Notre Dame has right to pull invitation

After a Daily Herald editorial defended the Naperville high school official who invited William Ayers to speak to students, it castigated Cardinal George for protesting Notre Dame's invitation to President Obama. Was the Chicago archbishop alone in this matter? Hardly.

The South Bend bishop and ten other priests from Congregation of the Holy Cross had already asked the Notre Dame leadership to rescind the invitation. This is the same order that founded the university. Additionally, Notre Dame student groups and alumni have joined this protest.

This is a matter that should be handled within the Notre Dame "community" and the Catholic Church. Between the faithful and the pragmatists. Because the aforementioned Mr. Ayers is a professor at a taxpayer funded university, and Naperville high is also taxpayer funded, I suppose a familiar relationship exists to connect these two institutions.

But, between a private Catholic school and the CEO of these United States?

Where's this wall of separation between church and state we hear so much about? Is Mr. Obama coming to Notre Dame as a parishioner in the pews?

Or, as the emperor telling his vassals how to live? How many practicing Catholics think it's proper for a major Catholic institution to bestow an honorary degree upon a newly inaugurated president? What has he done?

Is Chicago style "Pay to play" ratcheting up?

Paul Tait

Mount Prospect