Notre Dame Students Select Father Frank Pavone to Lead Obama-Free Graduation

[Thrill]

outh Bend, IN (LifeNews.com) -- Notre Dame students who don't want to attend a graduation ceremony involving pro-abortion President Barack Obama put together alternate plans. Today, they announced that Father Frank Pavone, the director of Priests for Life, will lead prayer at a pro-life prayer vigil.

The Class of 2009 Vigil for Life will be celebrated at Sunday's commencement ceremony at the same time as the graduation event.

“In standing with these students, I am standing with the true spirit of Notre Dame: a pro-life spirit, in harmony with human reason and Catholic Faith," Father Pavone told LifeNews.com on Monday.

"The scandal that has been generated does not represent what Notre Dame is all about," Pavone added. "It represents a radical betrayal of what Notre Dame is all about."

Pavone said the scandal has resulted in pro-life Catholics standing up for the teachings of the Catholic Church and wanting to hold the university accountable to them.

“Hundreds of thousands of Catholics, hundreds of priests, and dozens of bishops have called upon Notre Dame to end this scandal by withdrawing its invitation to President Obama," he said. "The result of that demand is not in our control."

Pavone told LifeNews.com he thinks pro-life students should exercise their right not to attend the graduation ceremony, where President Obama will give the commencement address and receive an honorary degree.

"One final response to this scandal is fully in the control of each graduating senior: don't show up. Don't participate in an event which will only serve to obscure rather than highlight the Church’s pro-life teaching and the true spirit of Notre Dame," Pavone continued.

"The seniors who do this are manifesting the real meaning of commencement: they are carrying out the witness to truth and service that their hard-earned degrees have prepared them to give in the world," he added.

Some pro-life students plan to join Pavone for the alternative event, but others plan to conduct their own protest during the graduation ceremonies, ND Response, the pro-life collection of student groups, told LifeNews.com last week.

"It certainly appears obvious from these announced plans that a large or perhaps the sole focus of that response is a boycott," ND Response indicated. "There also may be other small groups or individuals amongst the 2009 graduates and their guests who have their own ideas about raising the pro-life issue to Mr. Obama inside the Joyce Center."

The students say they want a focus on peaceful and respectful opposition, especially in light of some of the more in-your-face opposition appearing at their campus in recent days along with the arrest of some pro-life advocates.

http://www.lifenews.com/state4129.html

Looks like there are going to be some idiots who are going to ruin their own graduation for stupid reasons

[Name removed]

1. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

2. "... pro-abortion..."

Those fuckers continue to co-opt and corrupt the goddamned language.

We're ALL pro-life, you lying fuckers. We, and President Obama, happen to be PRO-CHOICE. You people are ANTI-CHOICE.

Big difference, you sleazy fucks.............

[SalmonChantedEvening]

3. Touchdown Jesus Wept. n/t

[emulatorloo]

4. Bet the Obama one will be more fun - cuz all the crazy glittery-eyed ones will at this one

EOM

[Cha]

5. I bet that's going to be some

graduation speech Prez Obama gives. Does anyone know the date? I'm not going on that link.

[bettybarb1]

13. Re: Obama at ND

The Graduation is on Sunday, the 17th. My nephew is getting his undergrad degree there. His family, (my brother, his mother, and sister) are Catholics, pro-life and voted for Obama. They can grasp the larger picture of the US and the world. All of them are looking forward to Obama's speech. Wish I could be there. Hope they record the festivities and maybe a few of the outside protesters. Also hope it does not become a circus.

[Cha]

14. Well, thank you, bettybarb,

and I hope all your wishes come true:)

Thankfully, most people do grasp the larger issues..the big picture as it were. The haters depend on those who don't.

[OHDEM]

6. Why does this make me feel so sad?

I know these right-wing, anti-choicers are out there, but politicizing the President's visit on something like this just bums me out. I'd wager it bums out some ND students, too.

WTF?!? I'm tired of these moral police who pick and choose what part of the bible (maybe only in their mind) that they'll follow and then politicize it! GRRRRR!

[HopeOverFear]

7. Anti-choicers are losing they damn minds over this

[Arugula Latte]

8. These "pro-life" students undoubtedly would have welcomed Bush, the Butcher of Baghdad

But, these kids weren't fetuses, so who cares, right "pro-lifers?"

[spanone]

9. fuck them....they can explain to their children how they missed a chance to see history

because of their ignorance

[msanthrope]

10. That's the ghoul in the middle of the Terry Schiavo mess.

Excellent choice.

[and-justice-for-all]

11. Those people are only happy when others are suffering...nt

[jbnow]

12. I do not believe that "“Hundreds of thousands of Catholics" have called

to get Obama's invitation revoked.

This really is disgusting and disrespectful. Obama agrees with a law that has been in place since he was a child. He has not performed abortions, he won't be doing one on stage, he is not coming to praise abortion.

He is their president too, in fact Catholics voted for him in a greater percentage than the general population did.

Of course Jesus was always talking about hating people who supported abortion. When others would bring up feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless or something he'd say "Shut your mouth. It doesn't matter how we treat them after birth." He only cared about the fetus and not about the life of the mother who was already a thinking human being with a life...Like the church he would shrug off the toll of a woman or even a little girl bearing the child of her rapist,you know the Christian way. Oh and gays, he talked about gays. Hated em. He had no patience with sinners. He just liked the self righteous people who judged and scorned. he'd say it is only his father in heaven who could judge "and you guys too" he'd add.
Who would Jesus want a beer with? Obama or bush? Oh bush would be perfect...all those executions as governor and the hundreds of thousands of dead innocents killed in a war of choice. Obama? Well Obama is all full of those fruits of the spirit. You know, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Jesus wouldn't put up with that crap. Why would he want to even know a thoughtful, respectful and honest man?

So I guess I understand.

I'd like Jesus or his dad to show up at that graduation...the usual like Hillary talked about “The sky will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing..." and then the divine being will give a little speech before Obama's...with special messages for the haters.
I'd like that.

[Ilsa]

15. I'm sure they can find someone like Carrie Prejean to give a speech

about pro-war, pro-death penalty values to make them feel better.

[StarTurtle]

16. He's a great choice from a linguistic point of view.

Pavone is Italian for peacock. It's the perfect name for someone who loves to make a huge display in public.

[RagAss]

17. Fuck Notre Dame !