A growing number of Catholic bishops across the U.S. this week have joined in publicly supporting Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades’ Feb. 11 statement calling for the University of Notre Dame to “rectify the situation” regarding the school’s appointment of an outspokenly pro-abortion professor.
“I stand in solidarity with Bishop Rhoades and his letter below, which is a profound reflection on human dignity and the culture of life. We pray that all of our educational institutions support Catholic teaching, especially regarding human life,” Bishop Donald Hying of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, posted to X Feb. 12, with a link to the Indiana bishop's full statement.
Outcry against the appointment has been ongoing since January, when Notre Dame announced that it appointed Associate Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. The appointment is set to go into effect in July. Bishop Rhoades’ statement this week denounces the appointment made by the university and explains numerous reasons why Ostermann should be disqualified from the position.
“Because I have the particular responsibility as Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend ‘to promote and assist in the preservation and strengthening’ of the Catholic identity of Catholic universities within my diocese, I call upon the leadership of Notre Dame to rectify this situation,” Bishop Rhoades said.
San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, wrote on X Feb. 12 thanking Bishop Rhoades “for speaking up.”
“Holy Mary, Mother of God and Our Lady, pray for the university that bears your name,” Archbishop Cordileone added in the post, which also shared Bishop Rhoades’ statement.
The same day, Bishop James Wall of the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico, posted a link to X of a news report from Today’s Catholic about Bishop Rhoades’ statement. The Gallup bishop also thanked Bishop Rhoades “for [his] strong statement affirming the sanctity of life,” and ended with a quote from Pope Leo XIV:
“We cannot build a just society if we discard the weakest, whether the child in the womb or the old man in his fragility, for both are gifts from God.”
Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, also spoke out in support Feb. 12, emphasizing Catholic universities’ responsibility to follow Catholic teaching on the sanctity of life.
“I stand in support of Bishop Rhoades and share his concern,” Bishop Conley said in a Feb. 12 X post. “Catholic institutions must faithfully reflect the truth of the dignity of every human life in both their mission and their leadership.” He linked the same Today’s Catholic article in his post.
Bishop David Ricken of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, spoke out similarly to Bishop Conley, and encouraged the faithful to look to the Blessed Mother for her intercession in the situation.
“First, I fully affirm and stand in solidarity with my brother bishop, Bishop Kevin Rhoades. He has spoken with clarity, courage, and fidelity to the Church's mission,” Bishop Ricken said, reposting a link to the Indiana bishop’s full statement. “Second, let us turn with confidence to our Blessed Mother. Our Lady, pray for us! You are our loving Mother — we love you and entrust this to your Immaculate Heart. In all things, may God's holy will be done. Amen.”
Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, said in a Feb. 11 X repost of the statement that Notre Dame’s appointment is “distressing.”
“I support Bishop [Rhoades] in his carrying out of his pastoral responsibility,” Bishop Olson said. “Please pray that [Notre Dame] will reconsider this distressing decision. Please read this statement.”
Zeale News reported Feb. 11 that Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, and Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver both voiced support for Bishop Rhoades after his statement was published. Archbishop Aquila called on the faithful to “pray for the conversion of hearts” and added that he is praying for the appointment to be rescinded.
Bishop Barron stated that he thinks “going ahead with this appointment is repugnant to the identity and mission of that great center of Catholic learning.”
Kelsey Reinhardt, president and CEO of CatholicVote, spoke out in a Feb. 12 statement about the appointment at Notre Dame — her alma mater — and how Ostermann’s pro-abortion and anti-crisis pregnancy center views are deeply concerning.
“At this crossroad, the question before the University is stark: Will she remain in ecclesial communion or go the way of the world? It is a question Notre Dame has faced before,” Reinhardt said. “But the answer is becoming harder to ignore.”
“May the love of all Our Lady represents help Notre Dame to prevail against the enemies of goodness, truth, and beauty,” she added. “I ask you to join me in praying for Notre Dame to receive the courage of both the apostles and the fighting Irish to recover her sense of mission and fidelity to truth.”
Other groups and Catholics who are publicly supporting Bishop Rhoades include the Catholic Association; former congressman Daniel Lipinski; David Armstrong, president of Florida-based Saint Thomas University; and Mary Rice Hasson, the Kate O'Beirne fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
“God bless Bishop Rhoades for his unflinching commitment to life,” Hasson stated, “and his call for Notre Dame to withdraw its appointment of a radical pro-abortion professor to lead the Liu Institute.”