[dyed_in_the_wool]

"And that is one of the benefits, despite the fact that I’m not a real fan of the enlightenment, that’s one of the benefits of the enlightenment, is a heightened sense of the dignity of the human person and religious freedom." - Father Fessio, S.J.

Huh, what? 'not a real fan of the enlightenment'? Wish the people would just leave learning up to the blessed, eh, Padre?

I am personally stunned a Jesuit would say this. In fact, I'm wondering why he did say it because it is doubtful it was said about of a personal belief.

[Campion]

Huh, what? 'not a real fan of the enlightenment'? Wish the people would just leave learning up to the blessed, eh, Padre?

He's not talking about learning in general, he's talking about the "Enlightenment" of the 17th and 18th centuries. Age of Enlightenment

The enlightenment led to some good things. It also led to the slaughter of innocent people, including many priests and nuns, in revolutionary France, as well as the organized effort by the state to stamp out Catholic belief and practice and replace it with an idolatrous worship of "reason". They went so far as to convert Notre Dame to a "temple of reason," put a scantily-clad woman on the altar, and worship her as the "goddess of reason".

Not surprisingly, the Catholic church finds the enlightenment at best a mixed bag.