Catholics need not apply

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Apr 09, 2009

 "Catholic 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."

Read that passage again now, carefully. Do you see the word "Catholics" appearing immediately after "those" in the first sentence? No? That's funny; neither do I. But Father John Jenkins does. 

Citing the opinions of learned canonists, the president of Notre Dame reasons that when the US bishops urged Catholic colleges and universities not to honor people who hold abhorrent stands on major moral issues, they meant only Catholic people with repulsive ideas. It's quite all right, Father Jenkins tells us, to honor non-Catholics who hold repulsive ideas.

And the logic behind this position is...

- that Catholic moral teachings are purely arbitrary rules, which apply only to Catholics.

- that Catholic moral teachings reflect universal principles of natural law, but we can't expect non-Catholics to adhere to them because they're hopeless; they're all going to hell anyway. 

Choose your preferred explanation. Then tell me what implications that explanation has for the mission of a Catholic university.