Before he was elevated to be Archbishop of Newark, John J. Myers was Bishop of Peoria, my diocese.  I always liked him. He was vibrant and orthodox and attracted many men to the priesthood during his tenure. Earlier this month he released this statement in regard to Obama Day at Notre Dame on May 17, 2009:
Statement of The Most Reverend John J. Myers,
Archbishop of Newark,
On Notre Dame University’s Decision to Host and Honor President Obama at its Commencement Ceremony
It pained me to hear that one of the symbols of Catholic education in our nation, Notre Dame University, had extended an invitation to President Obama to speak at its commencement.
Not all people believe what the Church teaches, and in our society today we sometimes must work on issues of importance with people who do not agree with us on the primacy of the sanctity and dignity of life — a moral issue on which there can be no compromise.
When we extend honors to people who do not share our respect and reverence for life in all stages, and give them a prominent stage in our parishes, schools and other institutions, we unfortunately create the perception that we endorse their public positions on these issues.  We cannot justify such actions, and the Bishops have stated so clearly and strongly.
If the president of Notre Dame University truly wishes to show that his institution is rooted in Catholic teaching and tradition and committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he must underscore this message at commencement plainly and clearly, and invite everyone to embrace an immutable and all-inclusive reverence for life.
Hattip to Catherine Harmon at The Catholic World Report.   The number of cardinals, bishops and archbishops who have spoken out against the Obama visit to Notre Dame is currently 50:
- Bishop John D’Arcy, Fort Wayne-South Bend
- Cardinal Francis George, Chicago
- Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Galveston-Houston
- Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Milwaukee (–> NYC)
- Archbishop John Nienstedt, St. Paul-Minneapolis
- Archbishop Eusebius Beltran, Oklahoma City
- Bishop Edward Slattery, Tulsa
- Archbishop John Myers, Newark
- Archbishop Alfred Hughs, New Orleans
- Bishop Joseph Martino, Scranton
- and Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty, Scranton
- Bishop Thomas Doran, Rockford, Ill.
- Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Phoenix
- Bishop Gregory Aymond, Austin
- Bishop Robert Lynch, St. Petersburg
- Bishop R. Walker Nickless, Sioux City
- Bishop Kevin Rhoades, Harrisburg, Pa.
- Bishop William E. Lori, Bridgeport, CT
- Bishop Robert Morlino, Madison WI
- Bishop George Murry, S.J., Youngstown, OH
- Bishop William Higi, Lafayette, IN
- Bishop Anthony Taylor of Little Rock, AR
- Archbishop Jose Gomez, San Antonio, TX
- and Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantu
- Bishiop Jerome Listecki, La Crosse, WI
- Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, Baltimore MD
- Bishop Alex Sample, Marquette MI
- Archbishop Daniel Buechlein, Indianapolis
- Bishop Robert Baker, Birmingham AL
- Bishop Samuel Aquila, Fargo ND
- Bishop Gerald Barbarito, Palm Beach FL
- Bishop Fabian Brukeswitz, Lincoln NE
- Bishop Richard Stika, Knoxville TN
- Bishop Robert Finn, Kansas City
- Bishop Joseph Latino, Jackson MS
- Bishop Leonard Blair, Toledo OH
- Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger, Evansville IN
- Bishop George Lucas, Springfield IL
- Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk, Cincinnati OH
- Bishop Thomas Wenski, Orlando FL
- Bishop Robert Vasa, Baker OR
- Bishop Paul Coakley, Salina KS
- Bishop John Le Voir, New Ulm MN
- Bishop Victor Galeone, St. Augustine FL
- Bishop David Zubik, Pittsburgh PA
- Bishop Paul Loverde, Arlington VA
- Archbishop Joseph Naumann, Kansas City, KS
- Bishop Peter Jugis of Charlotte, NC (April 24 Catholic News & Herald in a short publisher’s note to a story on the topic)
- Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Center, NY (April 25 at a homily for a men’s conference with 800 attendants)
- Bishop Glen Provost, Lake Charles LA
Update: Hattip to Catholic Online. Archbishop Charles Chaput weighs in against the Notre Dame invitation and expresses his admiration for Mary Ann Glendon’s refusal of the Laetare Medal.
“I very much admire Mary Ann Glendon’s decision to decline the Laetare Medal, as well as Bishop John D’Arcy’s excellent leadership in this matter,” said the Archbishop. “I’m glad so many bishops have expressed their concern.”
Chaput also lauded ND alumnus and Wall Street Journal columnist William McGurn’s recent comments criticizing the school’s “route to incoherence” in a campus event sponsored by Notre Dame’s Center for Ethics and Culture.
Chaput said it was “difficult to imagine any way” the Obama invitation could be justified in light of the U.S. bishops’ 2004 document “Catholics in Political Life.” The directive states: “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.”
“Notre Dame didn’t need to do this to show its openness to ‘dialogue,'” Chaput continued. “And candidly, very few Notre Dame faculty members would accept from their students the kind of creative reasoning now being used to defend the invitation.”
The number of bishops speaking out against the Obama administration now stands at 53:
1. Bishop John D’Arcy – Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN
2. Bishop Samuel Aquila – Fargo, ND
3. Bishop Gregory Aymond – Austin, TX
4. Bishop Gerald Barbarito – Palm Beach, FL
5. Bishop Leonard Blair – Toledo, OH
6. Archbishop Daniel Buechlein – Indianapolis, IN
7. Bishop Robert Baker – Birmingham, AL
8. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz – Lincoln, NE
9. Archbishop Eusebius Beltran – Oklahoma City, OK
10. Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú – San Antonio, TX
11. Archbishop Charles Chaput – Denver, CO
12. Bishop Paul Coakley – Salina, KS
13. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo – Houston, TX
14. Archbishop Timothy Dolan – New York, NY
15. Bishop Thomas Doran – Rockford, IL
16. Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty – Scranton, PA
17. Bishop Robert Finn – Kansas City-St. Joseph, MO
18. Bishop Joseph Galante – Camden, NJ
19. Bishop Victor Galeone – St. Augustine, FL
20. Cardinal Francis George – Chicago, IL; President, USCCB
21. Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger – Evansville, IN
22. Archbishop José Gomez – San Antonio, TX
23. Bishop William Higi – Lafayette, IN
24. Archbishop Alfred Hughes – New Orleans, LA
25. Bishop Peter Jugis – Charlotte, NC
26. Bishop Joseph Latino – Jackson, MS
27. Bishop John LeVoir – New Ulm, MN
28. Bishop Jerome Listecki – La Crosse, WI
29. Bishop William E. Lori – Bridgeport, CT
30. Bishop Paul Loverde – Arlington, VA
31. Bishop George Lucas – Springfield, IL
32. Bishop Robert Lynch – St. Petersburg, FL
33. Bishop Joseph Martino – Scranton, PA
34. Bishop Robert Morlino – Madison, WI
35. Bishop George Murry – Youngstown, OH
36. Archbishop John J. Myers – Newark, NJ
37. Archbishop Joseph Naumann – Kansas City, KS
38. Bishop R. Walker Nickless – Sioux City, IA
39. Archbishop John C. Nienstedt – St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN
40. Archbishop Edwin O’Brien – Baltimore, MD
41. Bishop Thomas Olmsted – Phoenix, AZ
42. Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk – Cincinnati, OH
43. Bishop Glen Provost – Lake Charles, LA
44. Cardinal Justin Rigali – Philadelphia, PA; Chairman, USCCB Pro-Life Committee
45. Bishop Kevin Rhoades – Harrisburg, PA
46. Bishop Alexander Sample – Marquette, MI
47. Bishop Edward J. Slattery – Tulsa, OK
48. Bishop Richard Stika – Knoxville, TN
49. Bishop Anthony Taylor – Little Rock, AR
50. Bishop Robert Vasa – Baker, OR
51. Bishop Thomas Wenski – Orlando, FL
52. Archbishop Donald Wuerl – Washington, D.C.
53. Bishop David Zubick – Pittsburgh, PA
Has Bishop Jenky said anything? And have you read Archbishop Myers’s book, Space Vulture? It’s a fun sci-fi work.
In regard to Bishop Jenky, he has not yet Zak and I hope he does soon. My guess is that he has been working behind the scenes to attempt to get the invitation rescinded, obviously without success up to this time.
I am aware of Space Vulture.
http://www.scificatholic.com/2008/06/book-review-space-vulture.html
To say the least, an Archbishop who also writes science fiction is an unusal combination! I love science fiction, but I have not read this book yet.
I do hope Bishop Jenky will say something publicly soon.
I’ve also been surprised not to have seen any statements from Chaput yet.
In other developments, a case of swine flu has been reported at Notre Dame…. with all the hysteria about an imminent pandemic, I wonder if this won’t give Obama and/or Jenkins just the “out” they need to cancel the speech.
Blog posts portraying swine flu as divine punishment for the ND scandal or for the election of Obama will commence in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1….
I mean blog posts on Catholic blogs in general, not just here.
In regard to recurrent flu hysteria, anyone else remember the swine flu “crisis” during the Ford administration?, this article has a good common sense take.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/27/swine-flu-mexico-sars-business-healthcare-flu-hysteria.html
Yes, Don, I do, though I was only 12 years old at the time. I don’t recall anyone in my family getting swine flu shots, because they thought the whole thing was a boondoggle.
My exhaustive Web-based research (translation: a quick glance at a couple of Wikipedia and other articles) finds that U.S. deaths attributed to swine flu vaccine (25) far outnumbered confirmed U.S. deaths from swine flu itself (1). Still, public health researchers do regard the 1976 swine flu scare as a valuable lesson in what to do, and what NOT to do, in the event of a genuine pandemic.
Back in 93, Jenky protested, preached, publically condemned a tavern owner who was going to name a sports bar the Hail Mary. Jenky was so outraged that Our Lady’s name would be made a mascot. Yet the most powerful pro abortion politician on the planet wears Our Lady’s name and is honored at Our Lady’s University where Jenky is on the Board, yet he is silent as can be. Hey Jenky, why no public witness, outcry? Why no resignation from Our Lady’s University that causes such a scandal, that hosts the Vagina Monologues and an annual Queer Festival? Frankly Bishop J., you are a hypocrite.
Matt, the incident you referred to was in 2003. Otherwise, although it pains me greatly to say it, you are correct as to Bishop Jenky. He has always been very active in the pro-life cause, but when it mattered most, when his speaking out might have derailed yesterday’s profanation of Notre Dame, Bishop Jenky was nowhere to be found.