Cathy Kaveny makes a good point over at Dotcommonweal.

Saints don’t have to be perfect. And in canonizing Pope Pius XII, the Church really doesn’t mean to endorse his approach to  Nazism. And in canonizing Pope John Paul II, the Church really doesn’t mean to endorse his handling of the Maciel case.  But their whole lives cannot be reduced to one position, one action, one set of judgments, as John Allen carefully explains to us. Mmm.  I thought that was essentially the argument made by Notre Dame about the commencement invitation–rejected by many of those who are likely to support the canonization of Pius XII and JPII.  Oh. . . but it’s there’s a difference.  Obama was a commencement speaker –not a candidate for sainthood.  Saints don’t have to be perfect.  But commencement speakers, apparently do.

The Rev. James Martin, S.J., is a Jesuit priest, author, editor at large at America and founder of Outreach.