Five more U.S. bishops have publicly opposed the University of Notre Dame’s decision to honor President Barack Obama on May 17, according to LifeSiteNews. Archbishop Gomez and Bishops Higi, Cantú, Murry and Taylor bring the total number of bishops calling Notre Dame to task to 24.

In the Diocese of Lafayette’s weekly newspaper The Catholic Moment, Bishop William Higi encouraged readers to file their protests at The Cardinal Newman Society’s petition website NotreDameScandal.com. The petition is expected to reach 250,000 signers this evening.

Bishop Higi said, “Others have explained why so many object to this action. It need not be repeated here. In simple fact, the Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who stand in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions. The sanctity of life from conception to natural death heads that list of fundamental principles.”

In his statement, Bishop Higi joins a host of U.S. bishops who have either quoted directly from or alluded to the 2004 United State Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) statement “Catholics in Political Life” as the reasoning behind their disapproval of Notre Dame’s invitation to President Obama.

Archbishop José Gomez and Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú of the San Antonio Archdiocese wrote in a letter dated March 31 to Bishop D’Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend, “We’re sorry that the Administration of the University did not inform you in advance of their intention to invite President Obama. It is our firm conviction that Catholic Universities must work in unity with the local Bishop for the good of the people of God and the Universal Church. We’re sure you recall the words of the Holy Father as he addressed American Catholic educators, that Catholic identity ‘is a question of conviction.’”

They expressed "total support" of Bishop D’Arcy’s action and motives in choosing to boycott the commencement. They too cited the 2004 USCCB statement as support for opposing the action of Notre Dame.

Last Friday, Bishop George Murry of the Youngstown Diocese wrote in a newspaper column, “In politics, one cannot functionally separate a politician from his polices. Mr. Obama's policies of expanding the availability of abortion at home and exporting that availability overseas have demonstrated that he does not believe that the life of the unborn is very important. As a result, I cannot but be deeply disturbed by the decision made by the president and board of Notre Dame.”

LifeSiteNews also reports that Bishop Anthony Taylor of the Little Rock Diocese wrote on Facebook that he “endorsed the position of the U.S. Catholic Bishop’s policy against the Notre Dame invitation, and stated that he ‘fully support[s]’ Notre Dame’s Bishop D’Arcy for repudiating the move and announcing his intent to boycott the graduation ceremony.”