Reflecting on the Papal Visit - 9

Benedict XVI speaks to Catholic educators: photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Fortunately, I was on my days off for the first days of the papal visit. Now that I'm back to work, keeping up with the pope's pace is more difficult. I may fall behind in this task, but I pledge to offer some text and comment on the major moments of Benedict's ministry among us.

On Friday afternoon, the pope addressed leadership figures in American Catholic education. Many were hoping that this would be an occasion for the pope to come down hard on academic freedom as it is practiced in American Catholic institutions of higher learning. As we've seen thus far, the smack down is not Benedict's method of instruction. Here I give you some quotations from his address. I encourage you to read the whole text, courtesy of Rocco.

The bolded sections are my own emphasis. I hope that even from these few portions of a longer text you will see that the pope is not calling for a critique of courses or syllabi but rather for a long hard study of the mission and goals of Catholic education. Where does the institution root its mission to students and to society? How does a Catholic institution's mission shape its work with students, its commitment to the goals of academia? Certainly a Catholic college or university should be able to be distinguished from secular counterparts - but how? A chapel on campus or an office of campus ministry cannot satisfy as a response to this probing question.

Finally, if education is the pursuit of truth, how does the Catholic institution of higher learning embrace that enterprise in the spirit of the gospel? in light of the heritage of Catholic morality? with a view towards the Church's responsibility to justice in society?

Although the audience here is a few levels above a parish faith formation program and its directors and catechists, there is here food for thought for parochial ministers, especially as we face the challenges ahead of us in American parish life.

It is my great pleasure to meet you and to share with you some thoughts regarding the nature and identity of Catholic education today.

Education is integral to the mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News. First and foremost every Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth.

God's revelation offers every generation the opportunity to discover the ultimate truth about its own life and the goal of history. This task is never easy; it involves the entire Christian community and motivates each generation of Christian educators to ensure that the power of God's truth permeates every dimension of the institutions they serve.

It is timely to reflect on what is particular to our Catholic institutions. How do they contribute to the good of society through the Church's primary mission of evangelization?

All the Church's activities stem from her awareness that she is the bearer of a message which has its origin in God himself: in his goodness and wisdom, God chose to reveal himself and to make known the hidden purpose of his will. It is my great pleasure to meet you and to share with you some thoughts regarding the nature and identity of Catholic education today.

A university or school's Catholic identity is not simply a question of the number of Catholic students. It is a question of conviction - do we really believe that only in the mystery of the Word made flesh does the mystery of man truly become clear? Are we ready to commit our entire self - intellect and will, mind and heart - to God? Do we accept the truth Christ reveals? Is the faith tangible in our universities and schools? Is it given fervent expression liturgically, sacramentally, through prayer, acts of charity, a concern for justice, and respect for God's creation?

We all know, and observe with concern, the difficulty or reluctance many people have today in entrusting themselves to God. It is a complex phenomenon and one which I ponder continually. While we have sought diligently to engage the intellect of our young, perhaps we have neglected the will. Subsequently we observe, with distress, the notion of freedom being distorted. Freedom is not an opting out. It is an opting in - a participation in Being itself. Hence authentic freedom can never be attained by turning away from God. Such a choice would ultimately disregard the very truth we need in order to understand ourselves. A particular responsibility therefore for each of you, and your colleagues, is to evoke among the young the desire for the act of faith, encouraging them to commit themselves to the ecclesial life that follows from this belief. It is here that freedom reaches the certainty of truth. In choosing to live by that truth, we embrace the fullness of the life of faith which is given to us in the Church.

Drawing upon divine wisdom, she sheds light on the foundation of human morality and ethics, and reminds all groups in society that it is not praxis that creates truth but truth that should serve as the basis of praxis. Far from undermining the tolerance of legitimate diversity, such a contribution illuminates the very truth which makes consensus attainable, and helps to keep public debate rational, honest and accountable. Similarly the Church never tires of upholding the essential moral categories of right and wrong, without which hope could only wither, giving way to cold pragmatic calculations of utility which render the person little more than a pawn on some ideological chess-board.

We witness an assumption that every experience is of equal worth and a reluctance to admit imperfection and mistakes. And particularly disturbing, is the reduction of the precious and delicate area of education in sexuality to management of 'risk', bereft of any reference to the beauty of conjugal love.

In regard to faculty members at Catholic colleges universities, I wish to reaffirm the great value of academic freedom. In virtue of this freedom you are called to search for the truth wherever careful analysis of evidence leads you. Yet it is also the case that any appeal to the principle of academic freedom in order to justify positions that contradict the faith and the teaching of the Church would obstruct or even betray the university's identity and mission; a mission at the heart of the Church's munus docendi (work of teaching) and not somehow autonomous or independent of it.

Teachers and administrators, whether in universities or schools, have the duty and privilege to ensure that students receive instruction in Catholic doctrine and practice. This requires that public witness to the way of Christ, as found in the Gospel and upheld by the Church's Magisterium, shapes all aspects of an institution's life, both inside and outside the classroom. Divergence from this vision weakens Catholic identity and, far from advancing freedom, inevitably leads to confusion, whether moral, intellectual or spiritual.

-ConcordPastor