N. Rademacher's Summary of Ex Corde - Cabrini College

Nicholas RademacherOctober 22, 20081Title: Summary Report of Ex Corde Ecclesiae for Mission Task Force CommitteeDate: October 22, 2008Prepared by: Nicholas RademacherAssistant Professor, Religious StudiesThe following outline is an attempt to condense into summary form John Paul II’s 1990Apostolic Constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae (From the Heart of the Church); its English title is“On Catholic Universities.” In 1999, the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops issued atext, “The Application of Ex Corde Ecclesiae for the United States.” I have provided a fewpassages from that document that are important to our business as well.This outline is selective by necessity (nothing surpasses reading the entire text) but I have culledpassages that I think both accurately summarize the document and pertain to our work as acommittee, hoping that some of the passages will stimulate conversation about the identity andmission of a Catholic institution of higher education as understood by the hierarchy of theChurch. In Part II, at the end of this paper, I have included my thoughts on a direction for thisconversation.Note: All italics below are from the original; and all citation numbers refer to paragraphs.A. The Identity of a Catholic UniversityPart I. Identity and Mission1. Nature and Objectivesa. “Since the objective of a Catholic University is to assure in an institutionalmanner a Christian presence in the university world confronting the greatproblems of society and culture, every Catholic University, as Catholic, musthave the following essential characteristics:i. ‘a Christian inspiration not only of individuals but of the universitycommunity as such;ii. a continuing reflection in the light of the Catholic faith upon the growingtreasury of human knowledge, to which it seeks to contribute by its ownresearch;iii. fidelity to the Christian message as it comes to us through the Church;iv. an institutional commitment to the service of the people of God and of thehuman family in their pilgrimage to the transcendent goal which givesmeaning to life’” (13).b. “…a Catholic University, by institutional commitment, brings to its task theinspiration and light of the Christian message” (14).c. “A Catholic University, therefore, is a place of research, where scholars scrutinizereality with the methods proper to each academic discipline, and so contribute tothe treasury of human knowledge…In a Catholic University, research necessarilyincludes (a) the search for integration of knowledge, (b) a dialogue between faithand reason, (c) an ethical concern, and (d) a theological perspective ” (15).

Nicholas RademacherOctober 22, 20082i. Integration of knowledge…beyond “rigid compartmentalization ofknowledge within individual academic disciplines … ‘work towards ahigher synthesis of knowledge’…engaged in a constant effort to determinethe relative place and meaning of the various disciplines within the contextof a vision of the human person and the world that is enlightened by theGospel, and therefore by a faith in Christ, the Logos, as the centre ofcreation and of human history” (16).ii. “promote a dialogue between faith and reason, so that it can be seen moreprofoundly how faith and reason bear harmonious witness to the unity ofall truth” (17).iii. “…research in a Catholic University is always carried out with a concernfor the ethical and moral implications both of its methods and itsdiscoveries” (18).iv. Theology plays a particularly important role in the search for a synthesis ofall knowledge as well as in the dialogue between faith and reason” (19).d. Key words from paragraph 20: interdisciplinary studies; human reason in itsreflection…faith; moral implications; Gospel principles.2. The University Communitya. “A Catholic University pursues its objectives through its formation of anauthentic human community animated by the spirit of Christ. The source of itsunity springs from a common dedication to the truth, a common vision of thedignity of the human person and, ultimately, the person and message of Christwhich gives the Institution its distinctive character” (21).b. Discussion of university teachers; students; directors and administrators and nonacademicstaff (22-24).3. The Catholic University in the Churcha. “One consequence of its essential relationship to the Church is that theinstitutional fidelity of the University to the Christian message includes arecognition of and adherence to the teaching authority of the Church in matters offaith and morals. Catholic members of the university community are also called toa personal fidelity to the Church with all that this implies. Non-Catholic membersare required to respect the Catholic character of the University, while theUniversity in turn respects their religious liberty” (27).b. Role of bishops (28).c. “The Church…recognizes the academic freedom of scholars in each discipline inaccordance with its own principles and proper methods, and within the confinesof the truth and the common good” (29).B. The Mission of Service of a Catholic University1. Service of Church to Societya. “called on to become an ever more effective instrument of cultural progress forindividuals as well as society…study[ing] serious contemporary problems…[and]speak[ing] uncomfortable truths which do not please public opinion, but whichare necessary to safeguard the authentic good of society” (31-32).

Nicholas RademacherOctober 22, 20083b. “examine and evaluate the predominant values and norms of modern society froma Christian perspective, and the responsibility to try to communicate to societythose ethical and religious principles which give full meaning to human life” (33).c. “promotion of social justice…shared by its teachers and developed in itsstudents”… “The Gospel, interpreted in the social teachings of the Church, is anurgent call to promote ‘to promote the development of emerging nations’”… andto make education accessible for the poor or minority groups otherwise deniedaccess. (34).d. Interdisciplinary research projects (35).e. “development, of understanding between cultures, and of the defence of nature inaccord with an awareness of the international ecological situation” (37).2. Pastoral Ministrya. Pastoral ministry makes it possible for university members to “integrate religiousand moral principles with their academic study and non-academic activities, thusintegrating faith with life” (38)…Ex Corde calls it “a constitutive element of aCatholic University itself.”b. “…the university community should give a practical demonstration of its faith inits daily activity with important moments of reflection and of prayer” (39).3. Cultural Dialoguea. “…a Catholic University, aware that human culture is open to Revelation andtranscendence, is also a primary and privileged place for a fruitful dialoguebetween the Gospel and culture” (43).b. “A Catholic University must become more attentive to the cultures of the world oftoday, and to the various cultural traditions existing within the Church in a waythat will promote a continuous dialogue between the Gospel and modern society”(45).c. “…dialogue between Christian thought and the modern sciences” (46).d. Ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue (47).4. Evangelizationa. “By its very nature, each Catholic University makes an important contribution tothe Church’s work of evangelization. It is a living institutional witness to Christand his message, so vitally important in cultures marked by secularism, or whereChrist and his message are virtually unknown” (49).Part II General NormsArticle 2, §2 “A Catholic University, as Catholic, informs and carries out its research, teaching,and all other activities with Catholic ideals, principles and attitudes. It is linked with the Churcheither by a formal, constitutive and statutory bond or by reason of an institutional commitmentmade by those responsible for it.”Article 4, §4 “Those university teachers and administrators who belong to other Churches,ecclesial communities, or religions, as well as those who profess no religious belief, and also allstudents, are to recognize and respect the distinctive Catholic identity of the University.”

Nicholas RademacherOctober 22, 20084The Application of Ex Corde Ecclesiae for the United StatesArt. 2 The Nature of a Catholic University- “Academic freedom is an essential component of a Catholic university.” (Part 2, Art. 2,Par. 2)- “Recognizing the dignity of the human person, a Catholic university, in promoting itsown Catholic identity and fostering Catholic teaching and discipline, must respect thereligious liberty of every individual, a right with which each is endowed by nature” (Part2, Art. 2, Par. 4).- “A responsibility of every Catholic university to affirm its essential characteristics, inaccord with the principles of Ex corde Ecclesiae, through public acknowledgement in itsmission statement and/or its other official documentation of its canonical status and itscommitment to the practical implications of its Catholic identity, including but notlimited to those specified in Part One, Section 7 of this document.” See attached, PartOne, Section 7.I. Summary CommentsThe following key terms or phrases stand out to me as representative of what Ex Corde iscommunicating.According to my reading, dialogue is one of the most important recurring terms. I would suggestthat it might serve as a controlling metaphor for our purposes. We see reference to:- “a dialogue between faith and reason” (15, 17)- “speaking uncomfortable truths” in light of “serious contemporary problems” (32)- “fruitful dialogue between the Gospel and culture” (43)- “dialogue between Christian thought and the modern sciences” (46)- “ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue” (47)When we think about a Catholic college or university’s role in the world, then, as dialogical,there are two partners. Drawing on the examples above: faith (here understood from within thecontext of the teaching of the Catholic Church), Gospel, Christian thought, Catholic socialteaching, etc. is in conversation with reason, culture, modern science, other faith and religioustraditions, contemporary social problems, etc.As both Ex Corde and the U.S. “Application” make plain, this dialogue is to be mutuallyrespectful of academic freedom and the religious liberty of all parties involved, on the one hand,and the integrity of the institution’s Catholic identity and mission, on the other.One fundamental challenge [among others] of constructing a mission statement for a Catholiccollege or university, then, is: How to be explicit about the college’s role as “Catholic” in thisdialogue with the modern world. Deliberate dialogue requires involved parties to be open andhonest about their identity; both when it comes to engaging the outside world and in speakinginternally about who and what the college is about.