How many bishops have publicly objected to Notre Dame?

Here is a list, thanks to Sober Inebriation

70 Bishops so far

1. Bishop John D’Arcy, Fort Wayne-South Bend
2. Cardinal Francis George, Chicago
3. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Galveston-Houston
4. Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Milwaukee (–> NYC)
5. Archbishop John Nienstedt, St. Paul-Minneapolis
6. Archbishop Eusebius Beltran, Oklahoma City
7. Bishop Edward Slattery, Tulsa
8. Archbishop John Myers, Newark
9. Archbishop Alfred Hughs, New Orleans
10. Bishop Joseph Martino, Scranton
11. Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty, Scranton
12. Bishop Thomas Doran, Rockford, Ill.
13. Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Phoenix
14. Bishop Gregory Aymond, Austin
15. Bishop Robert Lynch, St. Petersburg
16. Bishop R. Walker Nickless, Sioux City
17. Bishop Kevin Rhoades, Harrisburg, Pa.
18. Bishop William E. Lori, Bridgeport, CT
19. Bishop Robert Morlino, Madison WI
20. Bishop George Murry, S.J., Youngstown, OH
21. Bishop William Higi, Lafayette, IN
22. Bishop Anthony Taylor of Little Rock, AR
23. Archbishop Jose Gomez, San Antonio, TX
24. Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantu
25. Bishiop Jerome Listecki, La Crosse, WI
26. Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, Baltimore MD
27. Bishop Alex Sample, Marquette MI
28. Archbishop Daniel Buechlein, Indianapolis
29. Bishop Robert Baker, Birmingham AL
30. Bishop Samuel Aquila, Fargo ND
31. Bishop Gerald Barbarito, Palm Beach FL
32. Bishop Fabian Brukeswitz, Lincoln NE
33. Bishop Richard Stika, Knoxville TN
34. Bishop Robert Finn, Kansas City
35. Bishop Joseph Latino, Jackson MS
36. Bishop Leonard Blair, Toledo OH
37. Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger, Evansville IN
38. Bishop George Lucas, Springfield IL
39. Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk, Cincinnati OH
40. Bishop Thomas Wenski, Orlando FL
41. Bishop Robert Vasa, Baker OR
42. Bishop Paul Coakley, Salina KS
43. Bishop John Le Voir, New Ulm MN
44. Bishop Victor Galeone, St. Augustine FL
45. Bishop David Zubik, Pittsburgh PA
46. Bishop Paul Loverde, Arlington VA
47. Archbishop Joseph Naumann, Kansas City, KS
48. Bishop Peter Jugis of Charlotte, NC
49. Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Center, NY
50. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, CO
51. Bishop Glen Provost of Lake Charles LA
52. Bishop Joseph Galante of Camden, NJ
53. Cardinal Rigali of Philadelphia, PA
54. Bishop John McCormack of Manchester, NH
55. Archbishop Doland Wuerl of Washington, DC (somewhat)
56. Bishop Bernard Harrington of Winona, MN
57. Bishop Michael Warfel of Great Falls-Billings, MT
58. Bishop Michael Jackels of Wichita, KS
59. Bishop James Johnson of Springfield – Cape Girardeau, MO
60. Bishop Edward Cullen of Allentown, PA (diocesan newspaper)
61. (Aux.) Bishop Roger Gries of Cleveland, OH (highschool address)
62. Bishop Robert Hermann, apostolic administrator of St. Louis, MO
63. Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, WI
64. Bishop Remundo Pena of Brownsville, TX
65. Bishop George Thomas of Helena, MT
66. Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, MA at Boston College Law School
67. Bishop John Gaydos of Jefferson City (in the Catholic Missourian)
68. Bishop Lawrence Brandt of Greensburg, PA
69. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, NY
70. Bishop Joseph of Altoona-Johnstown, PA

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57 Comments

  1. SC says:

    Dear Fr. Z,
    Thank you for the latest tally! This is a wonderful way to start the week! Can you tell us how many total bishops there are in the US?
    Thank you,
    SC

  2. Therese Z says:

    My bishop’s not on there. Is it a good thing to ask his office politely why, or just pray that he has some compelling reason to stay out of the fray?

    I hesitate to contact the diocesan office because I’m sure that people pick and complain and whine all day and I’d prefer not to add to that general activity.

  3. Charles in CenCA says:

    I ran the list twice; not one from California?
    Stunned. Silence.

  4. Ricky Vines says:

    #55 somewhat?

    — That’s a commentary unto itself sadly.

  5. irishgirl says:

    The new Bishop of Syracuse isn’t on the list-nor the current one!

    And Hubbard of Albany and Clark of Rochester aren’t there, either…..

  6. xathar says:

    The Bishop of Altoona-Johnstown is Bishop Joseph Adamec.

  7. Bob A says:

    And the band played on! When is the ND disgrace going to be stopped or are we simply going to wag our fingers at them?

  8. chironomo says:

    At what point does opposition become “overwhelming”? And will the media continue to describe 70 Bishops as “a few” and “some” or “a number of…”?

  9. Scott says:

    How many local ordinaries does the United States Bishops Conference have?

  10. Memphis Aggie says:

    My Bishops not on the list either – don’t know why not, there must be some reason.

  11. Dr. Eric says:

    Neither my bishop nor his predecessor are on the list.

  12. Rob in Maine says:

    My Bishop never makes these lists. I wonder why…..

  13. TNCath says:

    Omitted from this list is Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia. See below:

    http://patricknovecosky.wordpress.com/2009/05/04/cardinal-bevilacqua-addresses-notre-dame-controversy/

    Memphis Aggie, this might help shed some light as to why your bishop is not on the list:

    http://www.cdom.org/wtc/wtc_archives/wtc102308/wtc_pages/feature_article1.htm

  14. Central Valley says:

    Has there been one California bishop to speak out against this scandal? Here in the diocese of Fresno, Bishop John t. Steinbock is silent as always. Steinbock will not speak because the party comes before the faith in this diocese. Archbishop Burke says the Sebelius appointment is of “the deepest embarrassment” Another deep embarrassment is the refusal of the California bishops to speak publicly regarding the Notre Damn and the Sebelius scandals. The refusal of the California bishops to speak individualy or collectively is of the deepest embarrassment to catholics in the pews.

  15. ED says:

    Actions speak louder than words ,how is it that the Holy Cross Fathers and Father Jenkins have more power than 70 Bishops. Can’t he be removed and replaced by one of the Holy Cross Fathers who ae in agreement with the Bishop. What a scandal this is watching the power JESUS gave to the Bishops shown to be impotent. And if that isn’t bad enough the longtime heretical Jesuit priest who runs the University of San Francisco has invited Bishop Dowling (condom advocate ) to speak at the commencement. His response to critics if hes fine with Rome hes fine with me. This fellow knows Rome never does squat!!!

  16. Charivari Rob says:

    Scott – “How many local ordinaries does the United States Bishops Conference have?”

    Somewhere over 190. I lost count in the middle of the page.

    http://www.usccb.org/dioceses.shtml

    For what it’s worth, Wikipedia says 194/195:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_Roman_Catholic_dioceses_of_the_United_States

  17. Clement says:

    Surprisingly I did not see Bishop Burbidge of the Diocese of Raleigh North Carolina, on the list. Bishop Jugis of the Diocese of Charlotte is there though.

    He is an Ordinary that has recently given Confirmation in the Gregorian Rite, and he supports the TLM in his diocese, so I would figure that His Excellency would stand up to the Pro-Abortion Father Jenkins and make a statement.

    I am very surprised.
    Please correct me if I am wrong, anybody.

  18. Kimberly says:

    Wow, great stuff Father Z. My bishop made the list – God bless him.

  19. JaneC says:

    Another Californian here, disappointed to see no bishops from my state on that list. My husband’s home state is Washington–no bishops from there, either.

  20. Remember, friends, Notre Dame and other “Catholic” colleges and universities were very clear in 1967 when they signed the Land O’Lakes Agreement and removed themselves from the authority of the Church. They turned themselves over to lay boards.

    None of this seemed to bother Church leaders until this year when they realized that IDEAS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. Surrender on artificial contraception, then abortion, then pornography, then sodomy, then embryonic stem cell research, then sodomite marriage, then sodomite adoption until you finally realize you are living in the Roman Empire BEFORE CHRIST!

  21. Mark says:

    Wuerl’s first name is Donald, not Doland.

  22. JML says:

    This past Saturday my youngest son graduated summa cum laude from Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA). For those of you who may have forgotten, Liberty was founded by Dr. Jerry Falwell in 1971 as the evangelical equivalent of Notre Dame.

    The graduation speaker was Ben Stein (he received an Hon. Doctorate of Humanities) who talked about the overeliance on Darwinism that forgets that God had something to do with creation. He also talked that forgetting about God’s hand in creation allows us to murder our unborn children at unprecedented rates.

    It seems now that Notre Dame should strive to be the Catholic equivalent of Liberty University.

  23. Baron Korf says:

    AmP has a post on this in terms of the dioceses of the USA. A little dated, but still good.

    http://www.americanpapist.com/2009/05/update-1-in-3-dioceses-are-critical-of.html

  24. Gloria says:

    I, too am disappointed that none of our California hierarchy appears on the list. I expected some of them, at least, would be vocal. The best thing in the world would be if some of those bishops listed had the courage and leadership to appear and pray with the protesters, wearing their episcopal garb, and “put their money where their mouth is,” so to speak. The news that Alan Keyes was arrested for trespassing on the ND campus(the picture showed him being handcuffed with his rosary in his hands) certainly didn’t make the mainstream. He plans on going back. Letters and petitions are o.k., but it’s time, I believe, to be increasingly visible and vocal before the right to assemble and protest is a memory. We are in major spiritual warfare as well as a battle to protect our Constitutional liberties. Both are important. Our Lady is the key. Monthly Fatima processions after Mass, with rosary and benediction begin this month at our parish and continue through October. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, protect the Americas.

  25. Tim says:

    I do not see His Excellency Bishop Matthew H. Clark of Rochester on there. Perhaps he was busy scheduling the next liturgical dance at our Cathedral?

    -Tim, the tool man

  26. paul says:

    Cardinal O’Malley?? Please say something, laity from Boston need to hear from you.

  27. “Bishop Joseph of Altoona-Johnstown, PA”

    I’m somewhat surprised, given what other locals have said.

  28. Maggie says:

    The Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau is James V. Johnston. Not Johnson.

  29. paul says:

    Sorry, it looks like from the list Cardinal O’Malley did say something.

  30. The Diocese of Dallas Web site just references the letters Cardinal George wrote “on behalf of all the country’s bishops.” I still hope Bishop Farrell will issue his own statement/letter. I wrote a letter to ask and encourage him to consider doing so.

  31. ckdexterhaven says:

    Clement, you’re not mistaken about Bishop Burbridge of Raleigh. I have called the main diocese number several times over the past 3 weeks. Every time I call, I am (sometimes rudely) immediately transferred to the ‘director of communications”. I have never gotten this fellow on the phone, just voice mail. I, too, am confused.

  32. DarkKnight says:

    Crickets chirp in San Francisco.

  33. Josef says:

    Thank God for Bishops who are good shepherds and who are not cowards.

  34. eyeclinic says:

    I see one representative from Michigan- his Eminence Bp. Sample, one of the nation’s youngest bishops. I hope that bodes well for our future in MI. From the lower peninsula, not a peep!(Yet?) Also very telling about the state of the Church and its leadership here.

  35. anson says:

    You missed Bishop Conley of Denver.

  36. I thought I read his condemnation in the diocesan paper of the excellent Bishop Serratelli of Paterson N.J. .I could be wrong.
    May the Holy Martyr and Bishop St. John Fisher pray for our Episcopate.

  37. Charles says:

    The bishops should encourage parents of high school age Catholics to attend state universities rather than private secular colleges like Notre Dame.

    I was thrilled when my nephew took my advice and chose CCNY (City College of New York) over my alma mater Fordham University. He saved a ton of money and possibly his faith.

    I don’t believe appeals to morality, faith or integrity matter to Notre Dame’s Administration. But affect the bottom line and then the bishops might have some leverage.

  38. JohnE says:

    It could be that some bishops feel that the number who have already responded make the point, and that adding their name is not necessary. What is interesting is that the number of bishops who have been compelled to speak at all have all expressed disapproval of ND’s actions. If there’s a list of bishops supporting ND’s actions, I haven’t seen it.

    Still, it would be interesting to see how many of these bishops were also the same ones who corrected Pelosi’s remarks about when life begins. I pray that those bishops who don’t speak out on these issues are really looking out for what’s best for their flock. Seems to me that speaking out on the issues of the day are precisely what the bishops should be doing. Silence could be and probably will be taken as approval — “65% of bishops do not disapprove of ND’s honoring Obama” sounds like a possible NCReporter headline.

  39. Bryan says:

    Charles: Agree about Fordham. I too am Jesuit-educated, but still Catholic…:)

    All you have to do is read the glossies the alumni association puts out to see where the priorities lie.

  40. Salvatore Giuseppe says:

    4 out of 7 in Florida, including my very own Bishop of St. Augustine His Excellency Victor Galeone, who has always been strongly outspoken on Life.

    Absent however is the Archbishop of Miami, who is the head of the metropolitan of Florida. This is unfortunate because as the Archbishop, he could have some sway over the other two bishops(Venice and Tallahassee-Pensacola) to speak up as well.

  41. mpm says:

    Comment by Charles — 11 May 2009 @ 12:05 pm

    Charles,

    I think your suggestion is important in this age of apostasy.

    I would only add that they ought to be absolutely committed to provide a Chaplain for such colleges/universities who is a true shepherd, with a solid doctrinal formation himself, someone who is more than happy to sign a mandatum, which should be required for the assignment!

  42. pel says:

    I appreciate these efforts to voice discontent, but it is very hypocritical and makes one cynical.

    For instance, I see my own bishop in that list. However, my bishop has a so-called Catholic university in his diocese, and he has done little to promote, enforce, or encourage a strictly Catholic identity to that university during his tenure, now approaching a decade.

    Additionally, our local Catholic university is widely considered to be far more “liberal” than Notre Dame. But I have never heard a peep out of our bishop trying to promote traditional Catholicism there.

    Again, it is hard for me to be optimistic about a lot of the names in this list. It’s easy to criticize Notre Dame when it costs you little and gains you attention. But the true test will be for some of these bishops to shake things up at their local Catholic university(s) instead of wag their finger at Notre Dame, over which they have no control.

  43. Deo volente says:

    Archbishop Edwin O’Brien of Baltimore followed this up with an even more forceful musing this past week. I am extremely happy that he is voicing a strong opinion on this.

    D.v.

  44. Therese Z says:

    “For instance, I see my own bishop in that list. However, my bishop has a so-called Catholic university in his diocese, and he has done little to promote, enforce, or encourage a strictly Catholic identity to that university during his tenure, now approaching a decade.”

    Cdl George has several largely-lousy Catholic universities under his watch, but if he didn’t speak out, I’d have thought much less of him. You can only change so many things at a time and in small steps.

    I think his statement, especially his statement about meeting with Obama, was very well done. So I would hate to lose it because Loyola Chicago (somewhat) and DePaul (totally) have been going out of their freaking institutional minds for several decades now.

  45. ssoldie says:

    We got Mpls /St. Paul and also New Ulm, here in Minnsota, now we need the rest to sign in, how about St Cloud, how about Duluth?

  46. mfg says:

    The headscratcher is that 100% of the bishops have not been heard from. I guess they know something about wiggleroom in Catholicism that has escaped the rest of us. If we can’t all be of one mind on the right to life of the innocent unborn, what other issue will ever unite us? Having said as much I am not surprised that no Southern California bishop’s name appears on the list. Their gods seem to be politics and mammon. I am very surprised not to see the name of Bishop Salvatore Cordelione of Oakland.

  47. Jason says:

    Where are my three bishops from Seattle? It is encouraging to see that many of our sheperds are speaking out about this.

  48. Son of Trypho says:

    Fr Z
    You should probably think about putting up a list of Catholic theologians/clergy and their positions that have supported the ND-Obama degree award as well (i.e. those opposed to the Bishops). It would make for very interesting reading and would be a good resource for referencing in the future.

  49. Daniel says:

    Hmmm. All the bishops in Kansas except my bishop. Odd. Shows the embarrassing state of things here.

  50. Allison says:

    All the Bishops geographically near Delaware, but not Biden’s Bishop Malooly…..hmmm…..

  51. The complete absence of Californian bishops makes me wonder: if we graphed these bishops on a map of the USA, would it reveal the same red state / blue state divide that federal elections have shown for the last decade?

    There are only two from NY and one from NJ. On the other hand, I see four from New England, which is a totally blue region. So maybe it’s not a red versus blue thing.

    Maybe it’s a seminary thing? How about a statistical analysis of bishops based on the seminaries they went to and whether they have spoken out?

    Just a few thoughts — obviously one can’t make too much of this. For all I know, some of the bishops did, or did not, make public comments because of phone calls from other bishops, so the statistical value of this is questionable.

  52. Timbot says:

    As for California, I think the only reason that the new ordinary of Oakland (“Fabian’s warm-up act” at USCCB meetings) has not yet spoken is because he has just been handed the keys to the Augean stables, along with a mop and bucket.

  53. taximom says:

    Completely agree with you, Timbot. I personally know Bishop Cordileone, and he has probably been very busy with his new appointment in Oakland (as of May 5th).
    He’s probably going over his own to-do list up there..

  54. PaulJason says:

    My Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory is not no that list and sadly I am not surprised.

  55. Andy Brandt says:

    BTW – I counted the bishops enumerated on the USCCB page – 417.

    (good old Unix tools under Mac – c&p the list to a text file in vim, then run “grep Reverend bishops.txt | wc -l”)

  56. Charivari Rob says:

    Lawrence King – “There are only two from NY and one from NJ. On the other hand, I see four from New England, which is a totally blue region. ”

    Two from NJ, I think (Camden and Newark). Two-and-a-half for NY (NY (Dolan incoming), Brooklyn, and Rockville Centre).

  57. Frank H. says:

    We can finally add Bishop Frederick Campbell (Diocese of Columbus) to the list! His comments appear in this week’s Catholic Times.

    http://www.colsdioc.org/Offices/TheCatholicTimes/frednotredame/tabid/1432/Default.aspx

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