Louisiana’s Xavier University recently hosted Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who delivered the commencement address to graduates. As one could guess from the name of the university, Xavier is a Catholic institution, at least in name. And for anyone outside of the political loop, Senator Obama is widely hailed as the future savior of the Democratic Party. He bears on his shoulders the mighty weight of a crumbling political Party. His widely acclaimed rhetorical skills made their national debut at the 2004 Democratic Convention, where he delivered the keynote address. What Xavier University witnessed last week was another in a long line of pathetic academic pandering to popular leftists opposed to virtually every letter of Church teaching on moral issues, for the sole purpose of polishing its own reputation. Xavier University’s mission statement reads as follows,
“Xavier University of Louisiana is Catholic and historically Black. The ultimate purpose of the University is the promotion of a more just and humane society. To this end, Xavier prepares its students to assume roles of leadership and service in society. This preparation takes place in a pluralistic teaching and learning environment that incorporates all relevant educational means, including research and community service.”
As one peruses Xavier’s website, it becomes clear that the university is more concerned with proving that it is a “black” university than with transmitting Catholic values to its students. That any university is Catholic ought be sufficient evidence that it is open to students of all ethnic backgrounds, as the word Catholic comes from the Greek word for “universal.” But Xavier sees it necessary to repeatedly remind visitors to its site that it is “historically black.” Ok, fine. But what do they have to say about its Catholic heritage? If the university’s actions are any indication of where they see the role of the Church within the life of the university, the outlook is grim. By inviting Senator Obama to deliver the keynote address, and by heaping its honors upon his head, Xavier has made it clear that the Church’s teachings play second fiddle to prominent, honey-lipped politicians who carry in their wake extensive media coverage and potential donors with checkbooks in hand. Let any objective observer review the voting record of the Illinois senator and he will find that Senator Obama has repeatedly placed himself in plain opposition to the Church’s most fundamental moral teachings, from the defense of the unborn, to traditional family values. Is this the university's idea of how to promote "a more just and humane society?" Obama sided with the most far-left interest groups and voted against the confirmation of Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito; men who, by any impartial standard, were overwhelmingly qualified to serve on the nation’s highest court. Obama’s vote against them reveals to what radical ideology he is truly beholden.
More vexing still than Obama’s easily demonstrable leftward tilt is the fact that an ostensibly Catholic university would invite such a character to deliver an important address and further, confer an honorary doctorate on him. What does this reflect about this university’s understanding of its Catholic identity? It remains a mystery as to whether or not the president of Xavier or its Board of Trustees have ever read John Paul II’s Ex Corde Ecclesiae, in which the definition of a Catholic university and its subsequent responsibilities are clearly stated. The plain truth is that many at Xavier have probably never even heard of the document and even if they have, care not to read it. Unfortunately, Xavier is one of many Catholic universities in the United States that elevate the dollar sign over the cross. I would venture to say that this endemic of weak-kneed Catholic universities across the nation has, at its most fundamental level a profound fear of being ridiculed and exiled from the inner circle of snooty academic elitism.
The Church’s teachings are a direct threat, so it is believed, to the university's pocketbook. “Thou shall not offend potential donors” is the prime commandment of many Catholic university presidents. And the most likely way to offend someone is to boldly proclaim the truth of the Gospel as handed down to us from the Church. Where’s the outrage when a so-called Catholic university such as Xavier places a golden laurel wreath on the brow of an ambitious senator who voted against banning partial-birth abortion?
No doubt, if confronted with these charges and asked about its Catholic identity, university spokesmen would hurriedly toss out a list of innocuous words like “tolerance,” “diversity,” and “love” but not a word would be spoken on “objective truth,” “moral relativism,” or “Pope Benedict XVI,” and for obvious reasons. “Well now, we don’t want to offend anyone.” Isn’t denial of Christ in the face persecution or ridicule exactly the sin that sent a penitent Peter into hiding, as he “wept bitterly?” How different Peter was after Pentecost, as he boldly proclaimed the truth to the very end. Catholic universities have a duty to boldly project its identity to its students and to the world. If prospective students or donors don’t like what they hear or see or are offended by the Church’s teachings, upheld by the university, then they don’t have to attend or contribute. That’s their choice. But we shouldn’t expect the university to bend and cave-in to the passing trends of the day in a sorry attempt to scoop up more students and money.
Here is the link to Ex Corde Ecclesiae:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_15081990_ex-corde-ecclesiae_en.html
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