(RNS) The University of Notre Dame said it will not award its prestigious Laetare Medal to anyone this year after a former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican declined the honor to protest President Obama’s planned commencement address.

Notre Dame, still reeling from blistering criticism from conservatives and more than 50 U.S. bishops for its invitation to Obama, picked federal Judge John T. Noonan to speak at the May 17 ceremonies.

Noonan was the recipient of the 1984 Laetare Medal, which has been compared to the Nobel Prize among American Catholics.

Notre Dame President John I. Jenkins said no medal would be awarded this year after former Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon declined the award on Monday (April 27).

Glendon cited “very serious problems raised by Notre Dame’s decision … to honor a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the Church’s position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice” in declining the award.

After Glendon bowed out, Jenkins had said the university was planning to award the honor to “another deserving recipient.”

“In thinking about who could bring a compelling voice, a passion for dialogue, great intellectual stature and a deep commitment to Catholic values to the speaking role of the Laetare Medalist — especially in these unusual circumstances — it quickly became clear that an ideal choice is Judge Noonan,” Jenkins said in a statement.

Noonan was appointed to the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by President Reagan in 1985. He has taught at Notre Dame Law School and the University of California Law School at Berkeley, and held several advisory positions in the Catholic Church.