(LifeSiteNews) — A growing number of clergy members are expressing support for Bishop Kevin Rhoades after he called on the University of Notre Dame to halt the appointment of a pro-abortion professor to lead the school’s Asian studies institute.
In a statement published February 11, Rhoades expressed “dismay” and “strong opposition” to the decision, which he said is “causing scandal to the faithful of our diocese and beyond.”
“Such appointments have profound impact on the integrity of Notre Dame’s public witness as a Catholic university,” he wrote.
Rhoades previously served as the chairman of the Committee for Religious Liberty for the U.S. Bishops Conference (USCCB). He was succeeded in that role at the bishop’s annual meetings last fall by Oregon Archbishop Alexander Sample. Rhoades, who oversees the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, was voted the group’s secretary.
In his letter, Rhoades explained that past remarks made by Professor Susan Ostermann were “disparaging and inflammatory” toward those who “uphold the dignity of human life from the moment of conception to natural death.” His Excellency also noted that they “go against a core principle of justice that is central to Notre Dame’s Catholic identity and mission.”
“In nearly a dozen op-eds … Professor Ostermann has attacked the pro-life movement, using outrageous rhetoric,” His Excellency exclaimed. “Professor Ostermann’s opposite view thus clearly should disqualify her from holding a position of leadership within the Keough School.”
Ostermann and school officials have defended her appointment in the face of widespread criticism, including from the school’s Right to Life group. Both Ostermann and the university have argued that academic freedom means that she should be allowed to be appointed to the position. Rhoades debunked that argument in his statement.
“Academic freedom concerns the liberty of faculty to conduct research according to their own professional judgment and interests. This appointment, by contrast, concerns the official administrative appointment to lead an academic unit,” he said. “The Liu Institute at Notre Dame is housed in the Keough School of Global Affairs, which endorses ‘integral human development’ as the most important Catholic social teaching principle for its work. Professor Ostermann has written – ludicrously – that this Catholic principle actually supports abortion on demand.”
Multiple U.S. bishops have applauded Rhoades for his defense of the faith. Texas Bishop Michael Olson published a post on social media platform X on Wednesday stating that he supports Rhoades’ efforts and that Notre Dame should rescind Ostermann’s appointment.
I support Bishop Rhodes in his carrying out of his pastoral responsibility. Please pray that @NotreDame will reconsider this distressing decision. Please read this statement. @FWdiocese @NTCatholic @BishopBarron @usccbprolife https://t.co/EVJxbeu04C
— Bishop Michael Olson (@BpOlsonFW) February 11, 2026
Bishop Robert Barron also weighed in on the matter. In a lengthy X post, Barron noted that Ostermann is “not simply ‘pro-choice’ on the question of abortion; she is a sharp critic of the pro-life position and those who advocate it.” He added that her promotion would be “repugnant to the identity and mission of that great center of Catholic learning.”
I want to express my strong support for the statement that Bishop Kevin Rhoades made this morning concerning a controversial appointment at the University of Notre Dame. Please read his communication in full, for he makes the case more completely and eloquently than I could.…
— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) February 11, 2026
Others have expressed support for Rhoades as well, including outgoing Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila and actress Patricia Heaton, who thanked Rhoades as well as Barron in an X post Wednesday.
Thank you @Bishop Barron and Bishop Kevin Rhoades https://t.co/NDI6rhED0r
— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) February 11, 2026
Ostermann joined Notre Dame nine years ago as a professor of global affairs. In years past, she has said that abortion access is “freedom-enhancing” and that “forced pregnancy and childbirth are violence against women.”
Catholics who work at Notre Dame, including longtime professor Father Wilson Miscamble, have expressed outrage over the move. In an essay for First Things, Miscamble called the appointment “a travesty” given Ostermann’s consulting role with the Population Council, which he described as a “a Rockefeller-founded agency dedicated toward population control.”
Despite the criticisms, the university issued a statement defending Ostermann, whom it has described as a “highly regarded political scientist and legal scholar.”
Amid the controversy stands Notre Dame’s students. Earlier this month, the executive committee of student-run Notre Dame Right to Life called on the university to rescind the appointment. In a statement published in The Observer, the school’s most prominent newspaper, the board said Ostermann’s advocacy contradicts the Catholic Church’s view that abortion is an intrinsic evil.
Last month, as a massive snowstorm that swept through the Midwest, students from Coyle Hall came together and erected “St. Olaf’s ice chapel” on campus. More than 1,600 students attended Mass at the chapel. Several priests presided over the liturgy.
Love thee, Notre Dame 🎶
Last night, more than 1,600 Notre Dame students braved 19° temps for Mass at St. Olaf’s Chapel, built by Coyle Hall residents from the 38 inches of January snow. pic.twitter.com/TpYiTblTR2
— University of Notre Dame (@NotreDame) February 3, 2026
News of the “ice chapel” spread quickly. National Review Online reporter Alexandra DeSanctis Marr noted the chasm between the faith of students and the decisions of administrators.
“A school where students build a basilica out of ice and 2,000 kids stand outside it to attend Mass is not a school that should be promoting pro-abortion leaders. Why do Notre Dame students take Catholicism more seriously than ND’s leaders?” she asked on social media.