Arizona State University Honorary Degree more discriminating than Notre Dame?

[AZRedhawk44]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hY9EJOvoVv2Mwr_gn_bKdoVG5MGQD97EJ95O0

ASU is not giving Obama an Honorary Degree when he does the commencement address here... But Notre Dame is!  Good on ASU for saying that one's ACHIEVEMENTS are worthy of honorary mention... not one's mere title.

I'm shocked the Notre Dame is even allowing Obama on campus due to the Abortion issue.  This phrase in particular was disgusting:  "Although we disagree with Mr. Obama on some core issues, we must not condemn."

This is the freaking Roman Catholic Church.  They still excommunicate from the faith for unrepentant views of mortal sins.  Obama's view on Abortion fits that to a tee.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Ten priests from the order that founded the University of Notre Dame say the school risks its "true soul" and could distance itself from the Roman Catholic Church by inviting President Barack Obama to campus next month.

The members of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, which helps run the university, asked the Rev. John Jenkins, the Holy Cross priest who is Notre Dame's president, and the university's board of fellows to reconsider the invitation to Obama because he supports abortion rights.

"Failure to do so will damage the integrity of the institution," said the letter published Wednesday in Notre Dame Observer.

Notre Dame announced last month that Obama would deliver the university's May 17 commencement address and receive an honorary degree. The decision by the nation's best-known Catholic university sparked widespread anger among many Catholics who said Notre Dame should not honor someone whose policies on abortion and embryonic stem-cell research clash with core church teachings on human life.

Hundreds of abortion opponents protested on campus Sunday, and the priests said the invitation has opened a "fissure" between Notre Dame and many bishops. More than a dozen bishops have denounced Obama's appearance, including Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Jenkins has said the university does not condone all of Obama's policies, and spokesman Dennis Brown has said Notre Dame does not plan to rescind the invitation.

"We respect the opinions of members of the Holy Cross community and others," Brown said.

Obama would be the ninth U.S. president to receive an honorary degree from Notre Dame and sixth sitting president to address graduates. Other commencement speakers have included Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush.

Cecilia Prinster, president of the Notre Dame Alumni Association, noted in a column also published in the campus newspaper that Obama's policies in areas such as health care reform, economic security and environmental stewardship are in line with Catholic social teaching.

"Although we disagree with Mr. Obama on some core issues, we must not condemn," Prinster wrote.

Four days before his Notre Dame speech, Obama is set to deliver a much less controversial commencement address at Arizona State University. But the public school in Tempe is denying the president something he's getting at South Bend: an honorary degree.

"It's our practice to recognize an individual for his body of work, somebody who's been in their position for a long time," Sharon Keeler, an ASU spokeswoman, told The Associated Press. "His body of work is yet to come. That's why we're not recognizing him with a degree at the beginning of his presidency."

Recent recipients of honorary degrees at ASU include J. Craig Venter, an internationally known scientist credited for developing high-volume genome sequencing, and Wu Qidi, vice minister of education of the People's Republic of China.

The university's policy is different from the one at Notre Dame, where Brown said it's customary to confer a degree on every guest speaker.

[MicroBalrog]

This is the freaking Roman Catholic Church.  They still excommunicate from the faith for unrepentant views of mortal sins.  Obama's view on Abortion fits that to a tee.

Obama isn't a catholic, he can't be excommunicated.

[digitalandanalog]

Obama isn't a catholic, he can't be excommunicated.

Since you use the lower case version of "catholic" I say that we should try to excommunicate him anyway.

[AZRedhawk44]

I brought up excommunication because it is a very strict, inflexible and adamant action meant to be a comment upon values that the Church holds as non-negotiable.  It is a warning to those still within the Church to beware this type of behavior, and it is a signal to the excommunicated that he/she must engage in some serious soul searching while still in this realm of existence and find Truth and repentance or else face hell.

Didn't mean to imply that Obama was Catholic.  Or Muslim.  Or a holy-roller.  Or a whirling dervish.

Bothers me that the Church can have a doctrine such as excommunication, and then bring this guy onto campus even though he says (in Churchspeak) that murder of babies is OK.

But... hey... he's a political rock star and we should all be more tolerant, right?

[ronnyreagan]

Bothers me that the Church can have a doctrine such as excommunication, and then bring this guy onto campus even though he says (in Churchspeak) that murder of babies is OK.

Special exceptions for the wealthy, powerful, and popular are nothing new. While it's probably hypocritical to invite him there and honor him, I don't think it's going to confuse people about the Church's stance on abortion or anything.

I always thought Honorary Degrees are kind of silly, as the people who receive them are already successful enough that an Honorary Degree probably wouldn't be very important to them. I guess it's a nice gesture though.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

There's been quite a debate about this around here (I live in northern Indiana, not too far from Notre Dame).  All the local priests and bishops have chimed in on it.  Many are boycotting, which implies an awful lot if you know how such things work.  The Vatican has asked local church officials not to protest the event.

As far as the debate goes, the two sides are pretty straightforward.  One side thinks Obama should be invited to speak out of respect for the office, and for tradition, and for the idea that civilized people can disagree even on important issues and still be respectful of each other.  The other side thinks that principals should come first, and not murdering innocent babies is a pretty important principal to stand up for. 

This is one of those rare issues where both sides are completely right and yet they still disagree strongly.

Special exceptions for the wealthy, powerful, and popular are nothing new. While it's probably hypocritical to invite him there and honor him, I don't think it's going to confuse people about the Church's stance on abortion or anything.

It has nothing to do with special exceptions for the wealthy and powerful, nor is it particularly hypocritical, but thanks for working your your own prejudices into the discussion.

[MicroBalrog]

Obama is wealthy. And powerful. And he's getting special treatment.

[Balog]

It has nothing to do with special exceptions for the wealthy and powerful, nor is it particularly hypocritical, but thanks for working your your own prejudices into the discussion.

Indulgences much?

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Obama is wealthy. And powerful. And he's getting special treatment.

Special treatment from who?  This whole fuss is a result of Notre Dame treating Obama normally.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Indulgences much?

What do Notre Dame and Obama have to do with indulgences?

[Balog]

What do Notre Dame and Obama have to do with indulgences?

A Catholic institution is honoring a man who advocates (what they consider to be) mass murder. But it's ok, because he's famous and powerful. Just like the church used to sell indulgences to the rich and powerful.

[MicroBalrog]

Special treatment from who?  This whole fuss is a result of Notre Dame treating Obama normally.

Normally? Do regular people who are not Presidents of the United States regularly get honorary degrees there? Normally I thought a giant achievement is required.

[Balog]

Normally? Do regular people who are not Presidents of the United States regularly get honorary degrees there? Normally I thought a giant achievement is required.

To be fair, I think a air number of entertainers and such get honorary degrees from universities.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

It is traditional for Notre Dame to invite the newly elected President to give the commencement speech in the year he is inaugurated.  They've done this for every new President going back at least as far as Carter or Ford, and probably farther back than that.

They invited Obama this year because that's the normal thing for them to do.  It has nothing to do with Obama himself, and everything to do with the fact that he's the new President.

Like most universities, ND hosts many distinguished guests throughout the year.  It is policy for ND to award honorary degrees to these guests.  Many other universities do the same.  Some (including ASU, apparently) do not.

ND is a Jesuit institution.  They like rigorous intellectual debates, and they certainly don't shy away from people who hold differing viewpoints.  Heck, I'd bet ND sees this as an opportunity to engage Obama in a discussion on abortion and try to change his viewpoint.

Basically this whole thing is much ado about nothing.  It isn't special treatment for Barry Obama, in fact it's just the opposite