Mary Ann Glendon declines Notre Dame award

Mary Ann Glendon, the Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard, faxed a letter to Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins, C.S.C. this morning, declining the Laetare Medal she was to receive at the school's graduation ceremony.

This follows the public controversy over the university awarding an honorary degree to President Barack Obama.

[A]s a longtime consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, I could not help but be dismayed by the news that Notre Dame also planned to award the president an honorary degree. This, as you must know, was in disregard of the U.S. bishops' express request of 2004 that Catholic institutions "should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles" and that such persons "should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions." That request, which in no way seeks to control or interfere with an institution's freedom to invite and engage in serious debate with whomever it wishes, seems to me so reasonable that I am at a loss to understand why a Catholic university should disrespect it.

Then I learned that "talking points" issued by Notre Dame in response to widespread criticism of its decision included two statements implying that my acceptance speech would somehow balance the event....

A commencement... is not the right place, nor is a brief acceptance speech the right vehicle, for engagement with the very serious problems raised by Notre Dame's decision -- in disregard of the settled position of the U.S. bishops -- to honor a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the Church's position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice....

It is with great sadness, therefore, that I have concluded that I cannot accept the Laetare Medal or participate in the May 17 graduation ceremony.

First Things has the entire letter, but their server appears to have crashed.

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“Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.”

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“Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.”

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“Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.”

May I suggest she be replaced with someone more befitting Notre Dame's current culture.. a Nancy Pelosi perhaps or maybe some of the other Catholics that have turned the Democrats into the prolife party that they now are?


Mary Ann Glendon, evidently, is too much of an extremist to be very effective as the token alternative voice for Magestrial values.

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“Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.”

Good for her. I hope the next person they offer the award to follows suit.

President Barack Obama reacted this way to Mary Ann Glendon’s decision to refuse to be honored alongside the pro-abortion president at Notre Dame’s May 17 commencement, MSNBC reports:

“President Obama is disappointed by former Ambassador Mary Glendon’s decision,” said spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki, “but he looks forward to delivering an... READ MORE

that will not happen, they will offer the award to someone who will not turn it down, either a mediocre talent who needs some fame or someone of compromised morals