Mary Ann Glendon, Former Vatican Ambassador, Rejects Notre Dame Award Over Obama Flap

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican said Monday she won't accept the University of Notre Dame's top honor at commencement next month because of the Roman Catholic school's decision to have President Barack Obama speak to graduates.

Harvard University law professor and anti-abortion scholar Mary Ann Glendon said in a letter to the school president that giving Obama an honorary degree violates the U.S. bishops' 2004 statement that Catholic institutions shouldn't honor people whose actions conflict with the church's moral principles.

"That request, which in no way seeks to control or interfere with an institution's freedom to invite and engage in serious debate with whomever it wishes, seems to me so reasonable that I am at a loss to understand why a Catholic university should disrespect it," she wrote in the letter to the Rev. John Jenkins.

The letter posted on the Web site of the conservative journal First Things.

Glendon was ambassador to the Vatican in the final year of President George W. Bush's administration. She was to receive the school's Laetare (Luh-TAR'-eh) Medal.

Dozens of bishops have criticized the Obama invitation because of his support for abortion rights and embryonic stem-cell research.

Jenkins issued a statement Monday saying the university was "disappointed that Professor Glendon has made this decision."

"It is our intention to award the Laetare Medal to another deserving recipient, and we will make that announcement as soon as possible," he said.

At the White House, Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters the president looks forward to giving the commencement address May 17. He also said Notre Dame has a history of vigorous discussion and looks forward to visiting.

University spokesman Dennis Brown said he did not know of anyone else who had agreed to accept the award but then declined it.

The Laetare Medal, which the university describes as the most prestigious honor for American Catholics, has been awarded annually since 1883 to a Catholic "whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the church and enriched the heritage of humanity."

Previous winners have included President John F. Kennedy, anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean, actor-activist Martin Sheen and jazz musician Dave Brubeck.

A message was left for Glendon at her Harvard office. She said in the letter to Jenkins she planned no further comment.

Comments

[AhnAmuru]

I wonder what her position is on divorce and the catholic shurch's refusal to ordain women priests.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/03/10/harvard_law_professor_named_to_vatican_post/

[Moxo]

So let me get this straight: According to Catholics abortion is a sin but TORTURE is not?

Why hasn't Notre Dame apologised for inviting GW Bush there is 2001?

http://everything2.com/title/President%2520George%2520W.%2520Bush%2520to%2520the%2520Notre%2520Dame%2520Class%2520of%25202001

[ciscoguy]

First of all, unlike embryology and the science behind when human life begins, there is actually gray area with what is torture and what isn't. What you consider "torture" (presumably waterboarding) is "advanced interrogation" to others, so let's get that straight.

Second, let’s talk numbers: there have been almost 50 million abortions since 1973, all resulting in the termination of life. We waterboarded 3 guys, 2 of which were masterminds behind the 9/11 attacks and who, through waterboarding, evidently gave up info that helped prevent another 9/11 on the LA Library Tower (BHO has yet to release THOSE memos). None of the 3 lost their lives while being waterboarded (or even sustained any permanent physical problems), but likely supplied information that prevented further loss of innocent life.

You guys are hypocrites. The same people calling for indictments are the same people who would be calling for another 9/11 commission for attacks we allowed to happen because we refused to make a terrorist uncomfortable in order to extract life-saving information. And, please spare me the twisted liberal-logic that fine meals and a nice bed will make a terrorist more willing to talk…or that terrorist attacks weren’t actually happening before anyone ever knew what waterboarding was (USS Cole, 93 WTC bombing, OK City bombing, 9/11). Your president hasn’t changed anything – he’s just outsourcing interrogation to other countries – countries who probably consider our advanced interrogation techniques wimpy, by comparison.

[VMA]

Wow, Just Wow and not in a good way.

[Crissy Patters]

I could and would understand this outraged if the Catholic Church lived up to its supposed principles.

"Harvard University law professor and anti-abortion scholar Mary Ann Glendon said in a letter to the school president that giving Obama an honorary degree violates the U.S. bishops' 2004 statement that Catholic institutions shouldn't honor people whose actions conflict with the church's moral principles­." When I hear the word or think of the Cathlic Church, I think of pedophiles, child molesters, rapists and gay men who use the church as a place to do their dirty deeds.

If I found former letters with the former Ambassador's outraged at the rapes that have been committed on children for centuries, I'd understand and agree with her outrage, sorry I don't care about the outrage.

[VMA]

And you shouldn't care about the outrage. When they get outraged about priests that are pedophiles, gay men who use the church do do their dirty deeds, etc., then you would have cause to care and think they are being anything other than hypocritical.

It amazes me how people take one or two issue and make it the only moral issue on the books that matter. Abortion, embryotic stem cells, they get crazy about, but they don't seem to care about the thousands of children that have died in Iraq from a useless war, they don't appear to care about the use of the death penalty...­if they did they'd have been outraged enough to reject others that have been invited to speak at Notre Dame.

[CathleenWithaC]

As a Notre Dame graduate, I have never felt our school paid lip service to intellectual discourse when it conflicted with traditionally Catholic points of view. While the ND Family welcomes debate on the political issue at hand, to have individuals and organizations use this as an opportunity to display their political agenda does a great disservice to the University. It associates the ND name with a closed-mindedness that is disheartening not only to alumni of all political bents, but also to prospective students.
It would certainly be an honor to any institution to have the sitting President as a speaker. Respect is a quality that I believe in and am always disappointed when it is not accorded. Do not let those who would divide us by hate succeed in dishonoring the office of President. The fact that Notre Dame invited President Obama to be the commencement speaker makes me proud to be an alum. The uproar and outrage displayed by some students and alumni makes me embarrassed and ashamed to be an alum.

[jdt67]

Hypocrite! She had no problem with President Bush when Notre Dame allowed him to speak at commencement even though the Catholic Church has been very outspoken in its support of ending the death penalty. A governor of Texas, President Bush oversaw more than 150 executions; how many people has President Obama killed? And don't give me that abortion crap. President Obama isn't requiring women to get abortions.

I'm glad to see Notre Dame isn't backing down. I just hope they have the fortitude to stick with it.

[ciscoguy]

More lives have been taken in US abortion clinics today than there have been criminal executions in this nation's history. But, you see it fit to draw comparisons between the extermination of 50 million innocents versus a handful of convicted killers. I don't approve of the latter, but it is clear you are trying to make incongruous moral comparisons to prop up your weak political position.

Women aren't required to get abortions? People weren't required to own slaves, either.

[ranchero42]

On the plus side, this one won't take her arsenal and go rampaging through the streets. Seriously, she won't do that? Anybody?

[Christopher McNally]

Is Ambassador Glendon principled? She references the USCCB statement that Catholic institutions “should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles” and that such persons “should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” Shouldn't we apply that standard to Ambassador Glendon, the Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Law School?

By accepting the Learned Hand professorship, she honors its namesake. Judge Hand, an eminent jurist, was also a supporter of legalized abortion. In 1959 he served as a member of the American Law Institute and voted for legalization of abortion in the Model Penal Code. Judge Hand also wrote the opinion in US v. One Package, overturning a federal ban on the importation of contraceptives. His daugher, Frances Hand Ferguson, was President of Planned Parenthood and a board member of the American Eugenics Society.

I applaud people who stand by their principles, but in order to be credible, they must be consistent. If Ambassador Glendon practiced what she preaches, she would resign her professorship.

[ciscoguy]

Forgive me for not knowing much about the Learned Hand Professorship, but I would suspect that it doesn't have anything specifically to do with abortion - other than that the namesake for which came from a prominent pro-abortion supporter.

In an (perhaps poor) example, I don't know how many troops who opposed the Iraq War would refuse a Purple Heart or Silver Star simply because they hated GWB or thought it was wrong to be there in the first place. And, at least in that instance, it is the very scenario which presented them the opportunity to obtain that award is exactly what they had the problem with. I'm not even sure there's that direct correlation with Ms. Glendon's acceptance of the Learned Hand Professorship Award.

Whatever the case, look at this example: Notre Dame broke with the Church and the 2004 USCCB's decision not to "honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles", which is exactly what is happening by the presentation of an honorary law degree to BHO. The ostensible retort from the school administration became, "don't worry - we're still having an ardent pro-live advocate to balance it out".

When it became clear to Glendon that she was being used by the school administration for defending their poor choice, and she decided the award wasn't worth it. I, for one, applaud her in her decision.

[VMA]

I applaud her in her decision to not take the award because it's her right to do and say anyghing she wants to within the confines of law...I just think it's hypocritical.

Sorry, I agree with McNally and his logic. Your're right your example using the purple heart analogy was poor.

You said, "Notre Dame broke with the Church and the 2004 USCCB's decision not to "honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles", which is exactly what is happening by the presentation of an honorary law degree to BHO." My question is, is he the first person that they've allowed to present or gave an honorable degree to that fits this category? If not, once again it's hypocritical.