White House: Notre Dame Scandal is 'Healthy Disagreement'

Notre Dame is one of the first universities President Obama will visit as president and he is honored to address the graduating class.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews.com) - The White House responded this afternoon to the protests that erupted following news that the University of Notre Dame had invited President Obama to offer the commencement address and receive an honorary law degree this year.

The late Friday announcement has sparked a wave of opposition from leading Catholics, particularly Notre Dame alumni. An online petition launched by the Cardinal Newman Society immediately after the announcement has gathered 130,000 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon. (To sign the petition, go to: http://www.notredamescandal.com)

"Notre Dame is one of the first universities President Obama will visit as president and he is honored to address the graduating class, their families and faculty of a school with such a rich history of fostering the exchange of ideas," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

"While he is honored to have the support of millions of people of all faiths, including Catholics with their rich tradition of recognizing the dignity of people, he does not govern with the expectation that everyone sees eye to eye with him on every position," Psaki said. "The spirit of debate and healthy disagreement on important issues is part of what he loves about this country."

The White House announcement came after Notre Dame's Bishop D'Arcy issued a statement yesterday criticizing the decision to honor Obama, and announcing his plans to boycott the ceremony (To view the bishop's full statement, go to:
http://www.diocesefwsb.org/COMMUNICATIONS/statements.htm).

Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins has said that the invitation will stand despite the protests.

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