Saturday, May 19, 2007
FROM THE EMAILBOX
Spirit & Life
"The words I spoke to you are spirit and life." (Jn 6:63)
Human Life International e-Newsletter
Volume 01, Number 68 | Friday, May 18, 2007
................................................................................... www.hli.org
Academic Apostasy
Why do Catholic colleges and universities honor those who are advocates and leaders of the Culture of Death?
Unfortunately the majority of Catholic universities in the United States have followed the "John F. Kennedy" model of Catholicism, which holds that Catholicism won't "get in the way" of the really "important" work. Since those days, the early 60s, these schools have followed the secular model reflective of the desire of many Catholics at the time to gain acceptance into the wider American culture.
In those days rebellion against the "establishment" was seen as a virtue and the Church was seen by many as a rule-bound, integral part of this "establishment" bent on restricting human freedom. A lack of evangelization, proper catechesis and understanding led to views that the Church was something to be freed from rather than freed by.
Aging professors are still mesmerized with a 1960s utopian dream and invite impressionable students into their childish and outdated radicalism. The Catholic identity of these institutions is reduced to slogans like "faith, peace and justice" or "faith that does justice."
Justice is properly defined as depriving another of what is rightfully his. To claim to espouse justice as a "Gospel value" while depriving others the right to be born by killing them in the womb is a mockery and a lie. Political correctness, it seems, has supplanted the true Gospel at many Catholic universities.
The scandal occurs when the administration, sometimes including the priest-presidents of these institutions, goes along with the program of treating Church authority as an "outside influence" interfering with "academic freedom" when the Church calls them to fidelity. They forget that the Church, far from opposing intellectual inquiry, invented the university. Catholic fidelity is never in conflict with truth.
As Americans we respect the right of others to hold and express viewpoints different from ours, but we are not required to respect those viewpoints, especially when they involve the murder of the innocent. In fact, the Gospel requires us to oppose such viewpoints. Yet it is a modern scandal in the Church that those who hold, advocate and promote evil are not merely respected at Catholic colleges and universities, but are actually honored, by being selected as commencement speakers and given honorary degrees.
Make no mistake. The Catholic Church has enemies - mortal enemies. She always has. Jesus Himself spent much of His public life in mortal danger, and He told us that we could expect the same. Those who publicly advocate the killing of innocents are the enemies of the Catholic Church. We are called to love and pray for our enemies, yes, but not hold them up as models for those embarking on their adult lives and give them honorary degrees. To do so is to become cooperators with evil, not the justice of Christ. It is spiritual treason.
Action Item:
Villanova University has invited pro-abortion advocate Chris Matthews for their graduation where he will receive an honorary degree. In his television commentary and newspaper columns, Matthews has publicly supported abortion rights, even suggesting the validity of partial-birth abortion for severely handicapped babies.
The Graduate School of Notre Dame University has invited Mary Sue Coleman of the University of Michigan's center for stem cell research. She has argued that creating stem cell lines from unwanted embryos is "highly ethical." She also refused to cancel a course at the university teaching students "How to Be Gay" despite protests and efforts of the state legislature to cut university funding.
You may write to the President of Villanova, Fr. Peter Donohue, OSA at: president@villanova.edu
You may write to the Vice-President of Notre Dame Graduate School, Mr. Michael Edwards at: medward1@nd.edu
Please, be polite and charitable in your messages.
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International
