Pope Benedict XVI and Catholic Education: Enduring Themes

[delayed posting; my apologies.—Ross Miller, Editorial Director, Sheed & Ward Catholic Books.]

By Rev. John J. Piderit, S.J. and Melanie Morey

On Thursday, April 17, Pope Benedict XVI will address the presidents of Catholic colleges and universities in the United States as well as the 195 superintendents of education (each diocese has one) who oversee the operations of most primary and secondary Catholic schools in the United States.

The pope will say whatever he wants and we will be very interested in whatever he says.  However, it might be helpful for readers to be alert to a few themes he will likely address.  These are a priori themes we will be looking for.

1.  American Culture is Powerful The United States has a powerful, dynamic, influential culture.  It also has a pre-eminent system of higher education.  The goal is to have Catholic higher education flourish as something distinctly Catholic within the larger, nonsectarian culture of higher education.

2.  Wealth in the Catholic intellectual tradition  The Catholic intellectual tradition offers valuable insights and traditions to specific academic disciplines.  This is a tradition which should be passed on to the younger generation.

3.  Catholic Theology Should be Central  Catholic institutions of higher education should be true centers of inquiry and transmitters of knowledge and wisdom.  They do this best by according Catholic theology a place of pre-eminence.  Catholic theology should have an impact on most, if not all, the other academic disciplines taught at the university.

4.  Unity of Knowledge  The 19^th and 20^th centuries have seen a proliferation of disciplines.  Specialization of this type has had some very good benefits.  The difficulty with specialization, however, is it makes it more difficult for students and faculty to appreciate the unity of knowledge.  Catholic theology and philosophy can make a genuine contribution here.

5.  Responsible Living  Catholic universities should have a positive impact not only on what students learn but also on who they lead their personal and public lives.  In particular, Catholic colleges and universities should offer guidance to students about how to conform their lives to the teachings of the natural law.  Natural law thinking has been a mainstay of the Catholic approach to morality for two millennia.  Natural law thinking is also the bedrock on which the constitution of the U.S. stands.  Catholic colleges and universities should help students understand the requirements of the natural law and help them to abide by the norms of natural law.

Rev. John J. Piderit, S.J. and Melanie Morey have published widely on themes and issues of Catholic higher education, and are the authors of Renewing Parish Culture: Building for a Catholic Future (A Sheed & Ward Book, Rowman & Littlefield, 2008).  Melanie Morey was among four experts interviewed recently in the Chronicle of Higher Education in advance of Pope Benedict’s visit to the United States.