Bishop Rhoades Calls on Notre Dame to Rescind Pro-Abortion Appointment
On 11 February 2026, Kevin C. Rhoades, Bishop of Fort Wayne–South Bend, issued a formal public statement expressing “dismay” and “strong opposition” to the appointment of Professor Susan Ostermann as Director of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies at the University of Notre Dame. The appointment, announced in January and scheduled to take effect on 1 July 2026, has prompted substantial concern among clergy, students, alumni, and benefactors of the university.
Bishop Rhoades stated that after reviewing Professor Ostermann’s published opinion pieces, he concluded that her extensive public advocacy for abortion rights and her criticism of the pro-life movement “go against a core principle of justice that is central to Notre Dame’s Catholic identity and mission.”¹
The bishop’s intervention is not merely a reaction to personal political views but a formal appeal grounded in his canonical responsibility to safeguard Catholic identity within institutions located in his diocese.
The Substance of the Controversy
Professor Ostermann has co-authored multiple public op-eds advocating legal abortion and criticising the pro-life movement. In his statement, Bishop Rhoades cited claims attributed to her writings, including assertions that the pro-life position is rooted in racism and misogyny, criticism of pregnancy resource centres, and arguments that the Catholic social principle of “integral human development” can be interpreted to support abortion access.¹
The bishop described such claims as “outrageous” and incompatible with leadership at a Catholic university. He further expressed hope that Professor Ostermann would retract these statements and come to affirm “the innate dignity of unborn babies as well as that of their mothers.”¹
The controversy thus concerns not academic debate in the classroom, but the appointment of a senior administrator whose public advocacy appears to contradict definitive Catholic moral teaching.
Magisterial Teaching on the Inviolability of Life
Bishop Rhoades grounded his opposition in the Church’s consistent teaching on the sanctity of human life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states unequivocally:
“Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception.”²
He also cited statements from Pope Francis, who warned against what he termed “false compassion which holds that it is a benefit to women to promote abortion,”³ and who described abortion as compounding the wounds of women pressured by secular culture.⁴
In addition, Bishop Rhoades referenced a recent address by Pope Leo XIV (31 January 2026), in which the Holy Father reaffirmed that no policy can genuinely serve the people if it denies the unborn the gift of life or neglects the vulnerable.⁵
The bishop further pointed to the Holy See’s formal interventions at the United Nations affirming the right to life as a foundational pillar of authentic “integral human development.”⁶
The theological issue, therefore, is not peripheral. The right to life of the unborn is not one policy preference among many, but a foundational moral principle within Catholic social doctrine.
Integral Human Development and Institutional Integrity
The Keough School of Global Affairs publicly affirms “integral human development” as a guiding principle for its work. Bishop Rhoades rejected the suggestion that this concept could legitimately be invoked to support abortion on demand. On the contrary, he argued that such an interpretation directly contradicts the Holy See’s authoritative understanding of the principle.⁶
He also raised concerns about Professor Ostermann’s professional association with the Population Council, an international organisation historically involved in promoting abortion access and population control policies.¹
These factors, in the bishop’s judgment, disqualify her from leadership within a Catholic academic institute whose mission is publicly rooted in Catholic social teaching.
Academic Freedom and Administrative Authority
Anticipating appeals to academic freedom, Bishop Rhoades distinguished between the legitimate liberty of faculty to conduct research and the prudential responsibility of university leadership in making administrative appointments.¹
Academic freedom pertains to scholarly inquiry. The directorship of an institute, however, is a representative and governance role that shapes the institution’s public witness. As such, it directly affects the integrity of the university’s Catholic identity.
He warned that the appointment risks creating public confusion about Notre Dame’s fidelity to its mission, particularly given its longstanding pro-life commitments and the visible presence of pro-life student and faculty organisations on campus.
Canonical Responsibility and Pastoral Appeal
Invoking Ex Corde Ecclesiae, which charges diocesan bishops “to promote and assist in the preservation and strengthening of the Catholic identity” of Catholic universities,⁷ Bishop Rhoades called upon Notre Dame’s leadership to rectify the situation while time remains before the July implementation date.
His statement concluded with a pastoral appeal on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, inviting the faithful to pray for Notre Dame and its leaders, that the university may remain steadfast in its commitment to the Gospel of Life.
The unfolding situation at Notre Dame raises once again a fundamental question for Catholic higher education in the contemporary academy: whether institutional leadership can remain credibly Catholic while elevating to authority individuals whose public advocacy directly contradicts definitive Church teaching on the sanctity of human life.
¹ Kevin C. Rhoades, “Statement Regarding Appointment of Professor Susan Ostermann,” Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend, 11 February 2026 (official diocesan release).
² Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992), §2270.
³ Pope Francis, Address to Participants in the International Colloquium on the Complementarity of Man and Woman, 15 November 2014.
⁴ Pope Francis, Address to Participants in the Meeting of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, 25 April 2014.
⁵ Pope Leo XIV, Address, 31 January 2026 (Vatican release).
⁶ Holy See, “Note on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations, 2016.
⁷ Pope John Paul II, Ex Corde Ecclesiae (1990), n. 28.
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