Indiana bishop denounces Notre Dame’s appointment of pro-abortion professor, 2 bishops echo his message
Caroline MolloyOn Feb. 11, the bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, the diocese where the University of Notre Dame is located, denounced the institution’s recent appointment of an outspokenly pro-abortion professor and called on the Catholic school “to rectify the situation” — a statement that other U.S. bishops are supporting.
In January, Notre Dame announced it had appointed Associate Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. Many Catholic students and pro-life student groups quickly objected because of her pro-abortion position.
Bishop Kevin Rhoades said in a Feb. 11 statement that following the outcry and controversy, he read a number of op-ed articles that Ostermann co-authored with another abortion activist (former Notre Dame Professor Tamara Kay), and he decided to speak out.
In response to reading them, he stated, “I must express my dismay and my strong opposition to this appointment that is causing scandal to the faithful of our diocese and beyond.”
Ostermann’s “extensive public advocacy of abortion rights and her disparaging and inflammatory remarks about those who uphold the dignity of human life from the moment of conception to natural death go against a core principle of justice that is central to Notre Dame’s Catholic identity and mission,” Bishop Rhoades said.
Bishop Rhoades’ statement was quickly supported by Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, who described the university’s appointment as “repugnant” to Notre Dame’s identity.
Bishop Barron stated on X Feb. 11 that Ostermann is not simply “pro-choice” but rather “a sharp critic of the pro-life position and those who advocate it” – someone who characterizes the pro-life position as having roots in white supremacy and racism and insinuates “that the Catholic commitment to integral human development implies the support of abortion rights.”
Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver posted Feb. 11 to X thanking Bishop Rhoades for speaking out. Archbishop Aquila described the situation as a “most unfortunate appointment by Notre Dame that truly tarnishes Our Lady’s University [and] what it means to be Catholic.”
