Daley disagrees with cardinal: Let Obama speak at Notre Dame

Speaking as the father of a Notre Dame alum and as a Roman Catholic who happens to be pro-choice, Mayor Daley said Friday he has no problem with the university’s decision to make President Obama its commencement speaker.

Obama's positions on embryonic stem cell research and abortion have caused a firestorm of protest over his planned May 17 speech at the nation’s premier Catholic university.

Cardinal Francis George has called the invitation an “extreme embarrassment” that shows Notre Dame “didn’t understand what it means to be Catholic.”

On Friday, Daley respectfully disagreed with the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Chicago.

“Everybody would love to have the President of the United States speak at their university or their college or their high school — any graduation,” said Daley, whose daughter, Elizabeth, is an ND grad.

“This is not about all political correctness. This is the President of the United States. … There’s always controversy any time the President speaks — whether [it was] President Clinton, President [George H.W.] Bush, President [George W.] Bush, President Reagan. There’s always controversy. But, you live through the controversy.”

Asked whether George made a mistake by taking a stand against the Golden Dome, Daley said, “No. He has the right of his own opinion. It’s a valid [opinion]. He has a right.”

On Friday, the cardinal expanded on his comments.

“I have great respect for Mr. Obama and especially for his office, and he knows that,” George said. “And on many things we agree profoundly. On other things, particularly on [abortion], he has his own principles—they’re well thought out.

“And I and many others, not only because of Catholic teaching, but for other reasons as well—even outside of Catholic communion — think that it is a crime to kill an innocent human being even though he or she is not yet born.”

It’s not the first time Daley and George have publicly disagreed.

In 2002, Daley clashed with George over the cardinal’s decision to lend “moral support” to an ill-fated campaign to require developers to set aside three units for low- and moderate-income residents for every 10 units of market-rate housing they build.

The mayor adamantly opposes such a mandate, primarily because of the chilling effect he believes the associated costs could have on neighborhood development.

The following year, there were two more disagreements between Chicago’s two most prominent Roman Catholics.

Daley declared his opposition to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. George adamantly opposes same-sex marriage.

And the mayor sided with activist-priest Michael Pfleger, who was under fire from George for inviting the Rev. Al Sharpton to speak at St. Sabina’s Catholic Church. The cardinal didn’t want Sharpton speaking from the pulpit because he was running for president and because Sharpton is pro-abortion rights.

But, Daley said at the time, “It’s called free-speech. You’re not going to get Mayor Daley denying free speech. I’m sorry.”