Notre Dame responds below.

Thanks to an AFA Action Alert email sent this past Friday from Tim Wildmon, president, American Family Association, I now have much more confidence in U.S. attorney general William Barr. The alert included a link to a nearly hour-long YouTube video of his closed-door speech at the Notre Dame University law school on October 11, 2019. I was nearly halfway through the video and was impressed but had to pause it briefly during dinner. When I returned, all that remained was a black screen with the following message: "Video unavailable. This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Notre Dame de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture."

Perhaps the faculty felt that the general public could not handle that much truth. What I observed to that point no doubt shocked the academics in the audience. The following excerpt best captures its essence.

This is not decay; it is organized destruction. Secularists, and their allies among the 'progressives', have marshaled all the force of mass communications, popular culture, the entertainment industry, and academia in an unremitting assault on religion and traditional values.

Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post apparently interpreted the speech differently:

Attorney General William P. Barr talked at length about a "campaign to destroy the traditional moral order."

The alleged perpetrator of this campaign? "Militant secularists," who insist upon keeping government institutions free from the influence of any faith or creed. To be clear: This was not merely an affirmation — delivered by a devout Catholic, while visiting a Catholic university — of how privately taught religious values can contribute to character development or stronger communities. No. This appeared to be a tacit endorsement of theocracy.

Personally, I thought Barr's speech was remarkably frank, especially for this day and time. Barr described it as a time when "[v]irtually every measure of social pathology continues to gain ground." Barr is no pretend conservative, but a man willing to place God and country before self. In my opinion, he delivered one of the best and most complete summaries of what and who is driving the decline of our national culture.

Despite the takedown of the video, the full written transcript remains available on the U.S. Department of Justice website. Once read, it will immediately become clear why it was taken down. Read it here and decide for yourself.

Notre Dame Responds: The University of Notre Dame is not blocking the video of Attorney General Barr's recent remarks on campus. We are waiting permission by the Department of Justice's public affairs office to approve distribution of it via YouTube. Notre Dame Law School and de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture sponsored Attorney General Barr. We were proud to do so. Paul J. Browne Vice President, Public Affairs & Communications University of Notre Dame