Notre Dame’s Watershed Moment: University Continues to Struggle With Catholic Identity

While the debate over Notre Dame’s Catholic identity is nothing new, the recent controversy surrounding its decision to honor President Barack Obama may be a watershed moment for the university. Father John Jenkins, the university’s president, put the issue front and center when he invited Obama, a staunch defender of abortion rights, to give the May 17 commencement address. The university also bestowed on him an honorary law degree. The gesture drew national and international media attention as some 80 bishops and more than 367,000 Catholics voiced disagreement with Father Jenkins, saying he was compromising the school’s Catholic identity. They said he disregarded the 2004 guidelines from the U.S. bishops that state: “Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles” with “awards, honors, or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.”