While the Notre Dame scandal could not get any bigger in the American Church, many people have pointed to the Vatican's silence on the issue.  Supporters of the decision have even used this to mock the protesting US clergy and laity, even claiming that the silence in Rome indicates that "the Vatican doesn't care if ND honors Obama." 

Well, so much for that theory.  Today the biggest hammer yet was dropped on Notre Dame.

Archbishop Raymond Burke was in the U.S. for the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast this morning.  Burke is the Prefect for the Vatican's Apostolic Signatura (essentially, he's the Chief Justice of the Vatican's highest court).  Last night, in an interview with National Catholic Register Editor Tom Hoopes, Burke said:

"[The Church should] have Notre Dame come clean. Is it Catholic or isn’t it? A Catholic institution, a Catholic university, cannot give honors to someone who is a promoter of things that are opposed to the most fundamental beliefs of Catholics, and so that’s what needs to happen.

"There’s an apostolic constitution, Ex Corde Ecclesiae, which sets forth the requirements for a university to have the name Catholic. I think that Notre Dame has to either follow those norms or say ‘We’re not a Catholic university anymore.'"

During his speech at the Prayer Breakfast this morning, Burke said:

"In a culture marked by widespread and ingrained confusion about the most fundamental teachings of the moral law, our Catholic schools and universities must be beacons of truth and right conduct.

"The profound granting of an honorary doctorate at Notre Dame University to our President who is as aggressively advancing an anti-life and anti-family agenda is a source of the gravest scandal. [insert 1,200 people in standing ovation]

"Catholic institutions cannot offer any platform to, let alone honor, those who teach and act publicly against the moral law. In a culture which embraces an agenda of death, Catholics and Catholic institutions are necessarily counter-cultural. If we as individuals or our Catholic institutions are not willing to accept the burdens and the suffering necessarily involved in calling our culture to reform, then we are not worthy of the name Catholic.

South Bend Bishop D'Arcy.  67 other US Bishops, including President Cardinal George.  The Laetare Medal refused.  Now the Vatican's "Chief Justice" Burke.  The Pope himself is the only one left, but does he really need to say anything?  (I think his trip to the Holy Land is bit more pressing at this point.)

Father Jenkins, did you not see this coming?  

Some say this will be over on May 17.  I think not.  It's much bigger than this Commencement.  The forces are galvanizing over this breach.  The Church will not stand for this holocaust, and Notre Dame has clearly joined the wrong side of history.  It's no doubt a big loss for the Church, but the battle is just getting started and will go on without the so-called Fighting Irish. 

"What would you fight for?" the University's commercial series asks... "Fighting for Justice... Fighting for a Voice... Fighting for our Safety... Fighting for Human Dignity... We are the Fighting Irish," they say.  Give me a break!

What an embarrassment.