This may seem a narrow scope of qualification, but the Vatican has repeatedly instructed universities and colleges on their faithful representation as 'Catholic' institutions, and there are in fact STANDARDS.
One of these standards involves who is invited to speak . The usual excuse is 'intellectual freedom'.( Can anyone seriously package Heather Mallick as 'intellectual'?.) She is invited for her edgy popularity, hardly intellectual, and definitely not Catholic. Parents paying tuition to a 'Catholic' institution might reasonably expect Catholic perspective - i.e. Christ as the centre, all things in relation to Him. How would Mallick help in the pursuit of a Catholic Liberal Arts education? Truth, for example, is entirely missing from her feminist,'culture of death' perspective'.
Pope Benedict XVI:
The Church’s mission, in fact, involves her in humanity’s struggle to arrive at truth. In articulating revealed truth she serves all members of society by purifying reason, ensuring that it remains open to the consideration of ultimate truths. Drawing upon divine wisdom, she sheds light on the foundation of human morality and ethics, and reminds all groups in society that it is not praxis that creates truth but truth that should serve as the basis of praxis. Far from undermining the tolerance of legitimate diversity, such a contribution illuminates the very truth which makes consensus attainable, and helps to keep public debate rational, honest and accountable. Similarly the Church never tires of upholding the essential moral categories of right and wrong, without which hope could only wither, giving way to cold pragmatic calculations of utility which render the person little more than a pawn on some ideological chess-board.
A Liberal Arts education without TRUTH is no more than indoctrination of the 'liberal' kind. Perhaps Mallick, or maybe even the college itself are unaware that Liberal education has nothing to do with being 'liberal'? Its all about TRUTH.
*UPDATE* OCTOBER 8 - Apparantly She's been disinvited
2 comments:
Thank you for your post. Yes, liberal education is about freedom in Truth. Let us hope that St. Mary's University College cancels Heather Mallick's speaking engagement via a bombardment of letters, in charity, to the President of the college, asking that she be disinvited.
Interesting....it seems that the event has been cancelled already.
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