Notre Dame will cover Christopher Columbus murals

SOUTH BEND, Ind.--- On Sunday evening, Notre Dame President John Jenkins sent out a letter stating the school will cover the Christopher Columbus murals in the main building, also known as “The Dome.”

Father Jenkins says the murals were originally created to remember Catholic history. But he noted they don’t account for the tragedies of indigenous people after their arrival.

The decision to cover the murals has caused an influx of opinions and disagreements. Some Notre Dame officials say there has to be a middle ground.

Brown says the administration wanted to honor the painter of the murals, since he was Catholic and an immigrant. Brown noted that Notre Dame was founded and populated through its history of Catholics and immigrants, but they must acknowledge the exploitation of native people.

Luke James, Chairman of the Notre Dame Chapter of Young Americans for Freedom said covering the murals isn’t the best way to go about this.

“By catering to a group taking offense from a mural you are restricting the debate,” said James. "And restricting free speech.”

ABC57 reached out to the Native American Student Association and in their statement they said:

The Native American Student Association of Notre Dame is thankful for Father Jenkins' thoughtful and wise decision. This is a good step towards acknowledging the full humanity of those Native people who have come before us. We sincerely hope that Father Jenkins and his administration will continue to prioritize Native issues on our campus in the coming weeks and months as there is still work to be done.