In a statement released Wednesday, February 11, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of the Diocese of Ft. Wayne-South Bend forcefully condemned the University of Notre Dame’s decision to appoint abortion advocate Susan Ostermann as the incoming director of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.
Bp. Rhoades expressed “dismay” and “strong opposition” to the appointment, which he said is “causing scandal to the faithful of our diocese and beyond.” Given Ostermann’s numerous “outrageous claims” and “disparaging” remarks towards the pro-life movement and all who defend its cause, the bishop called on the university to “rectify” the situation and “make things right.”
Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester posted his support for Bp. Rhoades’ statement on X, calling Ostermann’s appointment “repugnant to the identity and mission of that great center of Catholic learning.”
As Bp. Rhoades mentioned in his statement, Notre Dame has been the focus of heated controversy since the beginning of January, when it announced Ostermann’s promotion.
Ostermann, largely working in tandem with former Notre Dame professor Tamara Kay, has written nearly a dozen articles in recent years promoting abortion as “freedom-enhancing,” calling crisis pregnancy centers “propaganda sites,” and vilifying the pro-life movement as one rooted in “white supremacy and racism.”
“Notre Dame has publicly committed as a Catholic institution to the life and dignity of the human person. It affirms the Church’s teaching that ‘human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2270),” Bishop Rhoades wrote in his statement.
Referencing Pope Francis’ words that described the promotion of abortion as a “false compassion” towards women, the bishop called on Notre Dame to stand for the “inalienable right to life of mothers and their unborn children,” as the Church does.
Bp. Rhoades listed several reasons disqualifying Ostermann for the role as director of the Liu Institute. Her “ludicrous” misunderstanding of the term “integral human development”—a principle of Catholic social teaching that guides the work of the Liu Institute—which Ostermann used to support abortion on demand directly contradicts the Church’s teachings on the matter, the bishop argued.
“To the contrary,” Bp. Rhoades wrote, “the Holy See, in statements to the United Nations, continues to defend the ‘right to life’ as one of the core ‘pillars of integral human development’ (e.g. Note regarding the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 2016).”
The bishop continued, “Also disqualifying is Professor Ostermann’s work as a consultant for the Population Council. For those who have never heard of it, this is an organization dedicated to the promotion of abortion around the world. It has been linked to China’s population control policies that have resulted in hundreds of millions of abortions of baby girls. It was also instrumental in securing approval of the abortion pill by the FDA, which is responsible for the majority of abortions in the United States.”
Bp. Rhoades expressed great concern for the university’s role in causing “confusion in the public mind as to Notre Dame’s fidelity to its Catholic mission.” He stated that Ostermann’s work should “disqualify her from an administrative and leadership role at a Catholic university.”
Addressing the question of respect for academic freedom at the university—an objection many have raised to those opposing Ostermann’s appointment—Bp. Rhoades wrote, “Academic freedom concerns the liberty of faculty to conduct research according to their own professional judgment and interests. This appointment, by contrast, concerns the official administrative appointment to lead an academic unit. Such appointments have profound impact on the integrity of Notre Dame’s public witness as a Catholic university.”
The bishop turned to the importance of Our Lady’s intercession, asking the Notre Dame community to “say a prayer or light a candle at her grotto.”
“Let us ask Our Lady of Lourdes, whose feast the Church celebrates today, to intercede for the Notre Dame community and its leaders during these days …, invoking her prayers that Notre Dame will always stand firm in her commitment to the Gospel of her Son, the Gospel of Life,” Bp. Rhoades concluded.
Editor’s note: This is an ongoing news story and will be updated accordingly.
Lucy Spence is a junior from McLean, Virginia majoring in the Program of Liberal Studies and piano performance, with a minor in philosophy. She can be reached at lspence@nd.edu.