Obama Speaks at Notre Dame Today Amid Protests, Vigils

(NEWSER) - Cardinal Francis George of Chicago ratcheted up the criticism of Notre Dame for inviting President Obama to give a commencement speech in May, the Tribune reports. The school “didn’t understand what it means to be Catholic when they issued this invitation,” said George. Catholic groups have criticized the move because of Obama’s decisions on stem cell research, abortion, and family planning. More»

(AP) - The Roman Catholic bishop whose diocese includes the University of Notre Dame says he will boycott President Obama's May 17 commencement speech at the school because of Obama's support for abortion rights and embryonic stem-cell research. John D'Arcy said today that Obama's recent decision to fund embryonic stem-cell research brought the US government for the first time "into supporting direct destruction of innocent human life." More»

President's Notre Dame speech was radical and conservative: Dionne

(NEWSER) - Abortion opponents protested and pro-life students skipped, but Barack Obama's Notre Dame commencement address was at once "the most radical and the most conservative speech of his presidency," writes Washington Post columnist EJ Dionne. The president refused to indulge the protesters' desire to "reignite the culture wars," opting for humility and compromise—but he showed a comfort with the language of faith equal to George Bush. More»

(NEWSER) - Speaking amid the swirl of controversy as his pro-choice views and the pro-life values of a Catholic university collided, President Obama today called for "open minds" and "fair-minded words" in Notre Dame's debate surrounding abortion, reports the AP. Amid heckles and students booing hecklers, Obama faced the treacherous issue head-on, conceding that while the two sides are "irreconcilable," open discourse could bring "at least the possibility of common ground." More»

Zealous Notre Dame protests will further hurt their cause

(NEWSER) - Randall Terry and other “Catholic extremists” will lead protests against President Obama’s speech at Notre Dame today—but their anti-abortion zealotry will only continue to hurt their cause, writes Frances Kissling in Salon. “The idea that anything goes in fighting abortion died” in the ‘90s when providers were shot, but that hasn’t stopped an “unapologetic” Terry from parading a blood-covered doll around the campus. More»