Colleges not concerned about 'Ex Corde'

The norms were developed to implement Pope John Paul II's 1990 document "Ex Corde Ecclesiae" ("From the Heart of the Church"), which provided guidelines for Catholic colleges and universities around the world. The implementing norms passed by the bishops in mid-November now have to be approved by the Vatican before going into effect, a process that could take a year or more.

The norms state that academic freedom is an essential component of a Catholic university, and call for bishops to recognize and promote that freedom. The norms also state what is required for a college or university to be established or approved as Catholic.

Major points

* Men and women of non-Catholic denominations and faiths can make a valuable contribution to the university as trustees, administrators, staff, faculty and students.

* Members of the board of trustees must be committed to the implications of the university's Catholic identity, and the majority of the board should be Catholics committed to the Church.

* The university president should be Catholic.

* All professors are to be aware of and committed to the school's Catholic identity and mission, and "the university should strive to recruit and appoint Catholics as professors so that, to the extent possible, those committed to the witness of the faith will constitute a majority of the faculty."

* Catholic theologians on the faculty must receive a mandatum (mandate) to teach from the local bishop.

Local response

Rev. Christopher DeGiovine, dean of spiritual life and chaplain at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, said the public's focus on the mandatum is unfortunate.

"I have from the beginning applauded the spirit of 'Ex Corde Ecclesia,'" he said. "It invites us to explore our heritage -- what does it mean to be a Catholic college? The tragedy is to focus on the juridical norms."

Teaching role

"The difficulty is how are we going to deal with the juridical norms," he said. "They present a challenge to academic freedom."

It is important, he continued, to understand the intent of documents like "Ex Corde Ecclesiae" because Vatican documents present an opportunity to engage in an ongoing dialogue.

"In the U.S., we take [such documents] as laws from on high, not as a dialogue," he said. "Once again, we are being invited to dialogue in hopes that we never lose our Catholic identity."

Balance

Many professional fields require certifications in order to practice them, Father Sabak said. "I want someone to be trained appropriately," he said. "Catholic theology courses should be taught by Catholics."

Catholic institutions must find a balance in implementing the norms, he noted: If an institution is too rigid, the Gospel won't flourish; nor will it spread if the institution has a flippant attitude.

Is it Catholic?

"Because of state regulations, we consider [Saint Rose] to be an independent college with a Catholic history and heritage," said Father DeGiovine. However, "Ex Corde Ecclesiae" and the bishops' norms define any college founded by a religious order to be Catholic colleges, so "by the document's definition, we are a Catholic college."

Father Sabak said Siena is a Catholic college. "For a while, we weren't using that [term]. We are Catholic and Franciscan," he stated.

Students must now understand what this means, Father Sabak said. "It has to be communicated back to them," he said. "There are consequences; being Catholic makes us different."

Identity

The newly established Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy is another sign as are newly implemented prayer services.

"We started blessing our athletic teams," Father Sabak said. "They are the perfect example of Christian community: a group of people pulling together for the good of all. We also have blessed our student organizations."

Father Sabak said students are curious about the Church and want to know more, especially about the role liturgy plays in the lives of Catholics. He said Catholic colleges like Siena play an important role in the Church by "educating future Church leaders."

Campus evidence

"We are an independent college that respects and reveres its Catholic heritage as well as respects other religious traditions," he said.

(12-02-99) [[In-content Ad]]