Cardinal Newman Society Collects Nearly 65,000 Signatures Protesting President Barack Obama's Upcoming Notre Dame Commencement Address

Another day, another dust-up involving President Obama. According to media reports, nearly 65,000 people have signed an online petition protesting his scheduled May 17 commencement address at the University of Notre Dame. Why? They are saying that his views on abortion and stem cell research "directly contradict" Roman Catholic teachings. The Cardinal Newman Society spearheaded the drive to collect signatures. The advocacy group's petition states that to "bestow such an honor on President Obama given his clear support for policies and laws that directly contradict fundamental Catholic teachings on life and marriage."

The petition, which had garnered 64,051 signatures as of midday Tuesday, asserts that thousands of other "accomplished leaders" in business, law or education would have been more appropriate selections. Right. I am sure their images are all impeccable and without any flaws.

George Weigel, a Catholic theologian and distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, said the invitation is not a "neutral act" and will significantly damage Notre Dame's reputation in Catholic circles following Obama's decision to reverse restrictions on embryonic stem cell research and for family planning groups that provide abortions.

"I think Notre Dame should not have issued the invitation," Weigel told FOXNews.com. "This is a colossal mess. This is their mess to fix right now, but they should know that they have forfeited an enormous amount of credibility as an institution that takes moral reasoning seriously."

Weigel said he was not surprised by the outpouring of criticism following the university's announcement on Friday that Obama would become sixth U.S. president to speak at its commencement. Obama will also become the ninth U.S. president to receive an honorary degree from the university. Source: Faux News

Well, let's see if Notre Dame University will rescind its invitation or stand its ground. I would love to see the Roman Catholic Church throw the same weight around where other social issues are concerned and will vehemently take a stand. It seems that they didn't have a big issue when President George W. Bush gave the commencement address in 2001. Funny, didn't he go to war in Iraq on a bare-faced lie?