After hardline Catholics had sought to prevent Notre Dame University from inviting President Barack Obama to give a commencement address, his call for people of divergent convictions to find common ground in reason and faith was warmly received.

Catholic university president Fr John Jenkins and officials at Notre Dame are standing firmly behind their decision to invite President Obama to deliver their commencement address in May.

Hardline lobbyists in the USA have launched a campaign to try to stop one of the country's leading Catholic universities from having President Barack Obama as a campus speaker.