EXPOSED: Notre Dame Pres. on Board of Pro-Condom Organization

Any Catholic university that supports a program to reduce poverty by eliminating poor children has a serious problem.

MANASSAS, Va. (Cardinal Newman Society) - According to a story by LifeSiteNews.com, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., President of the University of Notre Dame, sits on the board of Millennium Promise, an anti-poverty organization which reportedly supports the distribution of condoms and encourages the establishment of abortion services where legal.

"Any Catholic university that supports a program to reduce poverty by eliminating poor children has a serious problem. No Catholic should be taking a leadership role in an effort that distributes contraception or promotes abortion," said Patrick Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society.

The University of Notre Dame has been under intense criticism for the past two months regarding its decision to honor and host pro-abortion President Barack Obama at commencement on May 17. More than 70 U.S. bishops are opposing the university's action and more than 360,000 individuals have signed the CNS petition at NotreDameScandal.com calling on Fr. Jenkins to rescind the invitation.

Millennium Promise works to raise funds from the private sector for "Millennium Villages," a group working with under-privileged African villages.

While these "villages" seem to have laudable goals, a Millennium Villages handbook explains that "family planning and contraception services are critical to allow women to choose family size and birth spacing, to combat sexually transmitted infections, including HIV infection, and contribute to the reduction of maternal morbidity and mortality."

It later explains how services include: "(1) Counseling; (2) Male and female condoms; (3) Pharmacologic contraceptives including oral, transdermal, intramuscular, and implanted methods; and (4) IUDs."

The handbook continues, encouraging "safe" abortion, "In countries where abortion is legal, safe abortion services in controlled settings by skilled practitioners should be established."

Continuing further, the Millennium Villages handbook reads, "However, in instances where no district center or alternate post for safe abortion practices is accessible, abortion services can be offered at the village level, provided that sufficient surgical capacity exists."

University of Notre Dame President Fr. Jenkins' membership on the board of directors of Millennium Promise can be verified by viewing the organization's website.

According to Life Site News, Fr. Jenkins has stated in the past that Notre Dame participates in the Millennium Villages Project via the Notre Dame Millennium Development Initiative (NDMDI). The efforts of the NDMDI focus on Uganda.

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