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FELLOWSHIP OF CATHOLIC SCHOLARS QUARTERLY ARTICLES Remembering Pope John Paul II William E. May On Liberty of Conscience Anne Barbeau Gardiner The Knowledge Society Wolfgang Bergsdorf 28 On Testing the Test James V. Schall, S.J. NUMBER 1 BOOK REVIEW ESSAYS SPRING 2005 Culture and the Thomist Tradition After Vatican II by Tracey Rowland Daniel McInerny A Catholic Theology of Culture by Eric Borgman John Francis Kobler, C.P. BOOK REVIEWS Priest by Michael S. Rose John Adam Moreau The Roots of Science and its Fruits by Peter E. Hodgson Joseph M. De Torre An Introduction to the Love of Wisdom by James A. Harold D. Q. McInerny Getting it Straight eds. Peter Sprigg and Timothy Dailey Marie I. George Didache High School Textbook Series Leonard Kennedy, C.S.B. Same-Sex Attraction by John F. Harvey and Gerard V. Bradley Leonard Kennedy, C.S.B. His Excellency: George Washington by J.J. Ellis Rev. Michael P. Orsi Exegetical Commentary on the Code of Canon Law by University of Navarre Faculty of Canon Law Edward Peters Catholic for a Reason III Eds. Scott Hahn and Regis J. Flaherty. Daniel G. Van Slyke Our Lady of Guadalupe Manuela Testoni Boguslaw Lipinski Moral Issues in Catholic Health Care Ed. Kevin T. McMahon William E. May ISSN 1084-3035 BOOKS RECEIVED Fellowship of Catholic Scholars P.O. Box 495 LETTER Notre Dame, IN 46556 (574) 631-5825 www.catholicscholars.org BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ralph McInerny, Editor [email protected] EX CATHEDRA Ralphy McInerny FCS Quarterly • Spring 2005 1 Remembering Pope John Paul II Fellowship of by William E. May, Michael J. McGivney Professor of Moral Theology, Catholic Scholars John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family Scholarship Inspired by the Holy Spirit, in Service to the Church first met Pope John Paul II when, as Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, he gave a talk on the freedom of the acting person at The Catholic University of America about CONTENTS a year before he was elected Pope. He had come ARTICLES at the invitation of Jude Dougherty, Dean of the Remembering Pope John Paul II ................. 2 ISchool of Philosophy at The Catholic University where at On Liberty of Conscience ........................... 5 that time I was teaching moral theology in the Department The Knowledge Society ............................... 9 of Theology. Cardinal Wojtyla’s talk was profound, and after- On Testing the Test ...................................16 wards there was an opportunity for my wife Patricia and me BOOK REVIEW ESSAYS to meet him. He had the marvelous ability to look a person Culture and the Thomist Tradition in the eyes making him feel that he was the only person in After Vatican II .............................................22 the room, and his handshake was firm and strong. A Catholic Theology of Culture ..............26 The next time I saw him was in October 1979 on his BOOK REVIEWS first visit to the United States as Pope John Paul II. I was Priest ..............................................................29 privileged to see him three times on this occasion, once at The Roots of Science and its Fruits ........30 a Mass at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, then at a convocation An Introduction to the for academics from all around the United States held at the Love of Wisdom ..........................................32 gymnasium of The Catholic University, and finally at the Getting it Straight ........................................37 Capitol Mall on Sunday, October 7, when he celebrated Didache High School Textbook Series ..39 Same-Sex Attraction ..................................41 Mass and gave one of the most powerful addresses of his His Excellency: George Washington .....42 entire pontificate, “‘Stand Up’ for Human Life!” Exegetical Commentary on At the academic convocation at The Catholic University the Code of Canon Law ............................43 on Saturday, October 6 some individuals wore black arm- Catholic for a Reason III ............................44 bands to protest John Paul’s opposition to the ordination of Our Lady of Guadalupe .............................46 women. I was in the row behind Margaret Farley, a Sister Moral Issues in Catholic Health Care ....47 of Mercy teaching at Yale University. She and a colleague BOOKS RECEIVED .........................................50 thought it quite humorous to observe that the “M” in the Pope’s coat of arms stood not for “Mary” but for “machis- LETTER ..............................................................50 mo.” I did not appreciate this humor. MEMBERSHIP MATERS ..................................50 On Sunday, October 7 I took five of my children— BOARD OF DIRECTORS .............................51 Thomas, Timothy, Patrick, Susan, and Kathleen—to the Mass on the Capitol Mall. My wife Patricia could not, un- EX CATHEDRA ...............................................52 fortunately, come because of the flu, and our oldest son, Michael, then a student at Catholic University, was working at the time. Our oldest daughter, Mary Patricia, was study- Reminder: Membership dues will be ing at Harvard University, but she had been able to see and mailed out the first of the year and are hear John Paul II in one of his appearances in Boston and based on a calendar (not academic) year. was thrilled that she could do so. The Mall was packed and 2 FCS Quarterly • Spring 2005 the Pope gave an unforgettable homily on the pre- great honor of being chosen to be the lector at his ciousness of human life. In it he declared: “Nothing Mass. After the Mass John Paul II would then meet surpasses the greatness or dignity of a human person. with the commission, which was under the gov- Human life is not just an idea or an abstraction; hu- ernance of the Congregation for the Doctrine of man life is the concrete reality of a being that lives, the Faith, whose president all this time was Joseph that acts, that grows and develops; human life is the Cardinal Ratzinger, one of the finest priests and concrete reality of a being that is capable of love, gentlemen I have ever met. Each year he would give and of service to humanity….Human life is precious a dinner for the members of the Commission; he sat because it is the gift of a God whose love is infinite; through the meetings and listened intently to our and when God gives life, it is for ever.” discussions, and on the final day of our work (usually Sadly, however, some people walked out on his a Saturday morning) he would brilliantly summarize homily when he affirmed that marriage is an indis- the major ideas set forth in an address given to us in soluble union and that husbands and wives should be Latin. (Later a translation was provided; however, his generous in welcoming new human life and must be Latin is beautiful and in my opinion easy to read for “open to” it in their conjugal acts. anyone with a fair knowledge of Latin). I next saw Pope John Paul II in Rome on April October 4, 1988 was the thirtieth anniversary 10, 1986 when he gave an address to an International of our marriage. Thus that year my wife Patricia Congress on Moral Theology co-sponsored by the came with me to Rome for the meeting of the Pope John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage International Theological Commission. Cardinal and Family and by the Roman Academic Center of Ratzinger kindly invited her to the dinner he gave the Holy Cross (now the Pontifical University of for the Commission members and treated her as the Holy Cross). After his address the Holy Father his guest of honor, giving her flowers and a spe- met with the participants in this excellent Congress cial blessing. He also invited her to come with the devoted to a study of the theme “The Person, Truth, Commission to the Holy Father’s Mass that we and Morality,” and made each one of us feel as would attend that week. 1988 was the year that John though we were doing him a favor and not he us. Paul II issued his marvelous letter on August 15 enti- Later in 1986 Pope John Paul II appointed tled Mulieris dignitatem, “On the Dignity and Vocation me as a member of the International Theological of Women.” I had bought a copy of it earlier in the Commission. John Finnis of England and I were the week, and I asked Cardinal Ratzinger whether or not first laymen appointed to this body, which meets it would be appropriate for me to ask His Holiness annually for a week in Rome to study specific issues to autograph my copy when he greeted each of us either recommended by various Pontifical congrega- personally after the Mass. Cardinal Ratzinger told tions or councils or academies, or proposed by the me to go ahead, and I did, and I now have a copy members themselves. The meeting takes place the of this document with the signature, Joannes Paulus first week of October except for those years when PM II. Pat, the day before, had attended a Mass in St. a Synod of Bishops is held during that month, and Peter’s at which John Paul II had ordained Audrys then the meeting of the Commission is held in Juozas Backis of Lithuania, whom he had previously December. My appointment was for five years, from appointed apostolic nuncio to the Netherlands, as a 1986-1990; the Commission did not meet in 1991, bishop. Pat had a copy of the beautiful missals that but I was appointed for another five-year term in the Vatican prints for occasions of this kind. She asked 1992 and thus attended meetings from 1992 through the Holy Father to autograph her copy. He did not 1996. One of the greatest privileges given the mem- give her a full signature, but wrote in JPII PM.