Friday, May 15, 2009

The Sin of Pride

Jack Higgins, Sun Times has a memorable editorial cartoon today--it's not Touchdown Jesus. (print edition, not online) In a Tribune op-ed Harvard Medical School pediatrian Dr. Patrick Whelan accuses those who object to President Obama's being honored at Notre Dame of the sin of pride:
Obama's visit to Notre Dame has led to quite a loss of decorum, and superbia is apparently a sin no longer.
The sin of pride. Because life is one big popularity contest. A loss of decorum. Because caring about millions of abortions is so rude. Because anguish at the loss of innocent human life is so uncivilized.

And since the good doctor's concerns seem to be largely political, you have to marvel at how uninformed he is on Barack Obama's actual record:
Former Vatican Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon rejected her own honorific from Notre Dame with a statement that insisted -- wrongly in my view, and without any specific evidence -- that Obama acts "in defiance of our fundamental moral principles." She called him "a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the church's position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice."
Apparently Dr. Whelan is unaware of at least one major vote taken by then state Sen. Obama of Illinois, which a cursory review of his record on abortion would reveal. The Born Alive Infant Protection Act--a vote to the left of NARAL. Suffer the Little Children. But then the president has been disingenuous as well.

Harvard Learned Hand Professor of Law Mary Ann Glendon's letter to Notre Dame is in full here. John P. McCormick's thoughtful essay in response to Whalen on the Op-Ed page.

And a wonderful column by John Kass.

Previous posts: Notre Dame's Betrayal, God and Obama at ND, What we choose to honor, Two Honest Women, The Root of Tolerance, Real Debate, Yes, The Name of Jesus, Bad Catholics, ND, what does it stand for?, Hundreds at ND Protest Obama Invitation, Rockford Bishop Outraged at ND, Obama is Losing Catholics, Freedom of Conscience, Cardinal George: ND Wrong, You think you have a choice, Our Sanctimonious President

No comments: