“I found myself saying in recent weeks that this is a sad time, and there are no winners, but I was wrong,” Bishop John D’Arcy of Fort-Wayne-South Bend, Ind., said today at Notre Dame.

“The heroes have been the students,” Bishop Darcy said in reference to students who were refusing to attend Notre Dame’s commencement, the South Bend Tribune reported. “There are heroes, and all of you here today are heroes. And I am proud to stand with you.”

Bishop D’Arcy was expressed solidarity with the graduating students who were boycotting their commencement ceremony because of the university’s decision to honor President Barack Obama. He was speaking at a pro-life rally in support of the students on the university campus, shortly after Air Force One touched down in South Bend.

Bishop D’Arcy did not attend the commencement ceremony, to express his opposition to Notre Dame’s actions.