Obama @ Notre Dame?

President Obama was invited to the University of Notre Dame on May 17, to give a commencement speech and receive an honorary doctor of law degree. When this news reached Notre Dame Students and the rest of the nation, it caused great controversy. The University of Notre Dame has been a Catholic institution since it was founded by Father Edward Sorin in 1842. President Obama does not agree with the Catholic Church on some of the main principles that the Catholic Church teaches. President Obama supports abortion rights and he supports embryonic stem cell research. He just recently lifted a ban on federal financing for both of these issues. There has been a debate in the United States on whether or not Catholic Universities should honor someone who does not follow everything the Catholic Church believes in. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said, “That Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles.” More then 210,000 people signed a petition online supporting for the invitation for President Obama to speak at graduation to be revoked. Professors on campus hope President Obama uses the visit to Notre Dame as a way to open up more dialogue about these life issues.
I do not think President Obama should have been invited to speak at the University of Notre Dame. I would be upset if I was a student at Notre Dame because President Obama believes in abortion and embryonic cell research, which are both opposed by the Catholic Church. Students who go to Notre Dame pay lots of money to get an education that is also affiliated with their Catholic religious views. I believe Notre Dame could have picked someone to speak at graduation that openly supports the fundamental morals of the Catholic Church.

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/obama-visit-to-notre-dame-provokes-debate/