Tradition upheld or upended?

Yes

Jack Zupko, associate professor of philosophy and director of the Catholic studies minor, Emory University

As a Catholic, I am proud that Notre Dame is continuing its tradition of inviting presidents to speak on campus with President Obama’s commencement address. Does the invitation “send the wrong message” in view of his support of abortion rights and stem cell research? I don’t think so. The best thing about his visit will not be the speech itself, but the opportunity it gives Notre Dame students to engage Catholic moral teaching and to think about how to live a Christian life in a secular world. I think protest is worthwhile but, from a Catholic perspective, I do not understand those who believe commencement speakers should pass some kind of moral or doctrinal litmus test. The error of seeing the world as a primordial struggle between good and evil was pointed out fifteen centuries ago by St. Augustine; hence the absurdity of demanding moral purity in a world where we are all but poor sinners.

No

Stephen Louis A. Dillard, a Macon attorney and founder of Southern Appeal, a conservative weblog

Notre Dame’s decision to have President Obama deliver its commencement address this year, and to award him with an honorary law degree, is a tragic mistake. As a Catholic university, Notre Dame’s academic mission is inextricably intertwined with its corresponding duty to promote and defend the tenets of the Catholic faith. One of the fundamental teachings of the Catholic Church is that all human life must be respected from the moment of conception until natural death. For this reason, the U.S. bishops have explicitly stated that Catholic institutions must “not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles.” And here, there is no question that Notre Dame has chosen to honor someone with an abysmal record on issues like abortion and embryonic-stem-cell research. In doing so, Notre Dame has tarnished its image, and, more importantly, harmed its ability to promote a culture of life in this country.