When Father John Jenkins was elected to the board of directors of the Commission on Presidential Debates, the University of Notre Dame president owed the honor to a speech he had delivered.
Entitled “Passionate Convictions and Respectful Conversations: Faith in a Pluralistic Society,” Father Jenkins’ remarks in April at Emory University attracted the notice of Mike McCurry, the former Clinton White House press secretary who serves as Democratic co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). (His Republican counterpart is Frank Fahrenkopf, former head of the Republican National Committee.)
McCurry, a Methodist layman who studies theology at the Wesleyan Theological Seminary at American University, read the speech and decided that Father Jenkins’ advocacy for civil discourse and his “standing as a moral philosopher,” as reflected in the Emory talk, would ensure that Father Jenkins could make valuable contributions as a board member of the commission.
“When I suggested his name to the nominating committee, there was an enthusiastic response,” McCurry recalled. “He is an engaging voice and is outspoken on the need for civil discourse.”
A request for an interview with Father Jenkins was referred to McCurry because members of the CPD board don’t customarily discuss the CPD with the press.
A nonprofit, non-partisan organization, the Commission on Presidential Debates was established in 1987 to sponsor and put on the presidential and vice-presidential debates. It only invites candidates from the two major parties, unless a third-party candidate is consistently polling 15% in national polls.
The League of Women Voters filled the role until the league pulled out in 1987, angered after learning that the George H. W. Bush and Michael Dukakis campaigns had made secret arrangements regarding debate format and choice of moderators, decisions usually left to the Commission on Presidential Debates board.
The commission functions primarily as the producer of the debates. “We pick the venues, and we have a very elaborate process for applying and showing that you can host an event,” McCurry said.
“We will also turn our attention to two other things: What’s the format that produces the best debate? And: Who will moderate the debates?”
Although the commission picks the moderator, it has no say in what questions will be asked or the content of the debate.
Serving on the commission board won’t be the first time Father Jenkins has been involved in the nation’s political and moral discourse.
In 2009, the Holy Cross priest was thrust into the spotlight when he welcomed President Barack Obama as Notre Dame’s commencement speaker and awarded the president an honorary degree.
Catholics around the country protested that Obama’s positions on the life issues — by then even clearer than they were during the election — made him the wrong choice for a Catholic institution. Refusing to withdraw the invitation, Father Jenkins welcomed Obama to the campus.
“The committee was fully aware of how gracefully he handled that controversy, but that’s not why we picked him,” McCurry said.
Many Catholics, however, remain convinced that a Catholic university should not have hosted a pro-abortion commencement speaker.
Attacks More Personal
Father Jenkins gave his Emory speech shortly after the acrimonious debate in Congress over whether or not to raise the country’s debt ceiling. He called the bitterness of that fight “no aberration, but a fair reflection of the political age we’re in.”
“Ideological differences seem more extreme, positions more entrenched, battles more acrimonious, compromise less common, friendly social relations among members of different parties more rare, and attacks on political opponents more personal,” Father Jenkins said.
“Many factors have contributed to the current polarization,” he continued, “but one important element — it pains me to admit — has been the rise of religious and moral issues in public debate. Whether the issue is abortion, same-sex ‘marriage,’ embryonic stem-cell research, prayer in schools or the proper role of government in addressing social issues — political appeals are often made to our religious convictions and the moral framework closely associated with them.”
Father Jenkins urged that religious convictions should not be “co-opted by partisan political interests, that both sides be humble but clear, and that religious people recognize the value of witness.”
McCurry believes that Father Jenkins will be particularly valuable when the board talks about format and what might be done to ensure an appropriate atmosphere and tone at the debates.
“The commission plans to spend time holding a retreat to think through how we can design a format that will get the candidates talking about the future of the country,” said McCurry.
In addition to putting on the U.S. debates, the commission provides help for groups in other countries that would like to host debates.
The U.S. debates are financed by sponsors from the corporate and foundation world. Sponsors in the past have included Anheuser-Busch Companies, The Kovler Fund, The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, AARP, YWCA USA and several airlines.
Other members of the commission board of directors are former Sen. John Danforth, who is an ordained Episcopal minister, philanthropist Howard Buffett, son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett; former Sen. Alan Simpson; former Federal Communications Commission chairman Newton Minow; Antonia Hernandez, a lawyer who advocates for Hispanic causes; Dorothy Riding, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations; Citigroup chairman Richard Parsons; and equity expert John Griffen, managing director at Allen & Company LLC.
The commission is also an educational organization that, through a program called “Debate Watch,” encourages citizens across the country to get together to watch and discuss the debates.
Register correspondent Charlotte Hays writes from Washington.
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Matthew 7:15-20 .. 15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.”
Romans 16:17 .. “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”
Fr. Jenkins is a perfect example of “modernism” that pervades our Holy Mother Church today. It saddens me when I see this type of attitude coming from a lay person, but I despair when it comes from a priest or religious. O Mary, Conceived Without Sin, Pray For Us Who Have Recourse To Thee.
GET REAL: Amen!
It is interesting, and possibly suggestive in terms of why Fr. Jenkins was chosen, that in his talk at Emory University he raised the possibility that in time the Church might change its position on abortion and that therefore the pro-life advocates should be less certain in advancing their political position. His advice to pro-life advocates was that they “learn to cultivate humility about what we claim to be true.” ’ “Religious traditions with a long history,” he said, ” have beliefs that have evolved over time. Whether it is the claim that the earth is the center of the universe, or that usury is contrary to justice and Biblical teaching, we have seen changes in our understanding of what has been divinely revealed and how we understand that revelation. If such development occurred in the past, we can expect it to occur in the future. Consequently, even when we are speaking about truths believed to be revealed, the believer should exhibit a certain epistemic humility with respect to what she or he claims.”
Who are the false prophets? The ones who call for us to be civil toward each other even in disagreement? The ones who call us to testify and witness our faith by the lives we lead personally? Or the ones who use issues we may be passionate about to arouse hatred and discourse, all the while saying they are “with us”?
...Know them by their fruits indeed…
cool, it will be good to have a Catholic voice on that committee, and a Holy Cross priest at that. Its a good thing. We might disagree with what he did in 09 but he leads one of the most catholic universities in the country. A fact many doubt, but tell me this: how many catholic schools have daily mass in nearly every dorm, as well as in Campus wide chapels. There are more hours for adoration, confession and more Masses at ND then nearly any other college in the US.
Given Fr. Jenkins’ bold decision to squander Notre Dame’s Catholic reputation on Obama, I believe he was selected for this commission as camouflage to show how “unbiased” the commission’s decisions will be. He’s following in the footsteps of Notre Dame’s Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, who set the stage for left wing policies at Catholic universities and was showered with honorary degrees, titles and appointments. It seems apt to ask Jesus’ question, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet loose his soul?”
Fr. Jenkins is lamenting that moral issues are taking place in public debate? Incredible.
A few points about Fr. Jenkins’s views.
—Fr. Jenkins may want to consider the plank in his eye. If one wants civility of discourse, one doesn’t set up the conditions for rancorous discourse when the latter can be avoided, and so easily foreseen. Such conditions were set up with his invitation of, and conferral of an honorary degree on, President Obama at ND. (Incidentally, the practice of inviting presidents to graduations at ND is a poor one; it undercuts the counter-cultural efficacy of the institution, in this case with respect to promoting the pro-life position that is the doctrine of the Church.)
—Re. the “epistemic humility” mentioned in a previous post and that Fr. Jenkins touts, where does it end? Should we also maintain “epistemic humility” with respect to the practice of euthanasia, for example? Or infanticide? Or genocide? “Epistemic humility” cultivates moral skepticism, a very dangerous concept if the twentieth century taught us anything.
Fr. Jenkins is dangerous. He was chosen for one reason: he has proven that he will not hesitate to compromise the faith to promote the liberal cause. Notre Dame is an embarrassment.
Blessed are you when men love you, when they include you and praise you and accept your name as good, because of your softening the hard sayings of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward here on earth. For that is precisely how their fathers treated the prophets of Baal. [With apologies to Saint Luke]
My question is “Why is John Jenkins still a priest? The Obama scam doesn’t stop with the honorary degree. Jenkins ordered police to arrest and jail Pro-Life protesters who were simply carrying signs and chanting. They were not causing violence or vandalism to the University. Jenkins has harrassed Pro-Life student and faculty groups at Notre Dame in an effort to get rid of them from the campus. This charlatan needs to be run out of the church asap.
...if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? 1 Cor 14:8
What an “honor”! “Chosen” by the Marxist O-Bomb-a, the Abortion President! LOL!! Looks like payment for services rendered…and the redefining of Catholicism by nonCatholics continues…..
Jenkins and Doug Kmiec are the poster boys for moral spinelessness in the Catholic educational system. These Catholic educators sell out the Faith at the drop of a presidentail favor into their laps.
So what else is new with F. Jenkins?
McCurry made a good pick. Jenkins will do what he can to help the Democrats retain power.
“Fr. Jenkins is lamenting that moral issues are taking place in public debate? Incredible.”
Amen. Tito. What a ridiculous statement. I am not sure if its more embarassing that this is coming from a catholic or an academic. Should we stop applying a moral framework to healthcare or welfare as well?
What do I lament? That the Church has been invaded by the political snake that is both red and blue. I lament that we put on our political glasses when we look at priests and those who serve the Church. That we love the political world more than our neighbor. Everyone missed the point…humility, humility, humility. We don’t have it, none of us. We would rather be right politically than humble.
I am unabashedly pro-life. I have lost a friend over this, but I will not cease believing that life begins at the moment of conception. That we must protect that life till it’s natural end.
However, I also see many good Catholics follow the Pied Piper of the “political Christian”. That false prophet that makes us feel good to be Christian. That false prophet that tells us to be Christian, we must have everyone around us be just like us. That is called group think. As a Christian, we must be ready to be ostracized, to be called names, to go against the grain. I don’t see that in the areas of economic justice. There, I see Jesus’ words turned around, twisted, even as we tout our “Christian stripes”. “For I was hungry…and you told me to get a job, I was thirsty and you said you couldn’t help me, since I would spend it on booze anyway, I was a stranger, and you told me to go back where I came from, I was ill, and you told me that paying for a doctor was my problem, I was in prison, and you told me that I deserved every minute of my sentence.” The actual true words in Matthew’s scripture tell it all, Jesus tells it all in those words…goat, or sheep.
To be sure, an invitation to Obama was ill advised, especially with Sibelius as the new Inquisitor at HHS…but at the time, Fr. Jenkins took Obama at his word. Now, having learned that politician speaks with forked tongue, Fr. Jenkins needs to use this forum to press the issues of conscience and pro-life. It is his responsibility. However, we must call for it in humility, and as the faithful…deriding him is as sinful as if someone derided a priest you agreed with. Disagree with him, yes, but respect the office of the priest.
“A nonprofit, non-partisan organization, the Commission on Presidential Debates was established in 1987 to sponsor and put on the presidential and vice-presidential debates”. Non-partisan? Are you serious? The vast majority of the members of this “commission” are progressive/liberals! Give me a break!
Having written this article, you may be interested in the press releases of the citizens committee trying to help the Commission on Presidential Debates be a little bit more ... shall we say, open. They can be found by going to the news tab on this page http://www.debates.ws
Thank you for your interest in the Commission’s work.
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