Posted on 05/28/2002 4:55:30 PM PDT by marshmallow
NEW YORK - A deadline looms Saturday that could ignite a smoldering conflict over academic freedom between the Roman Catholic hierarchy and theologians at the nation's 235 Catholic colleges and universities.
The winners and losers won't be immediately clear, but in coming years jobs and the shape of Catholic higher learning may be at stake.
Acting on instructions from the Vatican (news - web sites), U.S. bishops have ordered Catholics who teach their faith's doctrine, morality, Scripture, law or history at Catholic schools to obtain a "mandatum" (mandate, in English) from the bishop of the diocese where the college is located.
The document, which the bishops agreed should be obtained by June 1 this Saturday attests the theologian teaches only authentic Catholicism.
While some, like the orthodox Cardinal Newman Society, have hailed the mandatum, opponents have derided the requirement as a "loyalty oath." Faculty have complained it tramples their academic freedom.
The penalties dissenters may face is uncertain.
Some bishops warned their colleagues last year they couldn't enforce the requirement. But schools could use the mandatum in rating faculty; it's already affected hiring on at least one campus.
By design, the process is secret; a private matter between each theologian and bishop. For that reason, no one knows how many mandatums have been granted.
Estimates of Catholics teaching religious subjects on church-affiliated campuses range from about 300 to more than 800 priests, nuns and lay professors.
"Everything will depend on the chemistry between a local bishop and the local institutions," said William Loewe, who teaches at The Catholic University of America and heads the College Theology Society. "That leads to a whole wide range of outcomes."
Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II called for certifying professors in a 1990 decree as a way to bolster the religious character of Catholic campuses worldwide, and the issue roiled American theologians in the late '90s.
Despite opposition from many professors and academic groups, the U.S. bishops' conference agreed to require the mandatum and put procedures in place last year. But the bishops gave themselves latitude.
Each bishop can word the mandatum as he likes. He can let theologians seek one, or issue them unasked. Even this week's deadline is not absolute.
More importantly for academics and institutions, the mandatum guidelines leave any related hiring and firing to the schools.
The Rev. Dan Pattee at the conservative Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio displays his mandatum in his office. All 12 of his fellow professors, most of them laity, got one, he said.
"I don't think the mandatum is asking us to do anything new," Pattee said. It's "just kind of formalizing things that Catholic theologians have already been doing for centuries." He wonders why anyone would refuse.
So does his school. Franciscan University requires new hires to get a mandatum and last year rejected a job candidate who declined.
This is what the Cardinal Newman Society wants all Catholic colleges to do, said Patrick Reilly, its president. The mandatum, he said, should serve as "the necessary accreditation to be a Catholic theologian."
That's not the common view, however. Many academics view the requirement with concern.
"I hope nobody's going to lose their job over it, but it is possible," said Monika Hellwig, executive director of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and a theologian.
Wealthy, conservative Catholics could exert pressure on some campuses to fire dissenting professors, even when bishops do not, Hellwig said.
"That is where the threat comes from," Hellwig said. "Self-appointed censors who give the bishops a hard time and write to Rome behind their backs."
Terrence Tilley, dean of religious studies at the University of Dayton, predicted the mandate will diminish Catholic theologians' credibility in the eyes of some of their peers. Some professors will gravitate to secular institutions to teach, or turn away from the discipline altogether, he said.
Or the issue could fade away. That's the prediction of the Rev. Peter Phan, a Catholic University professor and president of the Catholic Theological Society of America.
Many U.S. bishops opposed the mandatum until the Vatican insisted on it, he said. He also noted the risk of lawsuits if a job is lost or tenure is denied for lack of a mandatum. Phan expects most bishops to say "to hell with it."
Sister Mary Ann Hinsdale, a Boston College theologian, agreed, noting the clergy sex-abuse scandal now rocking the church is absorbing the bishops' attention. "I don't think they're thinking about the mandatum," she said.
Hinsdale said Boston Cardinal Bernard Law told her faculty he wouldn't ask them to seek mandatums.
An archdiocesan spokesman said Law has yet to reply even to those who did request one. Said the Rev. Christopher Coyne: "It's still an open question."
Translation: faithful Catholic laity who inconveniently shine a spotlight on the dishonest and duplicitous practices of faculty who want to teach whatever takes their fancy yet retain the privelege of calling themselves Catholic.
This is the next boil that needs to be lanced when the molesters and sodomites have finally been flushed out. Cardinal Law, as usual, is out to lunch.
Quite a few have already said that about a lot of things besides academia.
Au contraire! (I always wanted to say that) - Cardinal Law is aware of how many wealthy Bostonians he would offend if he required the mandatum. Think of all the Boston Pol's who went to BC... and BC is not a "real" Catholic College anymore.
C'mon! We don't want to offend anyone!
The problem is mostly with theology departments. Monica Hellwig is a heretic, if that term still applies to anyone. Almost the entire Catholic Theological Society consists of liberal dissenters and heretics. McBrien was a typical president.
It's a fairly simple matter. No one should claim to teach Catholic theology unless they teach Catholic theology. This doesn't stop colleges from hiring rabbis to teach Judaism, or Protestant theologians to teach their areas of expertise. It's the Catholic theologians who are the main problem.
And it is a problem. There is a connection between this scandal and the scandal of homosexual priests, because one of the main areas in which Catholic theologians have been unfaithful to the Magisterium is in the area of sexual morality. Charles Curran comes to mind.
Frankly, I think this would come under the heading of 'truth in advertising'. If you're going to call yourself a Catholic college, you need to make sure that what you teach and encourage on your campus is authentically Catholic! That means you shouldn't allow groups to operate with the funding of the college and on the campus which teach and agitate AGAINST the teachings of the Church, i.e. pro-abortion and pro-homosexual groups. Too many Catholic colleges have bought into the 'fairness' attitude which says that they should allow 'all voices' to be heard. Believe me, if the Catholic kids want to hear voices which are against Church teaching, all they have to do is turn on the TV, the radio, or the Internet and they'll get their fill. They shouldn't be forced to have their tuition money pay for classes, professors, or Student activities groups which denigrate their Faith. They could go to a Public college and get that for a lot less money!
That's because the Church According to Law has done so well it doesn't need this nit-picking interference from Rome.
I know what you meant, and you are right - but I think Cardinal Law is doing his job as he sees his job - money, prestige, power. If you bow to the things of the world, the things of the world own you.
Thank God for real Catholic colleges and universities like Magdalen College (NH), Christendom College (VA), Campion College (CA & DC), Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ave Maria University (MI) and a few others...
Does anyone know about the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas? What sort of school is it, friend or foe?
The document, which the bishops agreed should be obtained by June 1 this Saturday attests the theologian teaches only authentic Catholicism.
Sounds reasonable to me. Teach the truth or do not teach at these colleges and universities.
Actually, my own observation has been that it would be more like paying for a French cooking class and having the instructor teach you "dumpster diving" for dinner!
Why do I keep thinking of Elmer Fudd saying, "Yoow awah making me vewwy angwy!"
I've had it with these testicle-free bishops!
Hinsdale said Boston Cardinal Bernard Law told her faculty he wouldn't ask them to seek mandatums.
No kidding, huh? That pretty much gives Law the seal of worthlessness.
Like Aquinas College (CA)
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