Prof. Benedict addresses Catholic academia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In his latest address to American bishops visiting Rome, Pope Benedict XVI stressed that Catholic educators should remain true to the faith -- a reminder\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/05\/prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Prof. Benedict addresses Catholic academia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In his latest address to American bishops visiting Rome, Pope Benedict XVI stressed that Catholic educators should remain true to the faith -- a reminder\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/05\/prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Terry Mattingly\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-05-14T12:32:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"tmatt\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"tmatt\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/05\/prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/05\/prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia\/\",\"name\":\"Prof. Benedict addresses Catholic academia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-05-14T12:32:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-05-14T12:32:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#\/schema\/person\/76ce2260a572ff41a28fb285de9350f1\"},\"description\":\"In his latest address to American bishops visiting Rome, Pope Benedict XVI stressed that Catholic educators should remain true to the faith -- a reminder\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/05\/prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/05\/prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/05\/prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Prof. Benedict addresses Catholic academia\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/\",\"name\":\"Terry Mattingly\",\"description\":\"On Religion\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#\/schema\/person\/76ce2260a572ff41a28fb285de9350f1\",\"name\":\"tmatt\",\"description\":\"Terry Mattingly directs the Washington Journalism Center at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. He writes a weekly column for the Universal Syndicate.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/author\/tmatt\/\"}]}<\/script>\n","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Prof. Benedict addresses Catholic academia","description":"In his latest address to American bishops visiting Rome, Pope Benedict XVI stressed that Catholic educators should remain true to the faith -- a reminder","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/05\/prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Prof. Benedict addresses Catholic academia","og_description":"In his latest address to American bishops visiting Rome, Pope Benedict XVI stressed that Catholic educators should remain true to the faith -- a reminder","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/05\/prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia\/","og_site_name":"Terry Mattingly","article_published_time":"2012-05-14T12:32:31+00:00","author":"tmatt","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"tmatt","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/05\/prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/05\/prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia\/","name":"Prof. Benedict addresses Catholic academia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#website"},"datePublished":"2012-05-14T12:32:31+00:00","dateModified":"2012-05-14T12:32:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#\/schema\/person\/76ce2260a572ff41a28fb285de9350f1"},"description":"In his latest address to American bishops visiting Rome, Pope Benedict XVI stressed that Catholic educators should remain true to the faith -- a reminder","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/05\/prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/05\/prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/05\/prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Prof. Benedict addresses Catholic academia"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/","name":"Terry Mattingly","description":"On Religion","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#\/schema\/person\/76ce2260a572ff41a28fb285de9350f1","name":"tmatt","description":"Terry Mattingly directs the Washington Journalism Center at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. He writes a weekly column for the Universal Syndicate.","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/author\/tmatt\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/610"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2548\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

{"id":2548,"date":"2012-05-14T08:32:31","date_gmt":"2012-05-14T12:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tmatt.net\/?p=2548"},"modified":"2012-05-14T08:32:31","modified_gmt":"2012-05-14T12:32:31","slug":"prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/05\/prof-benedict-addresses-catholic-academia\/","title":{"rendered":"Prof. Benedict addresses Catholic academia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

In his latest address<\/a> to American bishops visiting Rome, Pope Benedict XVI stressed that Catholic educators should remain true to the faith \u2014 a reminder issued just in time for another tense season of commencement addresses.<\/p>\n

No, the pope did not mention Georgetown University by name, when discussing the Catholic campus culture wars.<\/p>\n

Yes, he did mention the law requiring professors who teach Catholic theology to obtain a Canon 812 \u201cmandatum (mandate)\u201d document from their bishops to certify that they are truly Catholic theologians.<\/p>\n

Many American bishops have cited a \u201cgrowing recognition on the part of Catholic colleges and universities of the need to reaffirm their distinctive identity in fidelity to their founding ideals and the Church\u2019s mission. \u2026 Much remains to be done, especially in such basic areas as compliance with the mandate laid down in Canon 812 for those who teach theological disciplines,\u201d said Benedict, who taught theology at the university level in Germany.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe importance of this canonical norm as a tangible expression of ecclesial communion and solidarity in the Church\u2019s educational apostolate becomes all the more evident when we consider the confusion created by instances of apparent dissidence between some representatives of Catholic institutions and the Church\u2019s pastoral leadership: such discord harms the Church\u2019s witness and, as experience has shown, can easily be exploited to compromise her authority and her freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benedict\u2019s remarks to the bishops of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming came during the fourth of five Vatican visits by Americans reporting on life in their dioceses. His January address, to the bishops of Washington, D.C., Baltimore and the U.S. Armed Services, made news with its focus on threats to religious liberty. It came shortly before Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the Obama administration would not withdraw its rules requiring the majority of religious institutions to cover all FDA-approved forms of contraception in health-insurance plans offered to employees, as well as to students.<\/p>\n

Now, the pope has emphasized the need for Catholic educators to remain faithful in the same timeframe as Georgetown University\u2019s announcement that one featured speaker during its commencement rites will be none other than Sebelius \u2014 a liberal Catholic who last year warned abortion-rights activists that \u201cwe are in a war\u201d to protect women from conservatives.<\/p>\n

Conservative Catholics protested \u2014 see GeorgetownScandal.com<\/a> \u2014 claiming that the Jesuit school\u2019s invitation represented yet another violation of the 2004 U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops policy stating: \u201cCatholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.\u201d The University of Notre Dame ignited a 2009 firestorm by granting President Barack Obama an honorary doctor of laws degree. <\/p>\n

While it\u2019s easy to focus on this new commencement controversy, Benedict\u2019s address represents another skirmish in more than two decades of conflict between Rome and liberal Catholics entrenched on many college and university campuses. At the heart of the conflict is a 1990 \u201capostolic constitution\u201d on education issued by Pope John Paul II entitled \u201cEx Corde Ecclesiae<\/a> (From the Heart of the Church).\u201d<\/p>\n

That document contains numerous statements that trouble American academics, including this one: \u201cCatholic teaching and discipline are to influence all university activities, while the freedom of conscience of each person is to be fully respected. Any official action or commitment of the University is to be in accord with its Catholic identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat captures pretty much everything,\u201d noted Patrick J. Reilly, president of the conservative Cardinal Newman Society.<\/p>\n

Thus, in his address to the visiting American bishops, the pope stressed that Catholic universities are supposed to be helping the church defend its teachings, in an age in which they are constantly be under attack.<\/p>\n

The goal, said Benedict, is for Catholic schools to provide a \u201cbulwark against the alienation and fragmentation which occurs when the use of reason is detached from the pursuit of truth and virtue. \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cCatholic institutions have a specific role to play in helping to overcome the crisis of universities today. Firmly grounded in this vision of the intrinsic interplay of faith, reason and the pursuit of human excellence, every Christian intellectual and all the Church\u2019s educational institutions must be convinced, and desirous of convincing others, that no aspect of reality remains alien to, or untouched by, the mystery of the redemption and the Risen Lord\u2019s dominion over all creation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"