation."

Though Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush all spoke at Notre Dame graduation ceremonies and the school has an established tradition of having the current president speak at its commencement, extending the invitation to Obama, who is pro-choice and recently overturned the ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, has caused a fierce backlash among some Catholic groups.

At least 13 Bishops, including John D'Arcy, whose diocese includes Notre Dame, said they will boycott the ceremony, according to lifesitenews.com. Republican lawmakers who graduated from Notre Dame have also criticized Obama's appearance.

Notre Dame President the Rev. John Jenkins said that while the University disagrees with some of Obama's positions, it sees the commencement address as "a basis for further positive engagement." A school spokesman further supported Obama's appearance, telling the AP that he did not see any circumstances under which the school would rescind the invitation.

Cardinal George did not call on Notre Dame to disinvite Obama, but he urged Catholics "to do what you are supposed to be doing: to call, to email, to write letters, to express what's in your heart about this: the embarrassment, the difficulties."

Comments

[DctrWho]

Presidents and governors execute living people and send soldiers into battle to kill and be killed, but no politician forces any woman to have an abortion. If they did try to reenact legal barriers, women would still want and get abortions. The anti-abortion community seems to feel comfortable blaming those who facilitate abortion like doctors and politician because they haven't the guts to attack the source.

The hypocricy over this issue is mind boggling. Ronald Reagan and both George Bush's spoke at Notre Dame commencement ceremonies even though they sent soldiers into war. Where was the Catholic hierarchy's outrage?

[gisellestwocents]

AMEN!!

Psalm 139:16

[amcg50]

I think that it is the cardinal's Intolerance that is an embarassment

[suziek]

this is such a double standard. notre dame students had no problem having president bush speak at their college eve though he is for the death penalty which the catholic church opposes. i guess the right to life righteous anger is only for some aspects of catholic belief...

[thisoldbroad]

Jimmy Carter was pro-choice & he spoke there as well.

So is this really a sudden last gasp anti-abortion thing - or is he just the wrong color?

Shame on the zealots who display such a lack of spiritual learning for condemning this invitation. The last 8 years were a series of verbal attacks on other people's level of Christianity, like a perverse game of Whack-a-Mole. Every time someone questioned our government or the religious right, they were beat down with the "bible" used as a weapon. No more! instead of waiving their bibles around like a hammer, they should read them again. I think they missed something.

[LeftCoastLarry]

I'm Catholic and I have family who graduated from Notre Dame.
I am personally ashamed of Cardinal George for being so closed minded.
His attitude is misguided. He is wrong.

[MinnesotaNicer]

Sorry, the petition is at http://www.wesupportnotredame.org/

Many people, even Catholics, disagree with how the bishops are reacting to this.

[RODERICK098]

Why do you rarely hear the Catholic Church condemn child abuse. It is always abortion and homophobia but rarely do you hear condemnation of abuse of children

[MinnesotaNicer]

Not all people (even Cahotlics) agree with Cardinal George. There is a petition now circulating at www.wesuportnotredame.org to support the University's invitation to president Obama.

[pupbayer]

And they care what you think...because????

[naschkatze]

If President Obama were going to speak on the verboten topics of abortion, contraception, stem cell research, and homosexuality, I could see George's point, but he knows as well as anyone that President Obama is not going to do that. The President is committed to finding common ground with people of other view points, and his topic is going to reflect that.

[jwcmass]

Vey well put. Couldn't agree with you more.

[thisoldbroad]

Well said. Thank you.

[Paulofer]

I must admit I agree with cardinal George on his concerns on embarrassments to the catholic church when I read today that another catholic priest in UK admits abusing young boys - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/wear/7981250.stm - now, as far as Obama, there is no evidence that he has abused young boys, so I don't think he will cause any harm to the young boys at Notre Dame...

[Ma Ratl]

George told the crowd. "So whatever else is clear, it is clear that Notre Dame didn't understand what it means to be Catholic when they issued this invitation."

I understand what it means to be Catholic. You sit down.shut up and believe what ever the priests tell you to believe without any questions. It means to be so filled with guilt of anything you do that it takes years to get over that, their own brand of fire and brimstone. It takes fear of the priests and nuns, It takes having no understanding of what the bible teaches...only what the men in the hierarchy of the church over the years has decreed to be the teachings of Christ. Pfaw!! They wouldn't know Christ if they fell over him.

Thank God I left the "church" at age 18 and never looked back.

[billygore2000]

The Catholic "embarrassment" is our American hierarchy, as fashioned by John Paul II. There was a time when the U.S. had giants for bishops, and the occasional cardinal, who didn't toady up to the Vatican. It is urgent that American Catholics rediscover the original practice of electing the local bishop and tell Rome to buzz off.

[Spud777]

I am extremely embarrassed by the leaders of the Catholic Church.

[Stokes]

The walls of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy are surely crumbling. There realy is a God.

[turfkiller]

Unfortunately, their intent is to crumble the wall of separation that exists between Church and State in the U.S.

[Stokes]

They will not succeed, nor will the fanatic republican hierarchy. They are both on their way out.

[JustMe133]

Im catholic but Cardinal George needs to shut up! Im so tired of religion being included in politics! Everyone does not believe in the same things Card! Get over it and keep your focus on all those child molesters and all the money you had to pay out to hush it up!

[katekid]

Hey Cardinal Francis George.
In a phrase...
Eat me.

[HDR]

Careful, he might. The nerve of these hypocrites. Where was the orchestrated outrage during the scandals of the last 15 years or so? Did they boycott Bush after the illegal invasion of a forgein land? Did they boycott Reagan when his wife influenced his decisions on the consult of astrologers?

[jwcmass]

Never mind that --one of their own brother bishops and four American women (three sisters, one lay missionary) were murdered by death squads trained at a school operated by the army in the US (the School of the Americas) -- Where was their "embarrassment " then?

[harpen1]

Interesting the Cardinal had no problem with a president that lied us into a war that has killed thousands of people. That has left the country in shambles. forcing people to live in tents across the U.S., and okayed torture,( of course the church has it's own history with torture.)