Why the Church Must Declare DePaul University No Longer Catholic

Why the Church Must Declare DePaul University No Longer Catholic

By The Wanderer -Tom Roeser

CHICAGO-DePaul University should be stripped of its designation as a "Catholic" university. And not just for the reason that makes it no different from all other.

Sure, as with many other venerable Catholic schools, it waters down the teachings of the Church into a one-of-many options-an amalgam of views-without singling out any one objective truth. That goes for most of the colleges called "Catholic." But with DePaul there are decidedly other factors, as this long study engaged by me-a former DePaul graduate student and an adjunct professor there and at a host of other schools, secular and Catholic for more than 30 years-proves.

The rap on DePaul that should deny it the name "Catholic" is this: In theology as in academic practice it is a psychedelic mockery of what a university is meant to be. It has gone berserk with at least two major derelictions.

First, on moral, not theological grounds, it provides seduction of the innocent by serving as an incubator of sexual decadence. It offers an academic minor in Gay Studies (a/k/a gay rights, lesbian, transgender and queer studies). Masquerading as academic studies they are the ultimate in hard-core and sexual explicitness.

Second, it denigrates the very idea of a university. It violates centuries of tradition of the university as a haven of academic freedom. It serves not as a colloquium of the open mind but fosters persecution of students and faculty dissenters and in more than one case has actively punished those who object to anti-Semitism.

As a third article in this series will show, it purveys in its gay course hard-core stuff that could easily be cited by such feminists as Dr. Catherine MacKinnon and Andrea Dworkin. They have criticized pornography as dehumanizing women and men which can be reasonably suspected as possibly causing violence against them. Such "studies" can in my estimation contribute to domination, humiliation and coercion of both genders, reinforcing sexual and cultural attitudes complicit in rape, harassment and objectification of men and women.

Although by current standards of academic decadence-shown by Tom Wolfe's realistic novel I Am Charlotte Simmons-DePaul ranks with the degradation spurred by so-called Ivy League schools, allowing it to continually use, as it does, the label "Catholic" serves as an insult and degradation of the Church. Under canon law, a university run by a religious order is accountable to the order to which it is affixed, in this case the Vincentians. But the bishop of the diocese in which it is situated has been recognized traditionally as having the right to approve or withdraw the label "Catholic."

Read more.

Golden Compass Leads Waterloo Schools in Wrong Direction

Note: Napoleon met his fate at Waterloo. It appears that sound Catholic doctrine is likewise headed for exile in a different Waterloo. Are there no good Catholics who can rally against this apostasy? Are there no leaders left in the Church there? Stay tuned, I guess.

The Golden Compass Battle of Catholic Schools - One Board Bans it While Another Praises It

By John-Henry Westen

Hamilton, December 21, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a 5-4 decision the Halton Catholic District School Board decided Tuesday to ban the anti-Catholic book "The Golden Compass" and the other two books in the "His Dark Materials" anti-religion series.

The film, "The Golden Compass" has ignited interest in the books and drawn the attention of Catholic leaders the world over who have condemned it. In addition to several US bishops and archbishops, the Vatican newspaper blasted the film and books in an editorial this week.

The removal of the book from Catholic schools comes as no surprise considering the author, militant atheist Phillip Pullman has admitted publicly that with his works "I'm trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief." In fact the question some are asking now is how the trilogy came to be placed in Catholic schools in the first place and how many other materials undermining Christian faith are in those libraries and school programs.

However, a Catholic school board near the Halton board is not only refusing to ban the books, but has expressed shock and disdain at the decision to pull the books. The Cambridge Times reports that Waterloo Catholic District School Board Chair Wayne Buchholtz ranked the Pullman novels as a classic in league with the offerings of C.S. Lewis. "How can you pull a book like that?" he said to the Times. "I'm pleased that our board is not even considering it."

But Pullman's books are not the only ones of little concern to the Waterloo Catholic board. The Board was approached early this year by the group Defend Traditional Marriage and Family (DTMF) which was concerned about a teacher resource book promoting homosexuality as well as some thirty similarly objectionable books, videos and pamphlets available to Catholic students in school libraries and guidance offices.

The Board decided to retain the teacher resource book at its main offices but not in all schools but has of yet not dealt with the objectionable materials in the libraries. During the kerfuffle, a board spokesman even referred to DTMF as "an extremist hate group".

In what came as no surprise, gay "pride" clubs have begun in at least two Catholic schools in the board. One student who founded one of the clubs calls herself an "out lesbian" and reports that a pro-homosexuality novel, one of those objected to by the marriage group, was her inspiration for starting the club. (see coverage: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/nov/07112909.html )

LifeSiteNews.com contacted DTMF spokesman Jack Fonseca for comment on the Buckholtz approval of the controversial books. "I suppose I'm not terribly surprised," said Fonseca. "In the November 2006 elections for Catholic school trustee, he failed to answer a candidate questionnaire prepared by DTMF to help Catholic voters know the views of candidates on relevant social issues. The first question was: "Do you agree that marriage should be defined solely as the life-long union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others? Yes or No?"."

Fonseca concluded, "We contacted candidates 3 times by email or phone, but he failed to respond. While I'm not suggesting that he would have given an improper answer to that question, the reluctance to take a stand at that time seems to fit with the current pattern of non-resistance to books that are clearly controversial from a Catholic moral perspective."

His Excellence Bishop Anthony Tonnos
700 King St. W. Hamilton, ON L8P 1C7
Phone: (905) 528-7988
Fax: (905) 528-1088
Email: mglover@hamiltondiocese.com

Auxiliary Bishop Gerard Bergie
Phone: (905) 528-7988
Fax: (905) 528-1088
Email: gbergie@hamiltondiocese.com

Gay Magazine Contrasts Holy Cross (Good) vs Boston College (Bad) for Gays

Warning: The link for this article is to a gay magazine with obviously offensive material.

But the real warning is for good Catholics planning to attend Holy Cross. They have taken a course far away from Catholic teaching on compassionate treatment of gays and into advocacy for activities clearly outside Catholic mortal teaching. It is indeed a fine line.

The ultimate goal of ministering to gays has to be to help them find Christ, to conform their lifestyle with Catholic moral teaching. This is not much different than the Church's and Catholic colleges' responsibility to all students who are called to lead chaste lives outside marriage.

Instead, colleges like Holy Cross have abandoned this mission and left the students in grave peril of damnation and sinfulness by promoting anti-Catholic teaching and organizations like gay clubs and planned Parenthood. The supposed role model at the college, an apostate Jesuit Priest, has much to answer for. Indeed Christ had stern words for those who would scandalize the 'little ones". Something about a millstone. No, the mission of a Christ-centered college would be in direct opposition to something so self-centered as a club that promotes a lifestyle and human definition based on sexual attraction.

A few excerpts:

Keeping the Faith :: GLBT students face adversity at Catholic colleges
by Scott Kearnan
EDGE Boston Contributor
Wednesday Nov 21, 2007

Seen through the eyes of a campus visitor or a promotional brochure,
it would seem that Boston College and College of the Holy Cross share a number
of similarities. Both are competitive schools, ranked among the best
Northeastern colleges by the Princeton Review. Both have beautiful campuses;
acres ofmanicured green grass and gothic architecture. And both have an
esteemed Catholic background, one that is particularly attractive to students
seeking a liberal arts education informed by Jesuit tradition.

But for gay students, these universities are separated by more than the
30 miles between Chestnut Hill and Worcester, Mass. Though Catholic colleges
are united under a common religion, one that is frequently inhospitable to the
needs of the GLBT community, gay students at BC and Holy Cross voice
personal experiences that are worlds apart.

From 2000 to 2004, BC ranked every year on the Princeton Review's list
of schools where "alternative lifestyles are not an alternative," though it
has been absent from the list since holding the No. 5 spot in 2006. And it was
only in 2005, after years of heated debate and an overwhelmingly supportive
student referendum, that Boston College finally added "sexual orientation" to
its official non-discrimination statement.

Note: I'm starting to re-think some of my negative perceptions of BC based on this article. But they may just be lagging and eventually succumb to the pressure tactics like Georgetown and now Holy Cross before them.

Corbman and Kropowensky are co-chairs of Holy Cross' ABiGaLe (Association of
Bisexuals, Gays and Lesbians). At the start of November, the organization hosted
a Rainbow Alliance Week--a series of socials, panels, and even a lecture by a
transgendered speaker--amidst fanfare and support. "We got all of our funding
from the school without question," says Joshua Rodriguez, 19.

Rodriguez is a member of the college's Allies organization,
which cosponsored the series of events. He says that even when the college
interjects Catholicism, it is respectful and within reason."

We had to have a religious faculty member present [at certain events],"
he explains of the limited intervention. "In case people had questions
afterwards."If anything, some suspect that the college's supervision is actually
for the benefit of GLBT students."

The administration is extremely supportive, and always has our back,"
says Corbman of ABiGaLe's experience with university officials. "I think they
have to document what they're doing so that they can defend us...and bring up why it's good."

Note: Holy Cross has gone over the line from compassion and ministry to overt support of clubs based on sexual attraction. Their actions are clearly dangerous to these young peoples' spiritual growth and physical well-being. They condemn them to a life of failure, disease, stigmatization, disappointment and childlessness. Christ offers life. GLBT or whatever they call it offers only death. And Holy Cross has much to answer for it.

Theology of Death at Catholic Universities

Bobby Schindler Reveals Shocking Support by Catholic Clergy for Sister's Euthanasia Killing

By Steve JalsevacDecember 14, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Bobby Schindler, the brother of Terri Shiavo, the young woman who was dehydrated to death in Florida in 2005, has become a prominent opponent of euthanasia since that wrenching time for his family. In a recent Challenge magazine interview with Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, Schindler revealed the shocking details of the support from many prominent Catholic clergy for the court ordered removal of food and hydration from Terri. Bobby is a practicing Catholic as was his sister.

Schindler stated that his sister "was not dying, not attached to any type of machinery and was only being sustained by food and water via a feeding tube." He noted that Catholic teaching does not allow a person "regardless of any advanced directive or even the sworn testimony of another person" to refuse food and water with the intent to cause their own death or that of another.

Still, Fr. Gerard Murphy of the Diocese of St. Petersburgh, Florida actually helped Judge Greer make the decision to dehydrate and starve Terri to death. Fr. Murphy did not consult with any members of Terri's family and did not even visit Terri. Murphy did however consult with Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, an assisted suicide/euthanasia activist, and testified on behalf of Michael Schiavo.

Bishop Lynch of the Diocese of St. Petersburg refused to help the family stop the euthanasia death order and supported Father Murphy's seriously flawed position. The bishop eventually issued a confusing statement that was of no help to the situation and after that the Florida bishops supported Bishop Lynch's position.

Other prominent US clergy also made public statements condoning what was happening to Terri.

Schindler said Jesuit Father John Paris, professor at Boston College, commented on Pope John Paul II's statement mandating life sustaining treatment. Paris said in these situations, "I think the best thing to do is ignore it and it will go away. It's not an authoritative teaching statement. The problem here is that non-Catholics think when the Pope says 'Jump,' we all say, 'How high?'

"Father Kevin O'Rourke, ethics professor at the Loyola University of Chicago Medical School, told the Miami Herald that preserving Terri's life was "blasphemy." He also said, "For Christians, it is a blasphemy to keep people alive as if you were doing them a favor."

Father Richard McBrien, theology professor at the University of Notre Dame, told Bill O'Reilly of Fox News that, "This is not a question of euthanasia," directly contradicting the Vatican. "This is the removal of an 'extraordinary' means of sustaining life..."

Fortunately, there were many other priests and some bishops who were appalled by what was happening. The Vatican began issuing their own statements. Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care, said, "Food and hydration are never considered medicine. To remove them means euthanasia, it means killing, and so this woman was killed by hunger and starvation. Let's stop with the euphemisms - they killed her."

Then, on March 31, Cardinal (Renato) Martino issued the strongest statement yet from Rome, when he said, "Whoever stands idly by without trying to prevent the death of Terri Schindler-Schiavo becomes an accomplice to murder."

Terri was successfully murdered as she succumbed to the extended withholding of food and water on March 31, 2005.

See the complete interview as published in the November The Interim newspaper at http://www.theinterim.com/2007/nov/08schindler.html

Anti-Catholic Georgetown University

When Does a University Give up its Right to Call Itself Catholic?


When one looks at the entire body of recent press articles concerning Georgetown University, the question naturally arises whether it is scandalous to the church to still consider calling it "Catholic" at all.



The most recent news, the article below this one in the main page, concerns statements made by GU theologian Peter Phan that directly contradict Church doctrine concerning the character of the Church itself and the nature of Jesus Christ and his mission.


The previous posting concerning Georgetown revealed the influence selling going on to Saudi Prince Bin Alaweed. By accepting a large gift and establishing a Saudi-funded Islamic studies program, the school seems to diverge well of the path of "academic freedom" into the realm of propagandizing for a foreign country and religion at odds with its Catholic Mission.


Then there is the story about the establishment of a fully funded center for homosexuals on campus. Again, if you desire to retain the identity as a center of Catholic learning, this seems directly at odds with that. Anyone following trends in the news knows that the anti-discrimination angle used by LGBTQ organizations is simply a Trojan horse for normalizing sodomy.


Also, there is the story about grants being approved for abortion related law activities. Again, how does an ordained priest, the president of a Catholic institution, defend such heretical activity? By claiming "academic freedom" of course. Yet, as Catholics, we are taught that "the truth will set you free" and that Jesus Christ is the truth. So Georgetown is selling its students lies. They have turned their backs on the Church, they have apostatized.


At least they could be honest about it and declare themselves NOT CATHOLIC.

At Georgetown U, Heresy is Just a "Free Exchange of Ideas"

Below are some excerpts from various news articles about what the Bishops had to say about Fr. Phan, a Georgetown U "theologian"

Bishops' Doctrine Committee corrects theologian for relativistic book

Washington DC, Dec 11, 2007 / 11:40 am (CNA).- The Doctrine Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has examined a work of theologian Father Peter C. Phan, "Being Religious Interreligiously: Asian Perspectives on Interfaith Dialogue."

Father Phan, a priest of the Diocese of Dallas, Texas, is a professor in Georgetown University's Department of Theology. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith asked the American bishops' Doctrine Committee to evaluate the book. The committee asked Father Phan to clarify points of concern over a period of two years.

The committee's evaluation was presented in a document titled "Clarifications Required by the Book 'Being Religious Interreligiously: Asian Perspectives on Interfaith Dialogue'." The committee said that Father Phan's book uses “certain terms in an equivocal manner" that "opens the text up to significant ambiguity." It added that "a fair reading of the book could leave readers in considerable confusion as to the proper understanding of the uniqueness of Christ."

The committee focused on three areas of theological concern: Jesus Christ as the unique and universal Savior of all humankind; the salvific significance of non-Christian religions; and the Church as the unique and universal instrument of salvation.

US bishops issue caution on Georgetown theologian's work

Washington, Dec. 11, 2007 (CWNews.com) - The US bishops' conference has issued a caution on the work of a Georgetown University theologian.

After a lengthy investigation that was undertaken at the suggestion of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the US bishops' doctrinal committee issued a statement on December 10 saying that the work of Father Peter Phan contained "pervading ambiguities and equivocations that could easily confuse of mislead the faithful."

Father Phan, a former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, came under scrutiny because of his book, Being Religious Interreligiously. Church officials questioned whether the book's approach to religious pluralism could be reconciled with established Catholic doctrine. Father Phan argues in that book that certain doctrinal statements regarding the unique role of Christ and his Church in the economy of salvation may have "outlived their usefulness."

The US bishops' doctrinal committee-- chaired by Bishop Wiliam Lori of Bridgeport, Connecticut-- said that Being Religious Interreligiously contained "statements that, unless properly clarified, are not in accord with Catholic teaching." Because the Georgetown theologian failed to provide that necessary clarification, the bishops explain, a caution about his work is necessary.

The Uniqueness and Universality of Fr. Peter Phan
Posted Dec. 11, 2007 5:04 PM by Dr. Jeff Mirus

The Doctrine Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has released a statement criticizing a book by Fr. Peter Phan, chairman of the theology department at Georgetown University. The book, Being Religious Interreligiously: Asian Perspectives on Interfaith Dialogue, casts doubt on the unique and essential position of Christ as savior and says the Catholic Church should abandon its claim of uniqueness and universality.

The National Catholic Reporter first reported back in September that Fr. Phan, who is also a former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, was under investigation by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, especially in view of the CDF's clarification last July of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council on the Church. The CDF asked the American Bishops to look into the matter. The Doctrine Committee asked Fr. Phan for clarifications of his position, which he neglected to provide. The Committee finally issued its critique on December 7th.

Perhaps it goes without saying-though I am still sad to report-that no disciplinary action has been taken against Fr. Phan. Recent history suggests that it is unlikely that Fr. Phan will lose his mandatum to teach theology for such "trivial" errors as denying that the Son of God is uniquely and universally necessary for salvation, or denying the universal mission of the Church as the sole possessor of all the goods God has provided for salvation. (I have commented on this issue in previous blog entries, especially Effective Discipline.)

Were I Fr. Richard John Neuhaus writing in First Things, it is at this point in my commentary that I would note by way of ironic explanation that Georgetown University is a school "in the Jesuit tradition". This is how Jesuit schools at all levels have tended to describe themselves since ceasing to be recognizably Catholic. I would like to call attention to the same reality here, and I will add that, sooner or later, the Church must become far more serious about reclaiming both her religious orders and her universities.

Doctrinal clarification is extremely important. Indeed, twenty-five years ago we would not have gotten even that. But in the face of egregious scandal, much more is required. All the clarifications in the world will still leave a significant heretic in possession of the department of Catholic theology at Georgetown University. Ultimately ecclesiastical authority must find the courage and strength to roll heads-that is, to challenge the uniqueness and universality not of Christ's teaching position but of Fr. Phan's.

Catholic bishops say book could mislead the faithful
2007 The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - A book on interfaith relations by a Georgetown University theologian does not accurately reflect Roman Catholic teaching, a U.S. bishops' committee said Monday.

The Rev. Peter C. Phan, in his book "Being Religious Interreligiously: Asian Perspectives on Interfaith Dialogue," writes that the terms "unique" and "absolute" when referring to Christ may "have outlived their usefulness and should be jettisoned," the doctrine panel said.

Phan also wrote that religious pluralism "'may not and must not be abolished' by conversion to Christianity," the committee said. That assertion is in conflict with Christ's commission to the church to evangelize the world, the panel said.

Phan, a priest in the Diocese of Dallas, declined to comment Monday. He teaches Catholic social thought at Georgetown, which is a Jesuit school.

The Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the doctrinal watchdog for the church, asked the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to evaluate the book.

The bishops' Doctrine Committee spent two years on the review, asking Phan to explain his writing. But the panel said that Phan "did not provide the needed clarifications," so the panel issued the statement Monday to warn Catholics and others that the book could be misleading.
No other action by the committee was announced.

Julie Green Bataille, a Georgetown spokeswoman, said in a statement that Phan and the school's other faculty have "a long and distinguished tradition" of writing on complex religious issues, and the school "embraces academic freedom and supports the free exchange of ideas."

Georgetown Accepts Millions From Saudis to Whitewash Islam for Students

Washington Times Writes About Saudi Influence at Georgetown

If you wonder what Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has been doing since Mayor Rudolph Giuliani publicly rebuked him and rejected his $10 million dollar gift following the attacks of 9-11, this article from The Washington Times gives some answers. He's been buying American public opinion with endowments to major universities, including money-grubbing quasi-Catholic Georgetown.


A few excerpts from the article:

Although few details have been released about how the money has been spent,
at Georgetown, the money helped pay for a recent symposium on Islamic-Western
relations held in the university's Copley Formal Lounge.

"There's a possibility these campuses aren't getting gifts, they're getting
investments," said Clifford May, president of the Foundation for the Defense of
Democracies. "Departments on Middle Eastern studies tend to be dominated by
professors tuned to the concerns of Arab and Muslim rulers. It's very difficult
for scholars who don't follow this line to get jobs and tenure on college
campuses.

"The relationship between these departments and the money that pours in
is hard to establish, but like campaign finance reform, sometimes money is a
bribe. Sometimes it's a tip."

At Georgetown, the money was funneled toward its Center for
Muslim-Christian Understanding, which was quickly renamed the Prince Alwaleed
bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. The center, part of the
Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, trains many of America"s
diplomats.

The Alwaleed Center is tucked away in a small suite of offices in the
Bunn Intercultural Center. Its reception area is decorated with blue and white
Pakistani tile, a framed page from the Koran and mother-of-pearl depictions of a
menorah, the Nativity and the Dome of the Rock. The center's aim, according to
its mission statement, is to "improve relations between the Muslim world and the
West and enhance understanding of Muslims in the West."

The center's director, John Esposito, a prolific writer and praised by
many as being a national authority on the religion, was severely criticized by
several scholars for downplaying the threat of Islamic terrorism in the 1990s
when he was a foreign affairs analyst for the State Department.

Mr. Esposito, "more than any other academic, contributed to American
complacency prior to 9/11," Martin Kramer, a fellow at the Olin Institute at
Harvard, wrote in a Jan. 2, 2006, commentary on his blog,
sandbox.blog-city.com.

Saint Anselm and Abortion Supporter Girls, Inc. Recieve Award From Rosalyn Carter

Heretic President Fr. DeFelice accepts award for collaboration with pro-abortion group

From the Saint Anselm College Website:

Saint Anselm and Girls Inc. Win Carter Partnership Award

Saint Anselm College and Girls Inc. have won The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Partnership Award for Campus-Community Collaborations.

The award was presented by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter at a dinner Nov. 6 that marked the 10th anniversary of Campus Compact for New Hampshire.

Father Jonathan DeFelice, O.S.B., president of Saint Anselm and chairman of Campus Compact, accepted the award on behalf of the college, along with Patricia Barss, head of Girls Inc. It was the highest of the three awards presented to campus-community partnerships, and carries a $10,000 prize.

"The former president and first lady exemplify the true meaning of civic commitment and leadership. So we are deeply honored that they have recognized the partnership between Saint Anselm College and Girls Inc.," said Father Jonathan.

On their web page, Girls, Inc. lists policies in direct opposition to the Church's teaching on sexuality. Yet the supposed priest, Fr. Jonathan DeFelice seems oblivious.

From Girls, Inc.:

We recognize the right of all women to choose whether, when, and under what
circumstances to bear children. Reproductive freedom and responsibility are
essential to other rights and opportunities, including pursuit of education,
employment, financial security and a stable and fulfilling family life.
Restrictions of reproductive choice are especially burdensome for young women
and poor women. Girls Incorporated supports a woman’s freedom of choice, a
constitutional right established by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973 in Roe vs.
Wade.

The Catholic teaching on abortion is quite different. We believe that abortion is murder of an innocent child and creates serious problems for the woman as well. In what other procedure do two otherwise healthy people go in and one is killed and the other left with an elevated risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, depression, internal bleeding and infertility? When will Catholics wake up and realize the evil that is being foisted on them when institutions like Girls, Inc. enter into Catholic colleges and schools?

When will a Church authority finally step in and reign in this heretical formerly Catholic college? Don't hold your breath. In the meantime, young people are being put at risk. And a fraud is being perpetrated against young people who think they are attending a "Catholic" college.

Catholic university board cuts archbishop's position

Catholic university board cuts archbishop's position

Minneapolis, Dec 7, 2007 / 12:08 pm (CNA).- The board of trustees at the University of St. Thomas has severed a key legal link with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, according to the Star Tribune.

In October, the trustees of the University of St. Thomas voted to eliminate the archbishop's automatic position on the board. For the first time since Archbishop John Ireland founded the university in 1885, a sitting archbishop will not chair the board.

Only the school's Catholic Studies department and law school are said to have maintained a strong Catholic identity. Two archdiocesan seminaries, St. Paul Seminary and St. John Vianney College Seminary, are affiliated with the University of St. Thomas and could be affected by changes at the school.

Some suspect that the impending retirement of Archbishop Harry Flynn was a major factor in the vote. Archbishop Flynn is believed to have done little to resist secularizing trends at the school, but his successor, Archbishop John Nienstedt, has a reputation for standing up to secularization.

"I found this action very, very disturbing -- it was clearly directed at Archbishop Nienstedt," said Tom Mooney of St. Paul, a St. Thomas alumnus and donor. Many St. Thomas alumni are concerned about the "erosion" of the institution's Catholic identity, he said.

"The archbishop is the chief teacher of the faith in the diocese. He ought to be part of the academic community, and respected and regarded as such," said Father Paul LaFontaine, a parish priest.

The outgoing Archbishop Flynn was elected as an individual to a five-year term as chairman. But the university will no longer be required by its bylaws to include the head of the archdiocese in any official role at the university.

University spokesman Doug Hennes said that a secular organization that reviews governing boards recommended the by-laws change in 2002. He said the trustees were concerned the archbishop would be to busy to perform his duties as chairman.

When asked if trustees had asked Archbishop Nienstedt if he would be too busy, Hennes referred the question to the archdiocese. Archdiocesan spokesman Dennis McGrath said he did not know.

McGrath did say in a statement that St. Thomas "always has been and always will be a Catholic university."

Katherine Kersten, writing in the Star Tribune, urged the preservation of Catholic identity at the university for the sake of students. "We need a few places where they can be called to pursue something higher: a transcendent vision of faith and morality," she wrote.

Catholic School Board That Winked at Homosexuality Now Approves Golden Compass Books

Catholic lawyer says, It's painful that the Catholic Church itself has not addressed the problem of this wayward board"

By John-Henry Westen WATERLOO, December 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An Ontario Catholic school board that did little after being warned of books promoting homosexuality in its school libraries, has now approved the anti-Catholic His Dark Materials trilogy -- of which The Golden Compass is the first novel. While several Catholic school boards in Ontario and other provinces have pulled the controversial books, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board has told the press the books will remain in its school libraries.

Jonathan Wright, the religion and family life consultant for the board, told the local newspaper, The Record, that there will not even be a formal review of the books. He told the paper that he and a few others read the first book "just out of interest" adding, "I suppose that constitutes an informal review, but there will be no formal process at all."

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board was approached early this year by the group Defend Traditional Marriage and Family (DTMF) which was concerned about a teacher resource book promoting homosexuality as well as some thirty similarly objectionable books, videos and pamphlets available to Catholic students in school libraries and guidance offices.

The Board decided to retain the teacher resource book at its main offices but not in all schools but has of yet not dealt with the objectionable materials in the libraries. During the kerfuffle, a board spokesman even referred to DTMF as "an extremist hate group".

Read the rest

Pope Benedict to visit Catholic University on D.C. trip

Let's hope the Roman Pontiff has a strong message for American Catholic universities and colleges, exhorting them to fidelity and faithfulness. As you peruse the stories in this blog and the various websites we link to, you will see there is much repair work to be undertaken if the Catholic youth in the U.S. are to have a legitimate shot at learning and deepening their faith along with the liberal arts and sciences.


Pope Benedict to visit Catholic University on D.C. trip, website launched

Washington DC, Dec 5, 2007 / 11:38 am (CNA).- The Catholic University of America has announced that Pope Benedict XVI will visit the campus during his April trip to Washington, D.C. and has dedicated a website to the visit.

University President Monsignor David M. O'Connor, C.M., confirmed the announcement in a letter. "We look forward to Pope Benedict XVI's April visit to The Catholic University of America with tremendous anticipation and enthusiasm," he said. He described the visit as "an honor beyond measure."

Catholic University is the only papally chartered university in the United States.

University officials expressed hope that current students, faculty, and staff could see the Holy Father as he arrives on and departs from campus. However, due to security concerns the university will be closed on the day of the visit, April 17.

Pope John Paul II visited Catholic University in 1979, where he delivered an address on Catholic higher education.

Pope Benedict previously visited the university before he was elected to the papacy.

During his visit to the Catholic University campus, Pope Benedict will address an invitation-only audience on themes in Catholic education. The audience will include the presidents of Catholic colleges and universities and Catholic school superintendents representing each U.S. diocese.

For more information on his visit please visit http://papalvisit.cua.edu/

Boston Globe Calls Merck Emmanuel College's Angel

Well Satan is an angel, isn't he? In this article, the people who run Emmanuel College gush over the financial partnership that has enabled the college to survive and grow. Nary a mention is given to the fact that Merck does "research" on human embryos and fetal tissue from aborted babies.

The college president seems to say that Merck is OK with her as long as the immoral work they do isn't done on campus.

"...Eisner and Merck officials said the company agreed from the outset that
it would not use the facility for research that violated Catholic doctrine.
Emmanuel and Merck officials decline to discuss details of the agreement, but
said scientists were not conducting research on embryonic stem cells or aborted
fetal tissue.

"There are certain kinds of research that just aren't allowed on a
Catholic campus," Eisner said. "We know that, and they know that."

The Globe was able to find one Catholic on the campus but characterized her by political affiliation as though that was a bigger factor in forming her opinion.

"I chose Emmanuel because it is a Catholic college," said senior Marissa
Choiniere, president of the college's Republican Club. "The fact that they have
a partnership with a company that doesn't always conform to Catholic beliefs is
a little troubling. If I were running the school, I wouldn't have struck up the
relationship."

There is a mention in the article of Merck's failed campaign to make the HPV vaccine mandatory for girls age 12 and over. It doesn't mention that Merck used dishonest marketing information, like failing to mention that the vaccine only covered some of the viruses that cause HPV and that it is only partially effective. Not does it mention the deaths attributed to this dangerous vaccine. The states that had made it mandatory reversed themselves while investigations were started into possible kickbacks. But then lying come naturally to those working for the Father of Lies.

But the real kicker is that Merck uses the profits from their immorally obtained revenues to fund Planned Parenthood to the tune of millions. Now why would they choose the archenemy of life as their charity of choice? See the article in Lifesite News.

Emmanuel is typical of the Catholic colleges in the Boston archdiocese, and typical of the state of Catholicism in general there where the heretics are in charge.