Notre Dame Professor criticizes school president's pro-gay policy

An orthodox Notre Dame professor gave out the email address of the school president publicly Tuesday night after the nation’s flagship Catholic university announced it would extend benefits to same-sex couples.

The Rev. Wilson D. Miscamble, C.S.C., a professor of United States history at Notre Dame, urged one young alumni member in the audience at the Catholic Information Center to send an email to President John Jenkins, C.S.C. “Write directly to Father Jenkins. That’s the best person to write to. Now it’s not clear that he’s going to [respond]. If you write president@nd.edu, that goes to the staff. But get his own email address: johnjenkins@nd.edu,” Miscamble said, drawing nervous laughter from the crowd of three to four dozen.

Miscamble, 61, specializes in American diplomatic and foreign policy history and wrote an acclaimed book on U.S. strategist George Kennan.  For his hour-long lecture, Miscamble drew material from “For Notre Dame: Battling for the Heart and Soul of a Catholic University,” a collection of essays and reflections that criticize the school for failing to adhere to core Church teachings.

His book has generated interviews and stories in conservative and traditional Catholic media outlets, and news of his talk prompted several influential Catholics in Washington to head downtown on a rainy, cool evening.  The attendees included Father Arne Panula, director of the Catholic Information Center; Arina Grossu, director of the Center for Human Dignity at the Family Research Council; and John Gehring, Catholic program director at Faith in Public Life, a progressive religious nonprofit...