(LifeSiteNews) — Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and several other bishops rallied behind Bishop Kevin Rhoades in his denunciation of the promotion of a vehemently pro-abortion professor at the University of Notre Dame.

“Thank you, Bishop Rhoads (sic), for speaking up. Holy Mary, Mother of God and Our Lady, pray for the university that bears your name,” Cordileone wrote Thursday in an X post.

Thank you, Bishop Rhoads, for speaking up. Holy Mary, Mother of God and Our Lady, pray for the university that bears your name. https://t.co/hoAs1xzUCz

— Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone (@ArchCordileone) February 12, 2026

Rhoades, who oversees the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, recently expressed “dismay” and “strong opposition” to the University of Notre Dame’s appointment of a rabid abortion supporter to a prominent position. He lamented that the decision is “causing scandal to the faithful of our diocese and beyond.”

“Such appointments have profound impact on the integrity of Notre Dame’s public witness as a Catholic university,” he wrote.

“In nearly a dozen op-eds … Professor Ostermann has attacked the pro-life movement, using outrageous rhetoric,” His Excellency exclaimed. “Professor Ostermann’s opposite view thus clearly should disqualify her from holding a position of leadership within the Keough School.”

A growing number of clergy members are expressing support for Rhoades, including outgoing Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila and Bishop Robert Barron, who said in an X post that Ostermann’s promotion would be “repugnant to the identity and mission of that great center of Catholic learning.”

Thank you, Bishop Rhoads, for speaking up. Holy Mary, Mother of God and Our Lady, pray for the university that bears your name. https://t.co/hoAs1xzUCz

— Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone (@ArchCordileone) February 12, 2026

A new string of bishops has since joined in their support for Rhoades’ call for Notre Dame to demote Ostermann. Bishop David Ricken of the Diocese of Green Bay on Thursday praised Rhoades for his “courage” and “fidelity,” and called for an appeal to the Blessed Mother.

First, I fully affirm and stand in solidarity with my brother bishop, Bishop Kevin Rhoades. He has spoken with clarity, courage, and fidelity to the Church’s mission.
Second, let us turn with confidence to our Blessed Mother. Our Lady, pray for us! You are our loving Mother—we… https://t.co/OysfwtRuaY

— Bishop David Ricken (@BpDavidRicken) February 12, 2026

The same day, Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln likewise voiced his support for Rhoades, writing, “Catholic institutions must faithfully reflect the truth of the dignity of every human life in both their mission and their leadership.”

I stand in support of Bishop Rhoades and share his concern. Catholic institutions must faithfully reflect the truth of the dignity of every human life in both their mission and their leadership.https://t.co/1xSMgI4u3M

— James D Conley (@bishop_conley) February 12, 2026

Bishop James Wall of the Diocese of Gallup and Bishop Donald Hying of the Diocese of Madison also chimed in on Thursday.

Thank you Bishop Rhodes for your strong statement affirming the sanctity of life. “We cannot build a just society if we discard the weakest, whether the child in the womb or the old man in his fragility, for both are gifts from God”. ~Pope Leo XIV https://t.co/ZQNKgVKaMp

— Bishop Wall (@BishopWall) February 12, 2026

I stand in solidarity with Bishop Rhoades and his letter below, which is a profound reflection on human dignity and the culture of life. We pray that all of our educational institutions support Catholic teaching, especially regarding human life. https://t.co/ayqHKqP7dv

— Bishop Donald Hying (@bishophying) February 12, 2026

Ostermann joined Notre Dame nine years ago as a professor of global affairs. In years past, she has said that abortion access is “freedom-enhancing” and that “forced pregnancy and childbirth are violence against women.”

Catholics who work at Notre Dame, including longtime professor Father Wilson Miscamble, have expressed outrage over the move. In an essay for First Things, Miscamble called the appointment “a travesty” given Ostermann’s consulting role with the Population Council, which he described as “a Rockefeller-founded agency dedicated toward population control.”

He called on Notre Dame’s Board of Fellows, composed of six Holy Cross priests and six laypeople, to revoke Ostermann’s appointment. The board is tasked, among other things, with ensuring “that the University maintains its essential character as a Catholic institution of higher learning,” according to the university’s website.

Miscamble believes the decision will only be reversed “if there is an outpouring of criticism of the Notre Dame administration.” He told the National Catholic Register that “I think the disgraceful nature of the appointment is such that there is some possibility of that.”

Despite the criticisms, the university issued a statement defending Ostermann, whom it has described as a “highly regarded political scientist and legal scholar.”

Amid the controversy stands Notre Dame’s students. Earlier this month, the executive committee of student-run Notre Dame Right to Life called on the university to rescind the appointment. In a statement published in The Observer, the school’s most prominent newspaper, the board said Ostermann’s advocacy contradicts the Catholic Church’s view that abortion is an intrinsic evil.

While it has long been considered the pre-eminent Catholic university in the United States, Notre Dame has increasingly failed to live up to its professed identity, most famously by having given then-President Barack Obama an honorary award and later bestowing on Joe Biden its prestigious Laetare Medal.

It has also hosted drag shows on campus, celebrated June as “pride month,” and promoted many other pro-LGBT initiatives.