Lou Holtz, former football coach at Notre Dame University, spoke at the Republican National Convention, slamming Democratic nominee Joe Biden as “Catholic in name only” for his radical pro-abortion policies. Notre Dame, a supposedly Roman Catholic university run by catholic clergy, issued a statement disavowing his comments.
Over the years, Notre Dame has shown a decidedly radical liberal bent in its teachings and actions. It has taken an agnostic view toward abortion, despite the Vatican’s strong condemnation of the practice. And when it comes to political candidates who profess their catholicism, who run on their religious affiliation and support unfettered abortions in the U.S., Notre Dame leaders look the other way.
Lou Holtz never made any apologies for being Catholic, either during his career or afterward. He has gained notoriety as a sought-after speaker at Catholic and Christian functions for his advocacy and promotion of Christian beliefs. His remarks at the GOP convention about Joe Biden’s hypocrisy of portraying himself as a devout Catholic while supporting late-term abortion were entirely reasonable given the strong anti-abortion position of the church and Biden’s strong defense of abortion rights.
“When a leader tells you something, you’ve got to be able to count on it. That’s President Trump. He says what he means, he means what he says, and he’s done what he said he would do at every single turn. One of the important reasons he has my trust is because nobody has been a stronger advocate for the unborn than President Trump,” he said Wednesday at the convention.
“The Biden-Harris ticket is the most radically pro-abortion campaign in history. They and other politicians are ‘Catholics in Name Only’ and abandon innocent lives. President Trump protects those lives. I trust President Trump,” Holtz continued.
The criticism is valid and fair. Biden seeks the powerful Catholic vote by looking to identify with those of the Catholic faith. And yet, when it comes to a fundamental tenet of that faith, Biden comes up short.
But the Notre Dame Administration doesn’t see it that way.
In response to Holtz’s remarks, University President Fr. John Jenkins issued a statement saying that the former Fighting Irish coach’s “use of the University’s name at the Republican National Convention must not be taken to imply that the University endorses his views, any candidate or any political party.”
Jenkins added that “we Catholics should remind ourselves that while we may judge the objective moral quality of another’s actions, we must never question the sincerity of another’s faith, which is due to the mysterious working of grace in that person’s heart. In this fractious time, let us remember that our highest calling is to love.”
That’s rhetorical mush. What else can you do but question the faith of someone who professes belief in Catholic doctrine while openly defying it?
Another Catholic priest said on MSNBC that Holtz “has no clue” what Biden really believes.
“(He) cannot look into the soul of Joe Biden,” James Martin, a Jesuit priest said on MSNBC. “I think it’s a really terrible thing to say about someone. He has no clue what’s going on inside of Joe Biden’s heart.”
That’s strange. Liberals claim they can peer into the hearts of people and discern whether they are racist, or sexist, or homophobic. But Holtz can’t point out the obvious hypocrisy of the Democratic nominee for president?
The world is becoming ever more secular and amoral. Many people find comfort and shelter in an unbending faith — the Roman Catholic faith. When someone professes belief in that faith and then denies it when politically convenient, he should be called out for it. Lou Holtz did that knowing the backlash was coming, knowing the hate that would be spewed his way.
How does that courage compare to Biden’s hypocrisy?
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