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Catholic leaders continue to react to the prospect of the University of Notre Dame granting President Barack Obama an honorary degree on May 17. In the Detroit archdiocese, Director of Communications Ned McGrath describes what has been said and done:

• Publicly, Archbishop Allen Vigneron acted very early on in voicing his disapproval of the University of Notre Dame honoring President Obama, doing so in interviews with Detroit-area news media outlets. 
• Privately, the archbishop addressed a personal letter to Fr. John Jenkins, CSC, president of Notre Dame, in March.  Reminding Fr. Jenkins of the many historic ties between Notre Dame and the Detroit archdiocese, the archbishop expressed both his disappointment and disagreement with the school's decision. 
• Archbishop Vigneron stands in solidarity with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on this matter - and the conference has said that politicians who support abortion "should not be given awards, honors, or platforms that would suggest support for their actions." (2004 Catholics in Political Life).

- Ned McGrath
Director of Communications
April 29, 2009