On Sunday, January 20, 2019, President of Notre Dame, Fr. Jenkins, announced that the university will cover the Columbus murals in the Main Building with drapes in response to demands from a small, vocal group of the Notre Dame community.

Young Americans for Freedom at the University of Notre Dame calls on Fr. Jenkins and the University to immediately reverse their decision to shield students from the Columbus murals.

Columbus himself was a Catholic, and if not for his exploration, Catholicism would not be a prominent religion in the New World. As a Catholic university, Columbus should be celebrated for helping spread Catholicism. Additionally, the murals were intended to combat anti-Catholicism faced by Notre Dame in its early years.

It is appalling that one of America’s foremost universities is abandoning its mission to pursue knowledge and truth in favor of arbitrary standards of political correctness. If the decision is not reversed, it may be the first step in an irreversible spiral of erasing history on campus.

For these pressing reasons we respectfully and firmly request Fr. Jenkins and the University of Notre Dame reverse their decision and proudly display the Columbus murals uncovered, at all times, and in their original locations.

Media inquiries: Grant Strobl (gstrobl@nd.edu); Luke Jones (ljones15@nd.edu)