Alumni Lawyers Challenge Disgraceful Dishonesty of Notre Dame in Open Letter to Fr. John Jenkins

Our Lady must be weeping over the
duplicity of Notre Dame's administration!

Anyone following this blog has read some of the disgraceful actions of Fr. John Jenkins as president
of Notre Dame University. From honoring the most pro-abortion president in history to persecuting the pro-lifers who protested, Fr. Jenkins has shown himself to be more concerned with the almighty dollar and worldly honors than in the will of Almighty God and honoring our most Blessed Mother.

But the latest scandal really emphasizes that Fr. Jenkins is a man of the lie. After going to court to avoid the Obamacare mandate to provide abortion and contraception as a serious violation of religious liberty, the university now voluntarily offers both employees and students these moral evils.

What gives?

The representations to the court were apparently lies. Notre Dame has no problem with the moral evils after all. Here's a bit from the lawyers of the Sycamore Trust, alumni of Notre Dame, who penned the Open Letter to Fr. Jenkins:

The problem, as you know, came to light when, in the wake of the Trump administration’s offering Notre Dame what it had sought in the litigation – an exemption from the mandate — the University instead announced that its health plan contractors would continue providing free abortifacients and contraceptives to its students and employees. It is voluntarily continuing under the “accommodation” procedure that it sued to enjoin. It is now doing voluntarily precisely what it said it could not do in good conscience and without giving scandal, particularly to its students. 

The representations to the courts that now appear to have been false were forceful, multiple, and essential. They were designed to show in the strongest possible language that the mandate imposed a substantial burden on Notre Dame’s religious liberty. Unless it did, Notre Dame had no business in court.

These representations appeared in the affidavit of Dr. John Affleck Graves, Executive Vice President of the University. He described with considerable eloquence how the mandate required actions contrary to the conscience of an authentically Catholic university. Unfortunately, that school turns out not to be Notre Dame.

Not only is Notre Dame not authentically Catholic, but, under Fr. Jenkins, lying under oath is apparently perfectly okay. Because that is exactly what took place during the court proceeding. The lawyer who presented the case may have thought he was speaking the truth at the time. I certainly don't accuse him of lying. But clearly the case being represented was fake. This is what the lawyer said under oath:

It is a core tenet of Notre Dame’s religion that abortion, contraception, and sterilization are serious moral wrongs....Additionally, the Catholic moral tradition forbids “scandal,” which in the theological context is defined as encouraging by words or example other persons to engage in wrongdoing. “Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. The person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor’s tempter.” CCC 2284. Scandal is particularly grave when associated with those “who by nature or office are obliged to teach and educate others.” CCC 2285....Notre Dame’s Catholic beliefs, therefore, prohibit it from paying for, facilitating access to, and/or becoming entangled in the provision of abortion-inducing products, contraception, sterilization, or related counseling (the “objectionable products and services”).

I urge you to read the entire letter to realize exactly how dishonest and lacking in integrity the actions of the university were.

Clearly, Fr. Jenkins was just kidding (April fool!) and apparently he duped the lawyer as well as the courts about the administration's intentions.

But why?

Why did Notre Dame put on this charade about the mandate wasting the court's time and the university's money when they obviously decided not only to comply but even to extend coverage of abortion and contraception beyond the mandate to students as well as employees?

Lourdes grotto at Notre Dame where graduates
held a separate ceremony in 2009 when Fr. John
Jenkins honored President Barack Obama.

Well, since money and honor seem to be the gods in Fr. Jenkins' universe, I must presume it was all about fundraising and putting on a good show. "Hey, look how orthodox we are. Send money immediately so we can fight this injustice and puff out our chests as people of conscience!"

From his past actions, Fr. Jenkins appears to be motivated by a lust for the popularity of the world and sitting at the table with the high and mighty. But that requires one to be politically correct. So, having played the game (and probably getting some blowback from big contributors), he embraced the lord of the world and sacrificed the least of God's little ones on the altar of convenience. (Why does this remind me of the Aztecs?)

God help Fr. Jenkins! He will be responsible for every baby murdered or denied life under this evil policy.  But most of all, these actions show a disdain for the will of God and the integrity of Holy Mother Church. It is a major scandal!

Please pray for Fr. Jenkins and for Notre Dame. It was once a wonderful institution truly Catholic and a credit to the Church. Not any more. Our Lady must be weeping on top of that golden tower.