Theological Notebook: Thoughts on the Controversy Re: President Obama's Invitation to Notre Dame

[novak]

Mom wrote and asked me about what I thought about all the controversy regarding President Obama's addressing the graduating seniors at the University of Notre Dame. I hadn't consciously articulated my thoughts until she asked, but now that I have, I thought that I would just copy it all down here. I would preface my comments by reassuring or

Comments

[novak]

Sorry about the delay in getting back to you: I was a bit fuzzy the last few days with a sore throat and I didn't want to be equally fuzzy in reading what you had written. I think you're right in highlighting the very indeterminacy of this encounter, particularly so early in a presidential administration. A few thoughts:

... to see intelligent, faithful pro-life Catholics publicly invite Obama to an open debate about the issue...

I don't know that debate is the correct term for this encounter, nor whether that would yet be a constructive format for such an encounter. If anything, debate as such means defending a position, and such an invitation to President Obama would be instructing him to not reconsider his position.

Do you think that Obama will take the Catholic position more seriously, or open up new relationships with pro-life Catholics or Christians because of his visit?

I am certain that simply snubbing him, posing over a line we draw in the sand, or making abortion the sole issue right off the bat would do nothing but encourage him to dismiss the possibility of relationship with pro-life Catholics or Christians. So in proclaiming our own righteousness over this issue we will then collaborate with him in guaranteeing his commitment to an abortion agenda. That's the short-sightedness I see here in the "line in the sand" position: insisting on an adversarial relationship effectively pushes forward an abortion agenda at the very time you claim to be forwarding a human rights agenda instead. Not so Pro-Life in the end, other than the self-satisfaction of having been publicly correct. Confirming the status quo profits no one other than those who would profit from the political status quo.