Notre Dame ignores calls to rescind Obama invitation

SOUTH BEND, IN - The University of Notre Dame is sticking with its invitation to President Barack Obama to speak at its May 17 commencement despite criticism from some Roman Catholics that his views on abortion and stem-cell research run counter to Catholic teachings

The Cardinal Newman Society, an advocacy group for orthodoxy on Catholic college and university campuses, calls the invitation to Obama "a scandal and an outrage."

As of Monday evening, the society said more than 33,000 people had signed its online petition urging Notre Dame's president, the Rev. John Jenkins, to withdraw the invitation.

Jenkins issued a statement Monday saying the invitation does not mean that Notre Dame supports all of Obama's positions. In an e-mail to The Associated Press, Notre Dame spokesman Dennis Brown added, "I don't foresee a circumstance in which we would rescind the invitation."