U of Notre Dame Continues Hellward

Sick and sad. To what circle of the inferno has this brought the University of Notre Dame?

The week includes a screening of the film Prayers for Bobby, which portrays Mary Griffith, a faithful Christian mother who seeks spiritual healing for her homosexual son, as the cause of her son's suicide. According to a review at ReligionDispatches.org, the film biography ignores the real-life Bobby's drug use and "stint as a gay prostitute." The real Mary Griffith has renounced her faith and champions homosexual rights, including same-sex "marriage."

But it must be the fault of religion. Prostitutes and drug users hardly ever commit suicide until a religious person gets involved.

The piece goes on to report ND's participation in the "National Day of Silence" on April 17 which is to protest the so-called persecution of gays and other manifestations of "hate", i.e., Catholic teaching.

Notre Dame also will participate in the national "Day of Silence" on April 17, an event to oppose harassment of homosexual students in schools. Despite the worthy goal, the national event is used by the sponsoring Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network to promote school curricula that equate "sexual identity" with racial and ethnic differences, without clarification about the moral and health consequences of homosexual activity.

The announced agenda for the week indicates no effort to teach students about Catholic teaching on homosexual activity as gravely sinful.

Ironically, April 17 is the one-year anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI's address to Catholic educators in Washington, D.C., during which he called Catholic colleges and universities to a stronger Catholic identity.

I'll leave you with a blast of fresh air from the Pope's address.

"We observe today a timidity in the face of the category of the good and an aimless pursuit of novelty parading as the realization of freedom," Pope Benedict said. He continued, "Particularly disturbing, is the reduction of the precious and delicate area of education in sexuality to management of 'risk,' bereft of any reference to the beauty of conjugal love."

Preach it, Big Guy.

Jeff Miller nails what stinks about the Notre Dame protester arrests

In a plea to Notre Dame to drop the charges against those protesting the honoring of pro-abortion President Obama at a Catholic University, Jeff Miller elucidates the primary incongruity about the arrests.

What gets me about the arrest of the pro-lifers is a couple of things. One Fr. Jenkins decided he could give his own interpretation on what the Bishops said regarding honoring pro-abortion politicians. He has not followed the provisions in Church documents such as Ex Corde Ecclesiae, Yet when it comes to a Notre Dame law in regards to protests - that is hard and fast dogma with no mercy or change possible. Dialog is so much talked about, but making allowances for pro-lifers to peacefully protest is another story. The way that these protesters were treated is sad beyond belief. Handcuffing a elderly priest for the crime of protesting what 80 some bishops said should never have allowed is a sad indictment. Really what should have happened is that the protests should have been given permission in the first place.

I really can't put this any better. The incident demonstrates a strict adherence to "laws of men" alongside a calculated laxity with regard to those in the church with teaching authority, and that's putting Fr. Jenkins's contortions in the best light possible. It's more likely that Jenkins is being a typical liberal which implies any of his liberality is selectively applied. It's also extremely stupid on Jenkins's part. People are going to remember the maltreatment of an octagenarian priest long after they've forgotten the President's why-can't-we-all-get-along speech.