Glendon declines Notre Dame award
Abortion foe decries honoring of Obama
Harvard Law professor Mary Ann Glendon, one of the most prominent Catholic conservative intellectuals in the United States, announced yesterday that she would refuse a prestigious award from the University of Notre Dame rather than appear on the same platform on which President Obama is being awarded an honorary degree.
Glendon's unexpected announcement, just 20 days before Notre Dame's commencement, stoked a raging controversy over the decision by the Catholic university to honor a president who supports abortion rights and has taken several steps during his first 100 days to widen access to abortion services and to ease restrictions on embryonic stem cell research.
In December, Glendon, who served as US ambassador to the Vatican during the final year of the George W. Bush administration, was offered the Laetare Medal, which honors a Catholic layperson who exemplifies the ideals of the church.
Over the last few weeks, she said in a letter yesterday, she was dismayed to learn that Obama, who is the university's commencement speaker, would also be given an honorary degree. She said she was also unhappy that "talking points issued by Notre Dame in response to widespread criticism of its decision included two statements implying that my acceptance speech would somehow balance the event."
"A commencement, however, is supposed to be a joyous day for the graduates and their families," she said in the letter, addressed to Notre Dame's president, the Rev. John I. Jenkins. "It is not the right place, nor is a brief acceptance speech the right vehicle, for engagement with the very serious problems raised by Notre Dame's decision, in disregard of the settled position of the US bishops, to honor a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the church's position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice."
Jenkins issued a brief statement yesterday saying: "We are, of course, disappointed that Professor Glendon has made this decision. It is our intention to award the Laetare Medal to another deserving recipient, and we will make that announcement as soon as possible."
Both Glendon and Jenkins said they were declining all interview requests.
Notre Dame has been facing criticism from more than 40 American bishops, as well as hundreds of thousands of conservative Catholics who have signed online petitions, threatened protests, and expressed their outrage that a Catholic university would honor an elected official who supports abortion rights, even if he or she is president of the United States. A bishop in Nebraska referred to Notre Dame as a "formerly Catholic" university; a bishop in Oklahoma called the invitation to Obama "a scandal"; a bishop in Wisconsin referred to the invitation as "indefensible"; a bishop in Tennessee called it "embarrassing and shameful"' and a bishop in Illinois suggested that Notre Dame change its name to "
"There are some well-meaning people who think Notre Dame has given away its Catholic identity, because they have been caught up in the gamesmanship of American higher education, bringing in a star commencement speaker even if that means sacrificing their values, and that accounts for some of this," said the Rev. Kenneth Himes, chairman of theology department at Boston College. "But one also has to say that there is a political game going on here, and part of that is that you demonize the people who disagree with you, you question their integrity, you challenge their character, and you brand these people as moral poison. Some people have simply reduced Catholicism to the abortion issue, and, consequently, they have simply launched a crusade to bar anything from Catholic institutions that smacks of any sort of open conversation."
A Notre Dame spokesman, Dennis Brown, said yesterday, "We recognized that many people would support the invitation and many would be opposed, and that has proven to be the case."
The controversy has now spilled over to other Catholic universities. Last week, some objected when Vice President Joe Biden, a Catholic who supports abortion rights, was honored for his work against domestic violence by an organization that supports abortion rights during a symposium at Georgetown Law School. And Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans, a Boston native, is planning to boycott this year's commencement at Xavier University because the school is honoring Donna Brazile, a Democratic strategist and a Catholic who supports abortion rights.
There have been similar events in Massachusetts in recent years. The bishop of Worcester refused to attend a commencement at the College of the Holy Cross when television personality Chris Matthews was honored, and Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston refused to attend a Catholic Charities dinner at which Mayor Thomas M. Menino was honored. Menino and Matthews are both Catholics who support abortion rights.
Michael Paulson can be reached at mpaulson@globe.com. 