Full voice mail and 270 signatures an hour

Happy Monday to officials at the University of Notre Dame!

The organized opposition to the university’s announcement last Friday that President Barack Obama would speak and receive an honorary degree at commencement May 17 is filling the voice mail message boxes of all the school’s top officials and shows no sign of abating. The American Papist blog reports that the messages boxes of the university’s president, vice president, provost, assistant provost and public relations director were all full and refusing to take any more messages by the end of the day Friday.

An online petition asking the university’s president to rescind the invitation is receiving 270 signatures an hour, according to its co-sponsors, the Cardinal Newman Society and CatholicVote.org.

The National Review Online organized a symposium today on the topic: ”A moral exemplar? Should the University of Notre Dame honor our most anti-life president?” and got contributions from George Weigel, Jesuit Father James Schall and others. Catholic newspapers, including the National Catholic Register and National Catholic Reporter, are contributing to the debate as well. Comments were still coming in today on our blog as well.

Notre Dame has not yet issued an official response to the protest, but Holy Cross Father John Jenkins, the university president, talked about it with a reporter from The Observer student newspaper yesterday.

President Obama to address Domer grads

The White House announced this afternoon that President Obama will address the University of Notre Dame’s graduating class May 17.

It will be one of three graduation ceremonies the president will attend, starting with Arizona State University May 13 and rounding out the trio May 22 at the U.S. Naval Academy.

As Notre Dame’s press release notes, Obama will be the sixth U.S. president to address a graduating class there.

UPDATE: It didn’t take long for someone to question the Notre Dame invitation to Obama. The National Catholic Register headlined its blog item on the move “Notre Dame Honors Obama” and quoted from the U.S. bishops’ document which says that “Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles.”

NZ Catholic: ‘Pope thwarts US Catholic population’

In an interesting editorial from the staff of the NZ Catholic, New Zealand’s national Catholic newspaper, readers get a taste of the country’s perspective on Pope Benedict XVI’s meeting  last month with U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives.

Remember that Pelosi, a pro-choice Catholic, fueled quite the controversy when she told Tom Brokaw on “Meet the Press” that for centuries the church  had not been able to agree on when life begins. 

Referring to the unique no-photos policy of the pope-Pelosi meeting, the editorial said the reason for the “snub” was obvious.  That was the pope’s way of saying, “I know what you said.”

Double standard at the Vatican?

VATICAN CITY — Following up on Paul Haring’s post below and the comments in response, it was in fact striking to compare the Vatican’s very different treatment this past week of two political leaders who support legal abortion: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

If the Vatican statements reflect the content of their papal audiences, Pelosi received a sharply worded lesson on the pro-life responsibilities of legislators. Brown (who last year helped defeat legislation that would have cut the upper time-limit of abortion from 24 to 22 weeks of life) explored in “cordial conversations” with the pontiff practically every other issue under the sun: the economic crisis, the Middle East, global poverty, the environment, etc.

As Wally Watson suggests in his comment to Paul’s post, one key was the fact that Pelosi is Catholic; Brown is not. That said, Italy is full of Catholic legislators who support legal abortion but have escaped a dressing-down by the pope — in fact, some of them have received Communion at papal Masses.

The real reason Pelosi got such a cool reception at the Vatican was that she challenged the church’s teaching publicly during last year’s election campaign, and even suggested that church leaders could not agree on when human life begins. Several U.S. bishops rushed to correct her and invited her to review her thinking.

Unlike many U.S. Catholic debates, this one registered at the Vatican. So when Pelosi came seeking a papal audience, Vatican officials felt the issue was being laid at its doorstep. Thus the strongly worded statement, which not only gave strong backing to U.S. bishops, but highlighted a position that’s been refined and underlined by the Vatican in recent years: that on issues like abortion, Catholic legislators cannot check their faith at the door.

CNS columnists urge attention to abortion issue

Few people — except editors at our client publications — know that Catholic News Service has a fairly robust columns package. You may even have read some of our columnists in your local Catholic newspaper and not known where they came from.

Theresa Bock prepares to ship boxes of pro-life literature and postcards at the office of the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment in Washington Jan. 26. Staff in the office were shipping boxes of literature and postcards to dioceses and others as part of a national campaign against the Freedom of Choice Act. (CNS/Paul Haring)

With the change in administrations here in Washington, several of the columnists have been writing about the need for Catholics to remind President Obama that they don’t agree with his position on abortion.

For instance, one columnist, Tony Magliano, who writes on social justice issues, reported on this year’s March for Life in Washington but also recalled how Obama noted the anniversary:

On Jan. 22, President Barack Obama issued a very disheartening pro-abortion statement which read in part that government “should not intrude on our most private family matters.”

However, government does intervene in private family matters when it detects child abuse. Yet, it illogically and immorally refuses to protect unborn children against the most brutal form of child abuse: abortion.

Adding insult to injury, on Jan. 23 Obama reversed the ban on federal funds to organizations that promote abortion in developing countries. Now millions of tax dollars will be available to groups like the International Planned Parenthood Federation to help them perform their deadly deeds.

But worst of all, Obama has made it clear that he hopes to sign the Freedom of Choice Act. If it becomes law, FOCA would overturn virtually every federal and state limitation on abortion.

He went on to say that participating in the U.S. bishops’  current postcard campaign to oppose FOCA would be a good place for Catholics to start.

Another of our columnists, Stephen Kent, also devotes his column this week to abortion and the new administration:

It is more important than ever that the case for the culture of life be based on the firm belief in the dignity of the human person.

Politicians can count. Postelection polls said 54 percent of the Catholic electorate voted for Obama.

“Many Catholics voted for Obama despite his position on abortion, and they have an obligation to say ‘this is not why I voted for you,’ said Richard Doerflinger of the bishops’ pro-life office. One way to tell him is through a postcard.

Kent too points to the postcard campaign as a way to remind politicians that the first priority of Catholic teaching is the dignity of the human person.

Magliano also wrote a column for early December saying that many of the president-elect’s positions “reflect Catholic social doctrine and deserve our support.” But he also called Obama’s abortion position “very troubling” and urged readers to let him know their opposition to the Freedom of Choice Act. He concluded:

Now is the best time to help President-elect Obama understand the moral concerns of America’s Catholic community!

Pro-life messages get more visible

Angelina Esteban, a parishioner at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Church in Royal Oaks, Mich., holds a sign during the March for Life rally on the National Mall Jan. 22 in Washington. (CNS/Bob Roller)

People across the country marked the 36th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision legalizing abortion with speeches, prayers, rallies and marches. Others took their message to the all-popular medium of advertisement. Newspapers in Washington ran an advertisement urging people to support programs to help pregnant women and new mothers. Project Rachel, a program which provides post-abortion counseling, ran an advertisement on Washington’s Metro subway trains.

And in Chicago, a 30-second television ad ran not on the Jan. 22 anniversary but on Inauguration Day, tying a not so subtle pro-life message to the new president. The ad, sponsored by the group Catholicvote.org, displays an ultrasound of a baby and text which refers to a child who will be abandoned by his father and raised by a single mother but will become the first African-American president. Then it shows an image of President Obama along with the words: “Life: Imagine the Potential.”

Reversal of Mexico City policy off the table for anniversary of Roe v. Wade

UPDATE: Obama signature reversing Mexico City policy brings quick condemnation.

SECOND UPDATE: Cardinal Rigali calls decision “very disappointing.“

Despite some expectations that President Barack Obama would issue an executive order reversing the Mexico City policy on Jan. 22, it apparently isn’t going to happen, at least not today, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

The policy prohibits recipients of U.S. foreign aid from promoting or providing abortions. It was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, reversed by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and reestablished under President George W. Bush in 2001. Clinton and Bush each took their actions on Jan. 22.

A reversal of the policy is almost certainly going to be ordered, perhaps as soon as tomorrow. But in contacts with some Catholic leaders, representatives of the administration signaled that Obama is trying to be at least sensitive to timing, by declining to announce such a change while abortion protesters were marching in Washington and elsewhere.

Some Catholic leaders who have been in touch with Obama’s staff this week encouraged the administration to pair any such orders — which they see as a rollback of progress against abortion — with an announcement about new efforts to aid pregnant women, or otherwise help reduce demand for abortion.

Late in the day Obama issued a statement reaffirming his commitment to “protecting a woman’s right to choose.” He added that “while this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information and preventative services.”

The statement concluded by saying “we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons” including access to education, fulfilling careers, to be treated fairly and paid equally “and to have no limits on their dreams.”

A look back at the first March for Life

Today marks 36 years that pro-life groups have assembled in Washington to mark the 1973 Supreme Court’s landmark decision, Roe v. Wade.  At CNS we thought it would be interesting to see what we said about that first march on Jan. 22, 1974.

Fredrick A. Green covered the first march for CNS (then NC News). He reported that 15,000 people showed up, many on buses from around the country.

“The right-to-life advocates spent the morning lobbying the offices of senators and members of the House of Representatives and then gathered in the afternoon at the west steps of the Capitol to hear speeches by congressional sponsors of human life amendments and leaders of the right-to-life movement.

“Later, they marched in a ‘circle of life’ around the Capitol,” he wrote.

Among the speakers were Sen. James Buckley, R-N.Y., and Rep. Lawrence Hogan, R-Md. Both men had introduced human life amendments in Congress. Hogan told Green that the demonstration “will be a boost” to his efforts.

“Some congressmen, apparently moved by the demonstrators, had called earlier in the day to offer their signatures, Hogan said, and he expects to get more support after the rally,” Green wrote.

Another speaker was Msgr. James McHugh, director of the U.S. Catholic Conference family life division. (A number of years later Msgr. McHugh became Bishop McHugh, and the USCC became the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishop McHugh has since died. The USCCB is still going strong.)

Green noted other events around the country to mark the first anniversary. Among them:

– In Oregon, leaflets were distributed to 100,000 homes.

– In Philadelphia, 15,000 persons gathered at Independence Hall.

– On Capitol Hill, 22,000 red roses were delivered to Members of Congress, a rose was delivered to all 140 members of the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates, and in Minnesota 1,600 roses were sent to legislators.

– In Peoria, Ill., 300 people gathered in the county courthouse plaza and heard the Rev. John Hoffman say, “I’m a liberal Protestant, and liberal Protestants aren’t supposed to be opposing abortion.” But a fetus, he said is a human from the moment of conception. “The only thing it seems to lack is a voice to speak up and proclaim life, and it’s up to us to give it that voice.”

– In New York, Cardinal Terence Cooke announced plans to build a  parent-child development center at the Foundling Hospital.

– North Dakota went all out with a week of events. The highlight was a Saturday-night statewide television program featuring Bishop Justin A. Driscoll of Fargo, Sen. Buckley of New York, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and Lutheran pastor Rev. Gary Clark. Just before noon on Jan. 22, church bells in every Catholic church and many Protestant ones rang out.

The event in Washington wasn’t without it moments of conflict. Students from the University of Maryland circulated a questionnaire that had event “marshals” scrambling.

Green wrote: “The students insisted that they were conducting a sociological study designed to determine if the participants in the demonstration fit the ‘stereotypes’ commonly associated with the anti-abortion movement. The questionnaire asked about sex, race, education, political affiliation and religion. The long list of questions included one on how the participants felt about making birth control information available to unmarried teenagers.”

An official of the National Right to Life Organization, as it was then called, said that they had “reviewed” but not “endorsed” the questionaire. How did they respond? In a pretty American way. Green reported that that the NRLO “did not feel it could interfere with the students’ right to ask questions at the rally.”

Catholic schools get nod from Congress

One day after the inaugural hoopla in Washington a quiet measure honoring the contributions of Catholic schools was approved by voice vote in the House. The measure praised Catholic schools for their academic accomplishments, education of minority students, and emphasis on values. It also supported the celebration of  Catholic Schools Week Jan. 25-31 .

Biden becomes first Catholic veep in U.S. history

Joseph R. Biden, with his wife, Jill, holding the Bible, takes the oath of office as vice president of the United States. (CNS/Reuters)

When the former Delaware senator, Joseph R. Biden, took the oath of office of the vice president of the United States at 11:55 this morning, he became the first Catholic to hold that office in the nation’s history. John F. Kennedy holds the distinction of being the first  — and only — Catholic president in history, but until today no other Catholic man or woman has achieved winning the second-highest office in the land.

A handful of others have tried.

The first Catholic to run for vice president was Edmund S. Muskie, former governor and sitting senator from Maine. He joined Democrat Hubert H. Humphrey’s campaign to succeed Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1968 election. Humphrey had been Johnson’s vice president and the campaign suffered from Johnson’s failed Vietnam War policies and the turmoil of the Great Society. The Democrats lost the election to Richard M. Nixon of California and Spiro T. Agnew, Maryland’s governor.

The election marked Nixon’s triumphant return to politics. His career had taken a bad tumble after his loss in 1960 to Kennedy, the only Catholic to be elected president. Muskie went on to serve as President Jimmy Carter’s secretary of state.

The second Catholic to run on a major party ticket was Thomas F. Eagleton, who ran on the 1972 Democratic ticket headed by South Dakota Sen. George S. McGovern. Eagleton, a U.S. senator from Missouri, only ran for 18 days. He was forced off the ticket after revelations about his past hospitalizations for mental health problems surfaced. He was succeeded as the party’s vice presidential nominee by another Catholic, Robert Sargent Shriver of Maryland. A hugely popular political activist, Shriver was first head of the Peace Corps and an ambassador to France. McGovern and Shriver lost in one of the nation’s greatest landslide elections to Nixon and Agnew, who were seeking second terms. Interestingly, Shiver was the last presidential or vice presidential nominee not to have served as a governor or member of Congress prior to nomination.

The fourth Catholic to make it on a national ticket was Geraldine Ferraro, a representative from New York. In 1984, former Vice President Walter Mondale achieved the Democratic nomination and asked Ferraro to be his running mate. She was the first woman and the first Italian American to run on a major party national ticket. Mondale and Ferraro were defeated by President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H.W. Bush, who were seeking re-election to a second term.

No other Catholic would nab a place on the national ticket until Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry ran unsuccessfully for president in 2004.

What religious denomination has prevailed in the 44 runs for the vice presidency? Presbyterians top the list, with Episcopalians a close second.

Update: Peter Chila (below) is correct. New York Congressman William Miller ran for vice president on the 1964 ticket headed by Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater. They were trounced by Johnson and Humphrey.

Interestingly, Miller hailed from the same state that gave America its first Catholic to run at the head of a national ticket. New York Gov. Al Smith was the Democratic nominee for president in 1928. He overwhelmingly carried the Catholic vote, but it wasn’t enough to defeat his opponent, Herbert Hoover, who won by a landslide.

Miller had the distinction of representing two New York districts in Congress, and he later went on to become chairman of the Republican Party. New York, of course, went on to contribute another Catholic candidate: Geraldine Ferraro.

Thank you, Mr. Chila.