Trautman: No Domeperson

Best known for leading the opposition to the re-translation of the Roman Missal -- coming 2011, so they say -- no less than Bishop Donald Trautman of Erie has joined the quarter of the bench who've weighed in against Notre Dame's presidential invite:

In a statement released this week, Trautman called Obama "a relentless advocate of unrestricted abortion" and said it was a "bad decision" by Notre Dame officials to give him a platform....

Trautman, in a written statement, said, "The Golden Dome of Notre Dame, the long revered symbol of a Catholic university, will be disgraced and dishonored on this coming May 17, the commencement day."...

Trautman called Sunday "a day of shame and blemish for the Catholic record and reputation of Notre Dame University. Its relationship to the Catholic hierarchy and to the fundamental principles of the Church has been fractured and will take new leadership to rebuild."

This isn't the first time he's issued this kind of protest.

In 2008, Trautman announced he would not attend May commencement at Mercyhurst College in his own diocese after the school announced that then-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., would speak there in April.

Trautman said he was "disappointed in Mercyhurst College for not reflecting the pro-life stance of the Catholic Church."

In 1995, after a private meeting with the bishop, then-Gov. Tom Ridge decided to decline an honorary law degree from Gannon University, also in Trautman's diocese. Ridge, an Erie Catholic who publicly supports abortion rights, did deliver the commencement address.

A moderate Republican, Ridge was named by then-President Bush to lead the Department of Homeland Security after the 9/11 attacks.

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