Notre Dame alumni, students urge rescinding of award to Biden
June 21, 2024
» Continue to this story on Sycamore Trust
CWN Editor's Note: Almost 2,000 students and alumni of Notre Dame have signed a petition urging the school’s outgoing president, Father John Jenkins, to rescind the Laetare Medal awarded in 2106 to then-Vice President Joe Biden.
The Laetare Medal is conferred annually by Notre Dame “in recognition of outstanding service to the Catholic Church and society.” American political leaders who have received the award in the past include President John F. Kennedy, Al Smith, Ed Muskie, Sargent Shriver, and Tip O’Neill.
”Whatever the warrant for the award at that time, Biden as President has become the most formidable adversary of the Catholic Church on abortion, the very issue the nation’s bishops, in their guide to Catholic voters, have consistently declared their “preeminent priority,” the petition reasons. The petition campaign is organized by the Sycamore Trust, a group formed to “advocate for Notre Dame’s fidelity to its Catholic mission and values.”
Father Jenkins, who has been president of Notre Dame since 2005, stepped down at the end of this academic year, but remains a member of the university’s board. During his tenure as president, Notre Dame revoked honors that had been awarded to Theodore McCarrick, Bill Cosby, and Jean Vanier— in each case, because of reports that the recipient had been guilty of sexual abuse.
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