April 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Even as the University of Notre Dame has angered Catholics and pro-life advocates nationwide with its plan to bestow an honorary doctorate of laws on President Barack Obama on May 17, Arizona State University has declined to do the same when the President speaks at its commencement ceremony the prior Wednesday.
ASU spokeswoman Sharon Keeler told The Associated Press: “It’s our practice to recognize an individual for his body of work, somebody who’s been in their position for a long time. His body of work is yet to come. That’s why we’re not recognizing him with a degree at the beginning of his presidency.”
Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society, which has launched a petition protest against Notre Dame’s honoring of President Obama, responded to the news saying, “If a public university can deny the President an honorary degree, then one would think that a Catholic university could do the same for much more important reasons: to uphold its Catholic mission, to obey the U.S. bishops, and to put principle over prestige.”
The announcement that Notre Dame had decided to bestow an honorary degree on Obama and have him as this year’s commencement speaker sparked a nationwide protest last month, due to Obama’s established record on abortion and other moral issues while an Illinois state legislator, United States senator and U.S. President.
In his first 11 weeks in office, President Obama has allowed taxpayer funding for abortions and embryonic stem cell research, nominated pro-abortion Catholic Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of Health and Human Services, announced anti-Catholic activist Harry Knox as an advisor on faith-based partnerships, and threatened conscience protections for Catholic healthcare workers.
Notre Dame’s planned honor for President Obama has been protested by students and alumni, 29 Catholic bishops, 10 Holy Cross priests and over 250,000 concerned individuals at NotreDameScandal.com.