A growing chorus of U.S. bishops on Feb. 11 called on the University of Notre Dame to rescind the controversial appointment of a pro-abortion advocate to lead one of the revered Catholic institution’s academic departments.
Earlier in the day Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades issued a statement criticizing the university for appointing global affairs Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.
Rhoades said the school’s appointment of Ostermann — in spite of her public and uncompromising support for abortion — had caused a scandal and threatened Notre Dame’s Catholic identity and mission. He urged the school to rescind the nomination before it goes into effect on July 1.
Several of Rhoades’ fellow prelates subsequently joined the call for Notre Dame to reverse Ostermann’s appointment. Among them was Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila, who in a post on X thanked Rhoades for his statement and said that the school’s decision “tarnishes Our Lady’s university and what it means to be Catholic.”
“I pray that those who can rescind this terrible appointment will do so! Pray for the conversion of hearts!” the archbishop wrote.
Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, Bishop Robert Barron similarly offered his “strong support” for Rhoades’ statement, arguing that Ostermann is “not simply ‘pro-choice’” on the question of abortion.
Rather, “she is a sharp critic of the pro-life position and those who advocate it,” Barron said, pointing out that Ostermann has “characterize[d] the anti-abortion stance as rooted in white supremacy and racism” and “insinuated that the Catholic commitment to integral human development implies the support of abortion rights.”
Barron said he has “strong connections to and deep affections” for the university. “I believe that going ahead with this appointment is repugnant to the identity and mission of that great center of Catholic learning,” he wrote.
Fort Worth, Texas, Bishop Michael Olson also offered his support for Rhoades “in his carrying out of his pastoral responsibility.”
The bishop called for prayers that the university might “reconsider this distressing decision.”
Support for Rhoades did not just come from his brother bishops. Actress and outspoken Catholic pro-life advocate Patricia Heaton thanked both Barron and Rhoades for their statements on Feb. 11.
Former U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, who was named as a Pope Leo XIII Fellow on Social Thought at the University of Dallas in 2023, also thanked Rhoades, writing on X: “Public witness is extremely powerful and must be used to point all to the truth.”
Though backlash to the appointment has been growing for weeks, the university has not backed off the controversial decision. The school told the Irish Rover as recently as Feb. 8 that it had “not changed its position” on Ostermann’s leadership of the department.
Ostermann herself told the National Catholic Register on Jan. 29 that her role at the school “is to support the diverse research of our scholars and students, not to advance a personal political agenda.”
“I respect Notre Dame’s institutional position on the sanctity of life at every stage,” she told the Register, describing herself as “inspired by the university’s focus on integral human development, which calls us to promote the dignity and flourishing of every person.”
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