Rev. Richard McCormick to speak on morality

10 themes approach to moral theology for the 21st C.

If Catholics in the Albany Diocese are curious about what developments they can expect in moral theology by the beginning of the 21st century, Rev. Richard McCormick, SJ, suggests they attend his March 14 lecture at the College of St. Rose in Albany.

A nationally recognized theologian and author or editor of 16 books on moral theology, Father McCormick is a professor of Christian ethics at the University of Notre Dame.

His talk, titled "A Moral Theology for the 21st Century," is part of the Theodore Hesburgh lecture series, sponsored by Notre Dame alumni clubs throughout the country.

Disinvited

In January, Father McCormick had been scheduled to give the same lecture in New Orleans that he will give in Albany, but he was disinvited by the Notre Dame alumni club there after Archbishop Francis B. Schulte became concerned that the lecture might cause controversy.

Father McCormick subsequently wrote to the archbishop, inquiring about the reason for the lecture's cancellation and citing his 40 years of teaching and writing experience in the field of moral theology, during which he has never been disciplined or censured by the Church.

Archbishop Schulte, who has said that he did not expressly forbid Father McCormick to speak in New Orleans, responded simply that "since New Orleans is not untouched by some of the polarization and controversy in the Church today, some persons might find objections to your speaking here."

'Right-wingers'

In an interview with The Evangelist, Father McCormick called the archbishop "a very conservative man who doesn't want to take the heat from the right-wingers" who would oppose the lecture.

Although "there's nothing wrong" with being conservative, he added, insufficient reasons were given by the archdiocese for canceling his talk.

Father McCormick explained that while it wasn't the first time he had been disinvited from giving a lecture, "it should be rare in the Church, and there should be specific reasons for it."

To speculation that he may have been confused with Rev. Richard McBrien, another theologian from Notre Dame whose work has been more controversial, Father McCormick replied, "I talked to [Archbishop Schulte] on the phone" about the lecture; "it was not a case of mistaken identity."

Moral issues

Father McCormick told The Evangelist that grappling with issues of moral theology can seem overwhelming because many people have misconceptions about what's most important when it comes to morality.

"When they think of moral theology, a lot of people think right away of quandary ethics, practical problems: 'Can you threaten nuclear retaliation?' And the most recent one: 'Can you clone?'" the theologian explained. "The important thing in moral life is not the answers to those questions, but who we are becoming as people."

(Father McCormick will speak on "A Moral Theology for the 21st Century" on March 14, 7 p.m., at the College of St. Rose's new Hubbard Interfaith Sanctuary, 959 Madison Ave., Albany. Admission is free; a public reception will follow the lecture. For more information, call the diocesan Office of Religious Education at 453-6630.)

10 themes approach to moral theology for the 21st C.

1. Christocentric, "anchored in charity vs. one-sidedly philosophical;"

2. universal in its appeal, as opposed to a narrow, parochial approach;

3. attempting to use subsidiarity -- "if it can be done at a lower level, don't let a higher level do it." Today, Father McCormick stated, "we turn to Rome for everything." He believes that parish problems should be solved at the parish level, diocesan problems at the diocesan level, and so on;

4. personalistic, in contrast to "biologistic," emphasizing the centrality of the human person;

5. more "modest and tentative," vs. infallible;

6. ecumenical, drawing on other sources outside Catholicism for ideas;

7. inductive, using the insight of laypersons, vs. deductive;

8. pluralistic, allowing for differences according to individual cases, rather than seeking universal conformism;

9. aspirational, rather than minimalistic -- "appealing to the spiritual hungers of people, vs. basic obligations;" and

10. a theology done by experts, using specialists in fields like international relations or bioethics to create moral standards. (KB)

(03-06-97)

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