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The University Fiasco
Pope Benedict XVI decided not to make the visit he was scheduled to make Jan. 17 to Rome’s “La Sapienza” University for the inauguration of the academic year.
The action came after a petition to the university rector was signed by 67 professors asking for the invitation to be withdrawn, and protests by groups of students who occupied the rector’s office to demand the right to demonstrate within the university campus on the day of the pope’s visit.
The Holy Father was right to cancel his visit. The atmosphere which was building on campus there would not have been the proper setting for the academic and scholarly discussion in which the pope wished to engage.
It is a shame, especially in a university setting, that free discussion cannot take place without a commotion. Sure the lecture could have gone on as scheduled but the attention paid to security and keeping the peace would have been counter-productive to the academic setting.
We recall with regret then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s visit to Manhattan in 1988 and his address at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Midtown. Much of the nuanced talk was lost because of the circus-like protests by pro-homosexual groups that disrupted the prelate’s talk. Police had to be called in to remove malcontents who had disturbed the session with their words and actions.
The cardinal, of course, handled the whole thing with dignity. After the removal of the protesters, the talk continued. But it certainly was no way in which to dialogue about important ideas.
The university fiasco suggests that Pope Benedict’s message about reason and faith is missing much of its target audience. It’s a key issue in his pontificate.
The pope has explained at length why, in his view, the modern tendency to exclude God and religion is a dangerous development. He has offered carefully worded arguments to show why science and technology alone cannot furnish ethical or moral standards, and why one can speak legitimately of a divine “creative reason” at the origin of the created world.
But as the commentary flowed in the wake of the pope’s university cancellation, it became apparent that many of the protesting professors had very little knowledge of what the pope has actually said or written.
The actions at Sapienza University were discourteous toward Benedict XVI and indeed the entire Church. We are encouraged, however, that more balanced thinking students from that school took the time to attend a recent papal talk in St. Peter’s Square and show their support for the Holy Father.
Intolerable Death Bill in Albany
On the 35th anniversary (Jan. 22) of the tragic Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion in all 50 states, New York’s citizens find human life under renewed attack, this time through a radical bill proposed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
Kathleen M. Gallagher, director of pro-life activities for the New York State Catholic Conference, one of the best voices for life in New York, made the following comment earlier this week. We use it in its full text as our own opinion because no one says it better:
“There is much good news to report on the pro-life front. Nationally, abortions have fallen to their lowest rate since 1976, as more people, particularly young people, are taking a fresh look at abortion and seeing not empowerment for women but the killing of a generation of babies. While the pro-abortion movement celebrates a ‘woman’s right to choose,’ and demands even easier availability of abortions, most Americans are slowly coming to terms with what our society has wrought, and they are turning away from this horrific ‘choice.’
“Oddly, many abortion advocates look at the lower abortion rates and rather than rejoice at lives saved, instead see a threat. Here in New York, Gov. Eliot Spitzer has acted aggressively to make abortion even more available and common than it already is, while stomping on the rights of religious providers like Catholic hospitals. His euphemistically titled ‘Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act’ would raise abortion to the level of a fundamental right, like the freedom of speech, and would therefore prohibit virtually any restrictions at all.
“This bill would ensure the easy availability of late-term abortions of fully formed infants, even if there was no threat to a woman’s physical health, and allow non-doctors to perform abortions. It would prohibit ‘discrimination’ regarding the right to abortion to such an extent that Catholic hospitals could be forced to provide abortions or lose their license to operate. It would prohibit parental notification, expand the over-the-counter availability of the morning-after pill to children of any age and force all insurers to cover abortion for any reason.
“In many ways, this intolerable bill is more radical than the original state law legalizing abortion nearly 40 years ago. It would potentially force the closure of Catholic health care institutions and undoubtedly lead to the deaths of countless unborn children who otherwise might have had a chance at life. No matter what Mr. Spitzer calls his bill, clearly it is not about reproductive ‘health.’ On the contrary, this bill is about death, and it must be rejected.”
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