The Lessons of Notre Dame

On Sunday, Barack Obama became the first resolutely pro-choice president of the United States to deliver a commencement address at the nation's most resonantly Roman Catholic university. There were pro-life protests on the edge of the University of Notre Dame campus and thunderous applause from the graduating students. For the first time in the university's history, no American bishop was in attendance. So what was accomplished? And what should we take away?

Those who watched the entire graduation ceremony, either in person or on CNN, witnessed a demonstration of courtesy, mutual respect and civil discourse rarely seen in this abject season of ideological passion and venomous ill will. If there was a common theme to the day's speeches it was this: Thou Shall Not Demonize.

I hope the bishops and other Catholics who judged the president morally unworthy of an honorary degree from Notre Dame—and the university unfaithful to bestow it—took careful notes.

It required a measure of courage for Obama to accept the invitation from Notre Dame, knowing that he would have to acknowledge—at a time when he is seeking support for solving a global economic crisis and a worsening war in Afghanistan—differences on fundamental moral issues between himself and most of the 75 million Catholics in this country. It took considerably more courage for Notre Dame's president, Father John Jenkins, to invite Obama in the first place—and then to stand by his decision despite protests from the single-issue pro-life factions, withdrawals of alumni bequests, a steady stream of abusive e-mails to his office and public criticism from a quarter of the American Catholic hierarchy.

In his eloquent welcoming of the president, Father Jenkins emphasized that the university is "fully supportive of church teaching on the sanctity of human life, and we oppose his policies on abortion and embryonic stem-cell research." But he also observed that President Obama is not someone who stops talking to those who differ with him," adding, "This is a principle we share."

In his own address, President Obama acknowledged that while the views of most Americans are on the subject of abortion "are complex and contradictory, the fact is that at some level, the views of the [pro-life and pro-choice] camps are irreconcilable." But as each side presses its case, he pleaded, "surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature."

The president then went on to call for a common effort to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by "reducing unintended pregnancies and making adoption more available and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term." In so saying, Obama merely repeated longtime positions of the Democratic Party, and I, as a pro-life Catholic and graduate of Notre Dame was disappointed that he offered nothing more concrete.

For example, he could have signaled his support for the Pregnant Women Support Act, a common-ground initiative that Democrats for Life have introduced in the House and Senate, which has the endorsement of the Catholic bishops Pro-Life Committee.