President Obama's message not at odds with Catholic mission

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090517/Biz/905170470/1064/Opinion

President Obama's message not at odds with Catholic mission
By TIM ROEMER

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I believe it is just and proper that President Obama would be invited to speak at Notre Dame's commencement not only because of the decades of school precedent for inviting presidents of both political parties, or even because Pope Benedict XVI himself has found it acceptable to honor the president, sending an effusive congratulatory telegram after the November election.

It's proper that Obama be invited to speak because Notre Dame is a Catholic university, with responsibilities to uphold all that this label means to its ethical values, its educational mission and its role in the wider ecumenical community.

As a Catholic university, Notre Dame must be true to its religious foundations and beliefs while still open to engagement with the world around it. Abortion, in Catholic doctrine, is sin on a weightier moral plane than almost any other issue.

The church will not change its views on abortion's theology as a result of Obama's visit, nor will he change his views on its legality. But if Notre Dame, in opposition to its critics, maintains a respect for dialogue and engagement, the graduating class of 2009 is likely to hear a message that outlines how Notre Dame students can integrate the Catholic values they were taught at Notre Dame into public life, making a profound impact in the world.

Though a believer in the constitutionality of abortion rights, Obama has, time and again, spoken of abortion as a "tragedy" and not a right whose exercise is without moral consequence. He has said, at an evangelical college, no less, that he "absolutely think(s) we can find common ground" between choice and life advocates. That common ground lies in reducing the numbers of abortions with an aggressive, integrated array of prevention programs. Health care for the uninsured, economic justice for the needy, financial support for adoptions — some of the most effective methods for reducing abortions and unwanted pregnancies already lie at the heart both of Catholic social teachings on economic justice and the president's new agenda.

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Finally, Obama's visit to Notre Dame will be a valuable affirmation to all in attendance of the good that faith can achieve in public life. Notre Dame's longtime former President the Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, a legendary figure in civil rights, religion and higher education, was first appointed to the United States Commission on Civil Rights in 1957. For more than a dozen years there, inspired by the gospels' call for equality and justice, he worked to ensure that Americans, regardless of race, have their votes counted.

With Obama at the podium and Father Hesburgh in attendance, it will be a powerful example that students' faith, enriched by their studies at Notre Dame, has a valuable role to play in the community — a hopeful role that can help unite rather than divide.