The Cardinal Newman Society

OPPOSITION NOTES AN INVESTIGATIVE SERIES ON THOSE WHO OPPOSE WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH TABLE OF CONTENTS The Cardinal Newman Introduction . 1. Key Findings . 2 Origins . .2 . .Society Notre Dame: A Controversy . 2 without Consensus “ The most unhappily and inappropriately named society Issues . 3 on the planet” Finances . 6 Catholic Higher Education . .7 . in the United States INTRODUCTION Catholic Identity on Campus: . 8. In Decline? Holding on to Religious . .8 . he Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) claims that its mission is “to help renew and Exemptions strengthen Catholic identity in Catholic higher education,” but there are many Ex corde Ecclesiae . 9. Tclergy, staff at Catholic universities, students and laypeople who don’t recognize Tactics: Tricks of Perspective . 10 themselves in the organization’s vision of Catholic identity. Some, like the National Catholic Criticism . 13 Reporter, have pointed out the striking contrast between Cardinal Newman the man and Conclusion . .17 . the society that bears his name: “the most unhappily and inappropriately named society on the planet.”1 The Cardinal Newman Society devotes its energy to pointing out supposed breaches of dogma within Catholic universities, engineering negative publicity primarily by instigating letter-writing campaigns and posting online petitions. America magazine criticized the society’s “watchdog tactics” for employing a negative rather than positive definition of Catholicism — that is, it aims to prune away The Cardinal Newman Society is “destructive and perceived deviations from orthodoxy, rather than cultivating a Catholicism that is something antithetical to a spirit of unity in our commitment to more than mere conformism.2 serve society and the church.” Catholic academia has not always welcomed guidance from the CNS. The Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) has been the collective voice of US Catholic higher education working with the bishops and the Holy See since 1899. Michael James, former vice president of the ACCU and current director of the Institute for Administrators in Catholic Higher Education, said that the society is “destructive and antithetical to a spirit of unity in our commitment to serve CATHOLICS FOR CHOICE OPPOSITION NOTES • AN INVESTIGATIVE SERIES KEY FINDINGS society and the church.”3 Fr. John Paris, past 200 years — subtle, imaginative, a professor at Boston College who was deeply learned, at times maddeningly The Cardinal Newman Society: targeted by the group, called the CNS “a paradoxical and dialectical.”9 Perhaps • Incorrectly portrays itself as a voice self-appointed vigilante committee,” and because his work is so complex, two for all Catholics, when its views are said “they neither represent the church schools of thought have grown up around substantially to the right of all but the nor the academic community … and his writing. Most people see Newman most conservative members of the yet they want to censor the academic as both Catholic and catholic — broad in hierarchy; community in the name of the church.”4 tastes and interests. But, as the Financial • Uses the threat of negative publicity The organization also has its critics Times documented, in recent years there to target schools, calling on them to among the hierarchy. Archbishop John has been a “papal hijacking”10 of the cancel speakers or dismiss faculty; • Depicts a Catholic higher educational G. Vlazny of Portland wrote a memo on cardinal. A minority have sided with system that is threatened by heretics behalf of the higher education committee Pope Benedict XVI, who called Cardinal in order to justify its narrow worldview of the United States Conference of John Henry Newman “an example to the and strong-arm tactics; Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to the world of opposition to ‘dissent.’”11 • Fosters a contentious environment in ecclesiastical advisors for the society in The reality is somewhat different. which instructors and administrators 2006. He described the group as “often This was the cleric who was called “the fear they must choose between aggressive, inaccurate, or lacking in most dangerous man in England” for his policing or being policed; and balance,” as well as “often objectionable emphasis on the role of the layperson • Makes judgments on the basis of a in substance and in tone.”5 Vlazny in the church, and was forced out of the short checklist of issues, such as urged the bishops who were identified editor’s chair of the Catholic magazine reproductive rights and LGBT rights, as “ecclesiastical advisors” to the CNS the Rambler for publishing articles critical rather than encompassing the wealth to examine the group’s methods and of the pope.12 Papal chamberlain Msgr. and depth of Catholic teachings. tendency for misrepresenting Catholic George Talbot wrote of the Rambler institutions of higher learning, according “heresy”: to America magazine.6 The Chronicle of “None of his writings since have Higher Education further stated that in removed that cloud. Every one of the same letter Vlazny “suggested that them has created a controversy, and the bishops resign from the [advisory] the spirit of them has never been board of the Cardinal Newman Society,” approved in Rome.”13 and that “soon after, three of them did.” Subsequently the advisory board It’s easy to see why, judging from 7 disbanded for a time. Newman’s statements like “[The pope] There are important debates to be becomes a god, has no one to contradict had about furthering Catholic higher him, does not know facts, and does education, but healthy debate seems to be cruel things without meaning it.”14 the main target of the CNS. The question Yet, like Pope Benedict, the Cardinal is — should Catholic institutions be judged Newman Society has chosen as its by a narrow set of criteria imposed by one freethinking namesake the champion of a self-appointed judge of orthodoxy? circumscribed Catholicism. ORIGINS NOTRE DAME: A CONTROVERSY The Cardinal Newman Society was WITHOUT CONSENSUS founded in 1993 to, in its words, “help renew and strengthen Catholic A good example of the CNS’ typical identity in Catholic higher education.”8 behavior is the controversy it fanned The organization chose as its patron over the selection of Barack Obama Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801- as commencement speaker for the 1890), whom the Financial Times called University of Notre Dame in South Bend, “simply the most electrifying religious Indiana, in 2009. thinker and writer in English of the On March 20, 2009, Notre Dame 2 THE CARDINAL NEWMAN SOCIETY President John I. Jenkins, CSC, the “hysterical” protests of Obama’s announced that President Barack Obama Notre Dame appearance by some of would be the commencement speaker their peers.23 Sheehan said he and and the recipient of an honorary doctor others spoke out against the opposition of laws degree at Notre Dame.15 Though to Obama’s invitation at a bishops’ a campus newspaper poll found 97 meeting, but most bishops did not want percent of the student body backed the to speak out publicly about it. He further invitation, some alumni protested.16 contrasted the public outcry among the That same day, the Cardinal Newman US hierarchy with the pope’s recent Society announced the launch of an invitation extended to Nicholas Sarkozy, online petition site, NotreDameScandal. then-president of France, who supported com, urging Father Jenkins to withdraw abortion rights and gay marriage. the invitation.17 The petition quoted the “Catholics in Political Life” document from the USCCB, which prohibits ISSUES Catholic institutions from honoring those “who act in defiance of our fundamental The CNS sees any Catholic institution of moral principles … [with] awards, higher learning in the US as a potential honors or platforms which would suggest target and is quick to jump on any support for their actions.” The petition perceived heterodoxy on issues including 18 attracted more than 360,000 signatures. the following: abortion, contraception, President Jenkins defended the choice, LGBT issues, assisted reproductive saying that the school had already hosted technologies, euthanasia and women’s six presidents as speakers and awarded ordination. It would be impossible to list others honorary degrees.19 Jenkins especially wanted to honor Obama, the Creating scapegoats is a key part of its work because first African-American president, as a healer of racial divides.20 Regarding the extreme measures are best justified by alleging extreme president’s stance on reproductive health, conditions. Notre Dame’s president said, all of the instances in which the CNS has “We invited him because we care so attacked people and institutions for not much about [reproductive] issues, and embracing the “Catholic” view (read: we hope … for this to be the basis of the Cardinal Newman Society’s view) an engagement with him. You cannot in these areas, but there are some clear change the world if you shun the patterns. people you want to persuade, and if Even the organization’s claim that it you cannot persuade them … show follows the 2004 “Catholics in Political respect for them and listen to them.”21 Life” document from the USCCB24 when Several bishops opposed the invitation, judging speakers deserves examination. but as the New York Times reported, not The CNS’ net is actually much wider all Catholics were opposed to Obama’s than this document’s original scope, appearance. A poll conducted in April which, as the title indicates, was intended by Quinnipiac University found that to address “Catholic teaching … misused six in 10 Catholics supported President for political ends.”25 The CNS has raised Obama giving the speech.22 alarm about everything from speakers Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan of and student activities to plays and Santa Fe, New Mexico, let the public support groups. know that not all members of the It is safe to say that more liberal points hierarchy were opposed to the president’s of view are presented in a negative selection as speaker.

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