A Quiet Spring?

Notre Dame has announced the recipients of honorary degrees at this year's Commencement, which will take place in Notre Dame Stadium.  One of them is Clay Mathile's wife.  (You may remember Mr. Mathile as the former owner of the Iams Company, who sold his ownership stake in the company to Procter & Gamble and has been a philanthropist (especially of Catholic causes) ever since.)  The University had previously announched that the speaker would be Brian Williams, anchor for NBC News.  Also, a poet will receive the Laetare Medal.

It looks like they succeeded in being less controversial this year.

But wait!  There is still a chance of a media frenzy this spring.  The Archbishop of Munich, Germany, is speaking on campus this week.  Archbishop Reinhard Marx succeeded Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the Archbishop of Munich when Cardinal Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI.  Archbishop Marx will be talking about the social message of the church, but it wouldn't surprise me to see a reporter or two show up to ask tough questions about the abuse scandal in Europe.