Spring Break
Protesters gather outside J.A.C.C. to make statement against cardinal's presence at forum
Maddie Hanna
Issue date: 9/23/05 Section: News
Five hundred leaflets protesting Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga's presence on campus were quietly distributed to the throngs of people who flocked to Thursday's Notre Dame Forum at the Joyce Center.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) president Barbara Blaine said members wanted to make a statement against Honduran archbishop Rodriguez, who accused U.S. media in 2002 of covering the Church's sex abuse scandal in ways "reminiscent more of Stalin and Hitler."
"We are really concerned that Cardinal Rodriguez is being honored to speak here on Notre Dame's campus," Blaine said, criticizing Rodriguez for never apologizing for his "disparaging remarks."
Blaine said Rodriguez's presence at the Forum was made worse given Notre Dame's character.
"Notre Dame is holding itself out as a university that fosters or values inquiry or discussion," she said. "We believe that statements like Cardinal Rodriguez's do just the opposite. It's deterred other victims from coming forward."
R. Scott Appleby, Forum organizer and director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, said Rodriguez was chosen by the Inaugural Committee as a representative from the internal Catholic hierarchy.
Appleby said Rodriguez, "a friend of the University for some time," had not been expected to create controversy.
"It's unfortunate that the comments he made in 2002 have obscured a lifelong commitment to social justice and care for the poor," Appleby said.
Although Appleby said Rodriguez' past comments did not pertain to the Forum's topic, "Why God? Understanding Religion and Enacting Faith in a Plural World," Blaine disagreed.
"It's interesting," Blaine said. "There is a concern for Catholic values outside of the Church, but not within the Church ... We are the faithful Catholic sons and daughters who were raped and sodomized by priests that our parents trusted."
Blaine said SNAP, a national organization with 5,700 members and chapters in 60 cities, did not contact Notre Dame directly about its plans, but did inform Appleby "out of courtesy."
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) president Barbara Blaine said members wanted to make a statement against Honduran archbishop Rodriguez, who accused U.S. media in 2002 of covering the Church's sex abuse scandal in ways "reminiscent more of Stalin and Hitler."
"We are really concerned that Cardinal Rodriguez is being honored to speak here on Notre Dame's campus," Blaine said, criticizing Rodriguez for never apologizing for his "disparaging remarks."
Blaine said Rodriguez's presence at the Forum was made worse given Notre Dame's character.
"Notre Dame is holding itself out as a university that fosters or values inquiry or discussion," she said. "We believe that statements like Cardinal Rodriguez's do just the opposite. It's deterred other victims from coming forward."
R. Scott Appleby, Forum organizer and director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, said Rodriguez was chosen by the Inaugural Committee as a representative from the internal Catholic hierarchy.
Appleby said Rodriguez, "a friend of the University for some time," had not been expected to create controversy.
"It's unfortunate that the comments he made in 2002 have obscured a lifelong commitment to social justice and care for the poor," Appleby said.
Although Appleby said Rodriguez' past comments did not pertain to the Forum's topic, "Why God? Understanding Religion and Enacting Faith in a Plural World," Blaine disagreed.
"It's interesting," Blaine said. "There is a concern for Catholic values outside of the Church, but not within the Church ... We are the faithful Catholic sons and daughters who were raped and sodomized by priests that our parents trusted."
Blaine said SNAP, a national organization with 5,700 members and chapters in 60 cities, did not contact Notre Dame directly about its plans, but did inform Appleby "out of courtesy."