"Notre Dame Not As Radical As Georgetown, Fordham and Boston College"

Rev. John I. Jenkins, Catholicism, Inc.
By NAOMI SCHAEFER RILEY

The Wall Street Journal

April 12, 2008

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Father Jenkins says the situation is not so clear cut:

"Liberation theology is a label for a family of views and concerns . . . [a set of] theological reflections in light of certain social and economic conditions."

In other words, no violent revolutionaries here. Despite the large presence of liberal faculty members, Father Jenkins complains that in some circles, the school is not considered radical enough. People on the left say that "we're too tied to the Republican party. We don't advocate enough for women's ordination. You name the socially divisive issue and we're criticized that we're not on the front on [it]."

And it is true that on the spectrum of Catholic universities, Notre Dame is considered somewhat middle of the road – still less radical than its Jesuit brethren like Georgetown, Fordham and Boston College. But that may be changing. Father Jenkins recently made headlines with his decision to allow the college to sponsor a performance of Eve Ensler's "Vagina Monologues" during the week leading up to Easter.

He is not the first Catholic college president to accede to campus demands for this play, but his nod of approval is deeply symbolic.

The local bishop, John D'Arcy, condemned the play as "an affront to human dignity, as Catholic teaching understands it."

But Father Jenkins defended his decision to go forward with it (providing an academic panel was convened afterward) on the grounds that "a Catholic university is a place to confront controversial issues and a Catholic teaching should be sympathetically presented."

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Read the riviting Wall Street Journal article (here)