It's not just that it's useless, it's academic claptrap. It's not even "studies", it accepts no point of view other than the prevailing one, completely political and if yours is that point of view, no paper will ever be rejected.
That's just it - it's not academic but political. It's a statement made by liberal elites that they are more worldly and educated than the Church that effectively employs them. The Left continually looks for ways to attack such conservative institutions.