Bishop Gaydos Takes A Stand!

Notre Dame Has Forgotten "It's Sacred
Trust in Proclaiming The Truth"

Bishop John Gaydos, Jefferson City Diocese, has jumped on board, proclaiming the truth about the Notre Dame scandal to his flock in a recent Catholic Missourian article. Read here for a condensed version from the May 8th article. Note my emphases were added.

My mind hearkened back to Cardinal Newman as I was thinking about the current impasse between Notre Dame University and the Most Reverend John M. D'Arcy, Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, which is the diocese in which Notre Dame is located.

The invitation on the part of the university asking President Obama to address the graduates at this year's commencement has raised serious questions about Notre Dame in particular and Catholic colleges and universities in general and their relationship to the wider Roman Catholic Church.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a document written in 2004 and titled, "Catholics in Political Life," states:

The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.

This directive seems to me to be in harmony with the vision set out by Cardinal Newman those many years ago.

Bishop D'Arcy has pointed out that by inviting the President to speak and giving him an honorary degree, Notre Dame is violating this directive, since the President has shown ample evidence of his opposition to the obligation of protecting defenseless human life.

Cardinal Newman reminds us that the university needs the Church and the Church needs the collaboration of the university. When, as in this case, the university forgets its sacred trust in proclaiming the truth, then it is up to the Church to hold the university accountable.

I am personally grateful for Bishop D'Arcy's pastoral vigor in handling this situation.

Let us pray for all of our Bishops to have the courage to defend life of the unborn and the teachings of the bride of Christ.

Be sure to thank the Most Reverend John R. Gaydos, by emailing him at info@diojeffcity.org or leave a message at 1-573-635-9127.

What are your thoughts?