Fr. Jenkins: Bundle of Contradictions

In a laudable move, the president of Notre Dame University joined with the USCCB in protesting the Obama administration's proposed regulation to force Catholic institutions to provide contraception and abortifacients. Notre Dame and Catholic University of America were the only two major Catholic universities, out of 225 in America, that publicly objected to this rule. This is likely because many of these other so-called Catholic colleges were already offering contraceptive services to students.

One would think that, after seeing how aggressively Obama has proposed anti-Catholic initiatives, Fr. Jenkins would regret his decision to confer an honorary degree on the man in 2009 (an honorary degree from the law school from which I graduated, to its eternal shame). One would think.

Not so. He sticks by his original decision, says he would do it again, and naïvely claims the event “had influenced the President for the better.”

This would be funny if it weren't so sad.

This is the same president who appointed Obama supporter Nell Jessup Newton to be new dean at the law school in July of 2009. Newton contributed $2300 to Obama's campaign in 2007, and $500 to John Kerry in 2004.