I am sure that this man deserves recognition for his pro-life efforts, but I cannot help but wonder is Notre Dame just tried to put lipstick on the pig it birthed last year with the invitation of President Obama.
Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Secretariat for Pro Life Activities, will receive the University of Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life Evangelium Vitae Medal.
According to David Solomon, chair of the fund’s governing committee and William P. and Hazel B. White Director of the Center for Ethics and Culture, “the fund is establishing the annual Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal to honor individuals whose outstanding efforts have served to proclaim the Gospel of Life by steadfastly affirming and defending the sanctity of human life from its earliest stages. Richard Doerflinger’s unwavering commitment and heroic witness to life on Capitol Hill and beyond make him the perfect first recipient.”
The Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal, which is announced annually on Respect Life Sunday, the first Sunday of October, consists of a specially commissioned medal and $10,000 prize, to be presented at a spring banquet….
So a year after it took a hit to its pro-life credentials for inviting AND HONORING the most virulent pro-abortion president ever, Notre Dame establishes a pro-life award. Convenient.
The Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life is an expendable fund at the University of Notre Dame dedicated to educating Notre Dame students regarding the dignity of human life, specifically at its beginning stages, and to encouraging relevant understanding, support and involvement among the entire Notre Dame community on beginning of life issues.
I am sorry but I fear this may be mostly a PR move.
There is one way the selection committee could prove me wrong. Give it to one of the twenty-two pro-life demonstators arrested at the request of Notre Dame last year. Give it to that elderly priest they dragged off to jail. Then I will believe it is not a PR move.
Until then, a pig with lipstick is still just as ugly.
October 12, 2010 at 4:46 am
Keep reading, Patrick. The press release also notes: "The fund is administered by a five-member committee whose members are Solomon; Elizabeth Kirk, associate director of the Center for Ethics and Culture; Rev. Wilson Miscamble, C.S.C., professor of history; O. Carter Snead, associate professor of law; and Daniel Philpott, associate professor of political science and peace studies." Now, do your homework and Google those names. You'll find that these are the very people who most publicly criticized the University's decision to award President Obama an honorary degree – or that most supported the hundreds of students who organized the peaceful campus protests and alternative commencement ceremony. And arguably, they did so at considerable risk to their 'standing' with the powers that be at Notre Dame. These people deserve nothing but our gratitude, support and encouragement. And in as much as the administration of the University is willing to aid and advertise their good work, then they'll earn some much needed credit as well.
October 12, 2010 at 5:02 am
I'm with the anonymous above, and I'll only add: while you're doing your further research, you might do a little search into Elizabeth Kirk's family. Diligent readers will remember something about one of them in a Creative Minority Reader post from not too long ago.
Then you might consider apologizing to the selection committee.
Sincerely,
Ben
October 12, 2010 at 5:17 am
Apologizing for what? Did I criticize the selection committee? No. I am criticizing the University for their behavior and point out the convenience of the timing. (Under my own name as well.)
It is what it is. A good thing done at a convenient time for the university.
I am sure that the selection committee and the selectee are all well intentioned people. That doesn't mean the administration is.
October 12, 2010 at 6:08 am
If you google David Solomon, you will find that he came to the defense of the people who protested Obama. Here's an example: http://wwww.irishrover.net/archives/399.
Is it not possible that they initiated this award, and presented it to a VERY worthy recipient (who has given his life for the pro-life cause) in response to (and in defiance of) the university administration?
Wouldn't that make even more sense?
October 12, 2010 at 6:46 am
Richard Doerflinger is the single most effective pro-lifer in the U.S. While I can not speak to the veracity and motives of UND, I am very comfortable with Doerflinger being recognized for his consistent and effective Pro-Life efforts.
October 12, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Well, Pat, yes, you did call the committee out: There is one way the selection committee could prove me wrong. Give it to one of the twenty-two pro-life demonstrators arrested at the request of Notre Dame last year. Give it to that elderly priest they dragged off to jail. Then I will believe it is not a PR move.
Correct me if I'm wrong but your real beef is with the president of the university and his administration, not the worthy members of this committee and the honorable recipient of the award.
This award could not have gone forward without the president's consent. Since he refuses to drop charges against the protesters, it seems that Fr. Jenkins is trying to get ND some of its credibility back with alumni and donors.
Until Fr. Jenkins decides to drop the charges, it is beautiful lipstick on a very large pig.
October 12, 2010 at 2:16 pm
Amy
No.
I did not call the selection committee out.
I suggested that the selection committee choose one of the arrested. The we can see what the University does.
October 12, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Because Anonymous' above brought it up by mentioning Elizabeth Kirk and her position at ND I want to add my two-cents worth. I have attended a couple events the Center for Ethic and Culture has organized at the university. They were amazing. They were deeply Catholic. I do not know anything about the people who are behind these symposiums and conferences but they were excellent.
October 12, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Patrick – In the subheading of the post you set the parameters of evaluation as: "Renewed commitment or PR move?"
You then gave your evaluation: "I am sorry but I fear this may be mostly a PR move."
And you set up a zero sum game for the selection committee to "prove" their authenticity (or that of the administration, according your follow-up comment): "There is one way the selection committee could prove me wrong. Give it to one of the twenty-two pro-life demonstators arrested at the request of Notre Dame last year. Give it to that elderly priest they dragged off to jail. Then I will believe it is not a PR move."
But, your assumption from the start was flawed. You assumed that it was the administration of ND that was acting here, and that the award could therefore only be understood as "renewed commitment" or "PR move."
I understand the mistake (and the critique of ND's pro-life credentials, and the fear of merely PR-motivated efforts) – but given the context of who is responsible for establishing this award and naming its recipients, it is clear that neither of these categories apply.
Solomon, Kirk, Miscamble et al. are neither particularly interested in the University's PR – they've proven that in their vocal critique of the administration – nor are they somehow 'renewing' a commitment to pro-life advocacy: they have been stalwarts supporters all along.
I say this in all charity, but you botched this one because you were viewing Notre Dame as a monolith defined SOLELY by the actions of the president and his administration. Instead, we need to recognize that there are any number of entities (in this case, the Center of Ethics and Culture) in a university its size that can be and have been consistently pro-life.
We need to cheer an announcement like this, and support the good efforts of such people . . . even if the University's administration is glad for some positive pro-life PR. To borrow another expression, this is a case of "don't cut your nose off to spite your face."
October 12, 2010 at 3:59 pm
Anonymous with due respect to your thoughtful response to our host, you are splitting hairs. This isn't a courtroom. American Catholics loyal to the Magesterium of the Catholic Church want to see this nonsense end once and for all. Until that day dawns we will be a divided Church on this issue. Thanks for listening.
October 12, 2010 at 4:02 pm
" He also was instrumental in the ultimately unsuccessful campaign to protect the unborn in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act."
Two things about Notre Dame's active promotion of this award surprise me: (1) that Notre Dame would be promoting the awarding of an honor to someone who lobbied hard against passage of the health care bill (after all Fr. Hesburgh allegedy called up waivering "pro-life" Catholic Democrats to give them his "blessing" to vote for the bill); and (2) that Notre Dame would actually come right out and admit that the unborn are NOT protected in the health care bill.
October 12, 2010 at 4:12 pm
I say just chalk it up to one of the two times a day the stopped clock is right and leave it at that.
October 12, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Enough already. No one is arguing that the University of Notre Dame is as liberal a Catholic university as you can get. Father Hesberg had an agenda. Everyone knows it. If they don't know it, they ought to google Father Hesberg and see what his agenda was; Land Of Lakes comes to mind. However Father Hesberg is long gone, but his ghost remains with Father Jenkins. Now to the real problem; and it's not a problem. No one could deny Richard Doerflinger is well qualified and worthy to receive the award. No criticism should fall on his shoulders. He has done more for life than most people will do in their entire lifetime. I do agree that it was a great PR move, by the university, to have Doerflinger following Obama. As far as the selection committee goes, let's not 2nd guess their motives. Why Catholic parents send their children to Notre Dame remains the overriding question. I think it's foot ball .. one for the Gipper .. rather than religion.
October 12, 2010 at 6:19 pm
I'd suggest viewing the Center for Ethics and Culture as virtually separate from the University proper. Dr. Solomon has been a staunch pro-life supporter and he and the Center have not had an easy time of it. They take lots of flak from the University. This is no PR move – this is how Dr. Solomon and the Center operate – straight-up, unabashedly orthodox and pro-life. They were largely behind the alternate commencement when Obama came to teh University. They're the real deal.No pig, no lipstick. They are an oasis on a campus that doesn't know it's true identity anymore.
October 12, 2010 at 10:15 pm
So this wonderful group was powerless at stopping the obama tragedy?
So this does not represent Notre Dame really?
So it's NOT lipstick on a pig-
The pig is still Notre Dame, and some wonderful people, a minority of minorities, of great people still work there and didn't quit.
I applaud them – I'd have left.
Pig school.
October 12, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Notre has NEVER used its NBC football commercial time, for the Pro-Life issue.
Do we really need to know anything else?
October 13, 2010 at 2:09 am
I did some asking around, and Paul C pretty much sums it up:
The pig is still Notre Dame, and some wonderful people, a minority of minorities, of great people still work there and didn't quit.
The administration had nothing to do with the award (although I suppose it was "nice" of them to "allow" it and publicize it on their website), and all parties involved in the creation of the award were vocal critics of Obama's speech. They are basically the very few sane people left at the university.
While the 22 folks who got arrested are certainly worthy of any honor we can bestow (starting with dropping this from their records), anyone aware of Mr. Doerflinger's work knows that he is very much worthy of honor for his tireless dedication to the pro-life cause.
October 13, 2010 at 2:24 am
I wholeheartedly agree with "anonymous." Those listed on this selection committee were staunch opponents to the Obama invitation, putting their reputations and careers on the line in order to stand with the students who opposed this invitation. For the "minority" in NDResponse who did oppose the invitation to Obama…we will forever be grateful to them. While ND may certainly be taking advantage of this for PR's sake, it is still an encouraging sign, nonetheless to those listed above who have labored so long and hard for the pro-life cause at ND.
October 13, 2010 at 3:02 am
I love all of these anonymouses:-) (oops – that makes them mice).
And sometimes, people are anonymous for good, wise and even circumspect reasons, not cowardice.
October 13, 2010 at 3:52 am
Is everything positive that comes out of Notre Dame in the future going to be for you some PR move on the part of Obama-loving pseudo-Catholics?
Why can't you acknowledge that Catholics won, that good has come from evil?
There is now a Pro-Life Task Force on campus, which my friend from ND Response is heading up, but that's just a PR move, right?
They have renewed their conviction to perform ethical research… PR move.
When does the PR end? One year later? Five years? Ten years?
I think we should allow Notre Dame to explore its Catholic identity and rather than criticize everything, embrace the positive.
You prune the bad to preserve the good. What are you doing is pruning the good because there is also bad.