All the recent controversy about Obama visiting Notre Dame has made me think about the role of the President. Some defenders of Notre Dame say that the honor is given to the office of the presidency, no matter who holds it.
In England the monarchy represents the state. The Queen has no political views and people of all parties loudly sing, "God save the Queen." Their Prime Minister is the head of the party in power and he/she can be loudly opposed by those who disagree with the parties policies. The Prime Minister would not be invited to speak to groups who hold radically opposing views.
A soldier receiving a medal from the president of the USA doesn't reject the medal because of who the president is. The medal is given by the highest office of our nation. The president has particular ceremonial role. So the question is, "Is Notre Dame giving a politcal stage on which Obama can represent the views of his party, or are they honoring the Office of the President and asking that office to honor their school?"
I don't know what life was like before the 1960's but most of the documentaries of that decade show protesters villianizing LBJ and Nixon after him. Reagan was attacked by the left and then Clinton by the right. George Bush received little or no respect for the last eight years.
It seems that the Office of the President, existing above the political battlefield, does not exist.
People who are pro-life, and I am one of them, cannot stand the thought of any honor being given, especially by a Catholic school, to an individual who has used all his power and abilities to undermine the right to life of the unborn.
We have no king or queen. We only have a president. But you would think that the Church would have its own standing, a standing above political expediency.
1 comment:
Exactly!
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