September 15, 2013
by Dr. Eric Cunningham
General Norms
The final section of Ex corde establishes the norms that define a Catholic university, not only in terms of its institutional authority, but also in terms of the ideals and assumptions which inform its activity and make clear its identity. Among the stronger statements of the universities’ obligations to the Church are:
“A Catholic University, as Catholic, informs and carries out its research, teaching, and all other activities with Catholic ideals, principles, and attitudes. It is linked with the Church either by a formal, constitutive, and statutory bond or by reason of an institutional commitment made by those responsible for it.” (The Nature of a Catholic University, Norm 2)
“The identity of a Catholic University is essentially linked to the quality of its teachers and to respect for Catholic doctrine. It is the responsibility of the competent Authority to watch over these two fundamental needs in accordance with what is indicated in Canon Law” (The University Community, Norm 1)
“In ways appropriate to the different academic disciplines, all Catholic teachers are to be faithful to, and all other teachers are to respect, Catholic doctrine and morals in their research and teaching. In particular, Catholic theologians, aware that they fulfil a mandate received from the Church, are to be faithful to the Magisterium of the Church as the authentic interpreter of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition” (The University Community, Norm 3)
This norm, which directly refers to the infamous “mandatum,” has been the origin of great debates over the question of academic freedom but—as was suggested in the first installment of these comments—requires nothing more than a correct interpretation of Catholic doctrine as such.
“The education of students is to combine academic and professional development with formation in moral and religious principles and the social teachings of the Church; the programme of studies for each of the various professions is to include an appropriate ethical formation in that profession. Courses in Catholic doctrine are to be made available to all students.” (The University Community, Norm 5)
This has also been a point of much debate, especially with regard to whether Religious Studies classes are actually teaching sound Catholic doctrine or not.
“Each Bishop has a responsibility to promote the welfare of the Catholic Universities in his diocese and has the right and duty to watch over the preservation and strengthening of their Catholic character. If problems should arise concerning this Catholic character, the local Bishop is to take the initiatives necessary to resolve the matter, working with the competent university authorities in accordance with established procedures (52) and, if necessary, with the help of the Holy See.” (The Catholic University within the Church, Norm 2)
This norm unambiguously defines the responsibility of the local bishop to ensure the Catholic character of the universities in his diocese, which is interesting because almost all of the confusion, animosity, and mission-dismantling that takes place in the typical Catholic university could be ended fairly quickly with creative and courageous action on the part of the bishops. Some bishops have shown this creativity and courage; many have not.
In the final analysis, Ex corde Ecclesiae places no extraordinary burdens on any Catholic university, and it really does not repudiate the Land O’ Lakes Statement in any direct or antagonistic way. It yields far more turf to the non-Catholic culture than it commands, and yet, it has still been a lightning rod of controversy and a source of contention. The enraged reactions to Ex corde of so many faculty members of Catholic universities—as well as the strategic side-stepping of its norms by so many administrators and bishops—communicates very clearly the crisis of identity in the Catholic academy today. That even mild instruction and gentle exhortations to fidelity can provoke such widespread indignation would suggest that Catholic universities may be well beyond the stage of retrieval. Nevertheless, faith in God and hope in restoration are far from unreasonable, and it would seem that there is no better starting point to begin resolving the identity crisis of our schools than reminding the bishops, charitably and respectfully, of their responsibility to enforce the norms of this important apostolic constitution.
Dr. Eric Cunningham is an Associate Professor of History at Gonzaga University
