From Orthodox to Heresy: The Secularizing of Catholic Universities

Catholic Citizens ^ | 9/8/08 | Michael V. McIntire

[bdeaner]

An outstanding article! Extremely informative.

A case can be made that a substantial factor causing all of this was, and continues to be, the betrayal of the faith by Catholic academics with the Land O'Lakes Statement in 1967, which has metastasized like cancer throughout the Church ever since.

The cancer metaphor is apt. It's time for the Church to perform some chemotherapy.

[Jeff Head]

Clearly, the secularization and abandonment of fundamental church teachings, and even principle, have been going on longer than I had thought at Catholic Universities. What a shame...and what a disservice to their church, and tragedy to their youth.

Thus has it led to such as this:

OBAMA & DISHONOR AT NOTRE DAME
IOW, just listen to the teleprompter and ignore what the man actually does

Where the very antithesis of fundamental, bedrock doctrine and principle is now honored there.

[bdeaner]

Clearly, the secularization and abandonment of fundamental church teachings, and even principle, have been going on longer than I had thought at Catholic Universities.

It is quite chilling to learn how long ago the Universities sold their souls to the Devil. I am heartbroken as I am learning more and more how far astray these universities have been led by ungodly false prophets who chose the almighty dollar over the priceless Deposit of Faith that they should have been charged with preserving and teaching.

[Jeff Head]

They were charged with preserving and teaching the faith...and they have violated and abandoned that trust for filthy lucre...and polluted the minds of millions of youth in the process.

[bdeaner]

Indeed!

[wintertime]

As a result, generations of Catholic students and graduates have been and are being ill formed and misled in their faith, or have lost it altogether.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Some are just disgusted, and they seek out another Christian sect whose educators and leaders more closely adhere to Christ's teachings.

I am one of those former Catholics.

I am an alumna of Villanova (CINO) University, an Augustinian university. I testify that most of my professors broke the First Commandment by worshiping Karl Marx instead of God.

[wintertime]

Laity are uncatechized, clergy are unwilling to instruct them, and quisling bishops are afraid to proclaim the Gospel.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

All while claiming they are the true church of Christ.

Is this what Jesus would do?

[bdeaner]

All while claiming they are the true church of Christ.

It is the True Church of Christ -- the keeper and teacher of the Deposit of Faith handed down by Christ Himself to Peter His Apostle. The Magisterium has not wavered from the Truth. The Catholic Universities are not the Magisterium. Their failure is not a failure of the Church, they are a failure of the Universities. The Church however must bring them in line, or cut them off. The Church is patient and gentle, having learned from the past (remember Galileo?).

[wintertime]

The Magistrum?

So?...Other than a few **carefully** worded letters what have the “quisling” bishops done? Where is the Pope?

Is this what Jesus would have done? If not, then how can this church be true?

[bdeaner]

Is this what Jesus would have done? If not, then how can this church be true?

Let me ask you this. What do YOU think Jesus would do if he were the Pope? And show me the Scriptures to back up your claims. Then I will give you my answer.

[wagglebee]

Pinged from Terri Dailies

[bdeaner]

You asked about the Magesterium. Here is a definition:

The Magisterium or Teaching Authority of the Church

by Fr. William G. Most

By the Magisterium we mean the teaching office of the Church. It consists of the Pope and Bishops. Christ promised to protect the teaching of the Church : "He who hears you, hears me; he who rejects your rejects me, he who rejects me, rejects Him who sent me" (Luke 10. 16). Now of course the promise of Christ cannot fail: hence when the Church presents some doctrine as definitive or final, it comes under this protection, it cannot be in error; in other words, it is infallible. This is true even if the Church does not use the solemn ceremony of definition. The day to day teaching of the Church throughout the world, when the Bishops are in union with each other and with the Pope, and present something as definitive, this is infallible. (Vatican II, Lumen gentium # 25). It was precisely by the use of that authority that Vatican I was able to define that the Pope alone, when speaking as such and making things definitive, is also infallible. Of course this infallibility covers also teaching on what morality requires, for that is needed for salvation.

A "theologian" who would claim he needs to be able to ignore the Magisterium in order to find the truth is strangely perverse: the teaching of the Magisterium is the prime, God-given means of finding the truth. Nor could he claim academic freedom lets him contradict the Church. In any field of knowledge, academic freedom belongs only to a properly qualified professor teaching in his own field. But one is not properly qualified if he does not use the correct method of working in his field, e.g., a science professor who would want to go back to medieval methods would be laughed off campus, not protected. Now in Catholic theology , the correct method is to study the sources of revelation, but then give the final word to the Church. He who does not follow that method is not a qualified Catholic theologian. Vatican II taught (Dei Verbum # 10): "The task of authoritatively interpreting the word of God, whether written or handed on [Scripture or Tradition], has been entrusted exclusively to the living Magisterium of the Church, whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ."

[Desdemona]

Jesus didn't stop his disciples from making mistakes, sinning, denying him, etc. He took a lot of abuse from everyone. The Church is no different and the people within Her are sinners just like everyone else. The pope can't be everywhere. The US is one country on this earth. We tend to forget that.

For hope that the Church is going through yet another of Her purges, just as She has for 2,000 years, look to St. Athanasius who stood alone for truth. It's not nearly that bad now. It's just very sad that so many choose to abandon Her rather than standing up and challenging those who spout heresy.

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“Is this what Jesus would have done?”

Jesus was perfect. Can you please show me one, just one, other man on this earth who is perfect in all things? If you can’t, then I think you will see the folly of your question.

“If not, then how can this church be true?”

That’s like saying, “Have you ever sinned? Yes? Then gee, I guess you’re not a Christian because Christ never sinned.” Does that make any sense? Nope. Neither does what you’re saying.

I guess you’ll leave your currect sect when the pastor makes a mistake or fails to go as far on a point as you would like, right?

[MarkBsnr]

***”The task of authoritatively interpreting the word of God, whether written or handed on [Scripture or Tradition], has been entrusted exclusively to the living Magisterium of the Church, whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ.”***

Exactly true.

[Pontiac]

In 1990 Pope John Paul II promulgated Ex Corde Ecclesiae (ECE), his apostolic constitution on Catholic universities, which defined the nature and purpose of a Catholic university and established measurable standards such a university was to follow….ECE has had no impact on the corporate owners of the rebellious colleges and universities that have prospered under the Land O'Lakes philosophy. After eighteen years, the U.S. bishops who have the responsibility to enforce ECE have yet to summon the courage to do so.

I am curious as to what levers the bishops have to enforce this standard.

At one time I would suspect that the local diocese held the deeds to these universities.

Do they still? Could they evict these posers and start a new.

Certainly at this point the Church would suffer backlash if it tried to exercise control over the universities at this point but if these schools do not follow basic Church doctrine they should not be advertising themselves as Catholic.

The schools should either reform or stop the false advertising.

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“At one time I would suspect that the local diocese held the deeds to these universities.”

I don’t see how that is possible. These universities were all started by orders. They, therefore, are not owned by dioceses.

[bdeaner]

At one time I would suspect that the local diocese held the deeds to these universities.

Do they still? Could they evict these posers and start a new.

The Bishops do not have the power to remove employees, administrators, or board members of Catholic Universities. But they do have the power to remove the "Catholic" designation from a University. The Bishops will be meeting soon to discuss how they will address Notre Dame's misconduct -- their open defiance of the Bishop's authority. There will probably be some kind of consequence, but at this point, it would be premature of the Bishops to take the nuclear approach of removing the Catholic designation from Notre Dame. The reproach will be more symbolic at this point, but nevertheless, it will be a major historical event. Nothing like that has happened in the history of Catholic Universities in the U.S. So, this is much more serious than the MSM is depicting it. The MSM is downplaying how strongly the Magesterium is responding to Notre Dame's error in judgment.

[MarkBsnr]

***I don’t see how that is possible. These universities were all started by orders. They, therefore, are not owned by dioceses.***

That is correct. The bishop is responsible for religious teaching. But he is not responsible for the ordered universities in his diocese.

[Pontiac]

The Bishops do not have the power to remove employees, administrators, or board members of Catholic Universities.

The do have the power to remove teaching or administering clergy do they not? He can order priest or brothers to resign their post.

Certainly they have the power of excommunication of those defiantly teaching false doctrine.