Notre Dame stage set for controversy

by John McCormick and Manya A. Brachear

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- President Barack Obama and a bitter debate over morality will collide under the University of Notre Dame's iconic Golden Dome when he arrives here this afternoon for a highly anticipated commencement address.

The national furor over whether such a prominent supporter of abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research should be honored at one of America's premier Catholic universities will come to a head with protests, prayer and boycotts.

Obama, meanwhile, will bring his well-established rhetorical ability and a history of reaching out to people of faith. Those techniques have in the past helped him confront equally contentious situations, such as when a controversial former pastor threatened his candidacy in 2008.

The drama has built since late March when Obama accepted the university's invitation to speak at the commencement and receive an honorary degree, outraging some students, graduates, Catholic bishops and outside groups.

On campus this morning, the scene was mostly tranquil, with few signs of protests, as graduates in suits, dresses and black robes walked under a cool spring sun with family members.

Small groups of protesters gathered at intersections near the school, holding signs that read such things as "Why is the church silent?" and "Abortion is torture." Cargo trucks with pictures of bloodied fetuses circled campus.

A small plane that has been flown across South Bend in recent days, pulling behind it a banner displaying the remains of an aborted fetus, was making what will likely be its final passes over campus this morning.

Temporary flight restrictions have been put in place by the Federal Aviation Administration for later today. Such restrictions are typical anywhere the president travels and limit planes within a 12-mile radius of his location to commercial, law enforcement, military and air ambulance flights.

About two dozen protesters were arrested Saturday on charges of trespassing and resisting law enforcement, according to The Associated Press.

The Pro-Life Action League and Citizens for a Pro-Life Society have said they plan to line nearly two miles of roads near the school with seven busloads of protesters from the Chicago area and Michigan. As of mid-morning, however, one major approach to campus had only a dozen or so people lining the route.

A group of Obama supporters, meanwhile, planned to greet him at the airport and then go door-to-door to collect canned food for a local pantry as a way to show their compassion.

As a candidate and as president, Obama has promoted policies popular with abortion rights supporters, while also suggesting that he wants to rise above the fierce rhetoric that often surrounds the issue.

The Notre Dame event, however, has become a rallying point for abortion-rights opponents during a time when Obama's presidency is weighing heavily on them as he prepares to pick a Supreme Court justice to replace retiring Justice David Souter.

Asked once during the campaign when human life begins, Obama responded by saying the question was "above my pay grade." As president, he has lifted his predecessor's limits on embryonic stem cell research and removed funding for abstinence-only sex education.

Obama often talks about being able to "disagree without being disagreeable." It is a theme he seems likely to reprise in his remarks to the graduates, including some who plan to remain silent as others applaud him inside. Aides have said he will directly address the debate over his invitation.

"I think the President, as somebody who has taught in a university setting, would understand that this is exactly the type of give-and-take that's had on college campuses all over the country," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Friday.

"But I think you'll also have a president and a commencement speaker that's quite cognizant of the fact that this is a commencement ceremony," Gibbs said. "This is a special occasion for families to celebrate the conferring of degrees in this ceremony and that the president will understand that's the most important aspect of the day."

Obama delivered his first commencement address as president on Wednesday at Arizona State University, where he used subtle humor to confront a less-intense controversy over the school's decision not to award him a ceremonial diploma because it claimed he had not yet accomplished enough to justify the honor.

Today's commencement ceremony, which includes more than 2,900 graduates, will take place inside the Joyce Center, a legendary basketball arena that seats more than 11,000.

Capt. Phil Trent, a spokesman for the South Bend Police Department, said nearby jurisdictions and the Indiana State Police have provided additional officers to the city for the day.

"Some of the groups that have decided to protest are contentious groups, so that could be problematic," he said. "Some of them are nationally recognized as being very outspoken and confrontational."

Alan Keyes, a former Republican presidential candidate who also lost to Obama in a lopsided 2004 election for U.S. Senate in Illinois, has been among those arrested in recent days for refusing to leave campus during protests that have included baby carriages with dolls covered in fake blood.

The Notre Dame speech comes as the White House has started to bring together abortion-rights supporters and opponents to discuss proposals to reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortions.

The meetings began about a month ago and are expected to run a couple more months, with the goal of having a proposal by late summer. The White House is interested in ideas such as sex education, contraception and adoption.

National opinion on the abortion is split. A Gallup Poll released Friday showed 51 percent of American adults consider themselves "pro-life" and 42 percent consider themselves "pro-choice." It was the first time a majority identified themselves as "pro-life" since Gallup started asking the question in 1995.

Catholics supported Obama over Sen. John McCain, 54 percent to 45 percent, according to exit polls in the 2008 election. That was significantly better than Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry, a Catholic himself, did against then-President George W. Bush in 2004.

Notre Dame's president, Rev. John Jenkins, has said the invitation to Obama does not imply the school supports all of his positions. Rather, he has argued that it is the basis for "further positive engagement."

The university's plan to honor a politician whose abortion-rights record clashes with a fundamental church teaching, however, has also prompted a strong reaction from the nation's Catholic bishops, with at least 74 publicly denouncing or questioning the decision.

Bishop John D'Arcy of the Diocese of Ft. Wayne-South Bend, whose jurisdiction includes Notre Dame, has also said he will boycott the ceremony and suggested the university has "chosen prestige over truth."

Also missing from the ceremony will be Mary Ann Glendon, a former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, who turned down a prestigious Notre Dame medal because she did not agree with the university's decision to honor Obama.

After his Notre Dame speech, the president is scheduled to travel to Indianapolis for a $15,000-per-couple fundraiser to benefit some of Indiana's congressional Democrats. He completes his commencement season tour Friday with a speech before the graduates at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland.