third and seventeen, from his own twenty

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Nov 14, 2006

Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C., who blew the V Monologues call last year to the dismay of Catholics, is cautiously distancing himself from a new dramatic venture in the same genre.

"Loyal Daughters," a student-written theatrical performance dealing with issues of sexuality and sexual assault on campus, will be performed nightly through Thursday at the University of Notre Dame. But the play will go on without the backing of the Rev. John I. Jenkins, Notre Dame's president.

Jenkins supports the central theme of the play -- education and awareness to prevent sexual violence and assault -- but has withdrawn his complete support because the play at times takes a "neutral stance" toward consensual sex outside of marriage, Notre Dame spokesman Dennis Brown said Monday. Such a stance is clearly in opposition to the Catholic Church and Jenkins' views on matters of sexual morality, Brown said.

I don't understand how this play's "neutral stance" toward Catholic morality makes it more problematic than the V Monologues, whose stance was anything but neutral, but it looks as if Jenkins has left escape hatches ajar on both sides of the controversy to come. It'll be interesting to see which, if either, he chooses to dive through.