New JPII Institute Professors Question Church Orthodoxy on Homosexuality, Contraception

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Well Jim, what do think about it?

They certainly are pushing the envelope.
 
Everything I read about the changes in the JPII Institute on the Family makes me sad. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. And then it does.
 
It doesn’t seem to be a good fit considering the sex abuse scandals. A little tone deaf maybe. That’s a little concerning to me.
 
While I may not agree with them, it doesn’t surprise me, nor do I think it inappropriate, given the mission statement of the institute.

Sometimes academia requires an examination of the unpalatable to show the value of the conventional thought.

The institute’s purpose is not providing catechesis for the faithful, its to provide a scholastic environment for thought provoking discussion and ideas.

I’m not overly concerned with what is topics are covered to keep up the institutes mission of offering civilly accredited graduate degrees (yes, as unpalatable as it may be, secular student’s do bring in revenue).

And, I like the idea of presenting (again, possibly viewed as unpalatable) ideas to the laity who will serve in parish and diocesan teaching , seminarians, and clergy so they are better prepared to defend the Faith by having a deep understanding of arguments made against Church teaching.
 
The first paragraph, if true, disqualifies these priests to teach. If they contradict the magisterium, then they are not qualified to teach authentic Catholic teaching. The professors at my Catholic university must all take an oath of fidelity to the magisterium, in line with a 1989 CDF directive.

In all seriousness, why not hire Protestant professors instead?
 
Certainly a number of Protestant theologians have done good work on areas of agreement between Catholicism and Protestantism, however, if you want to teach authentic Catholic teaching at a Catholic institution, don’t you think it would be wise to have an instructor who actually understands and believes Catholic teaching? There is a difference having an instructor who not only knows the material, but also believes and tries to live out the beliefs found in the material.
 
KMC said:
if you want to teach authentic Catholic teaching at a Catholic institution, don’t you think it would be wise to have an instructor who actually understands and believes Catholic teaching
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See my earlier post on the difference of an institution offering catechesis and one offering critical scholastic review…a priest who is a Ph.D. can easily pose academic thoughts without having contrary beliefs…it would be one thing if that priest presented those thoughts from the pulpit, but it is quite acceptable in an academic setting…JPII Institute is an academic institution not a Sunday School, RCIA Course, or CCD class.

I’m not sure one’s faith has to be shaken, or that there is scandal, in knowing the position of the “other side”.
 
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So a Protestant divinity school could effectively teach authentic Catholic teaching…without bias? Then there is no need for authentically Catholic colleges and teaching institutions…is that your point?

Also, there seems to be the mistaken notion that an authentically Catholic institution, with professors faithful to the magisterium, doesn’t teach “the other side.” As a student of Franciscan U’s master’s program, we read “the other side.” In my OT class, we read writings of Spinoza, De Wette, Wellhausen, Gunkel, Von Rad, Childs, etc. The key for a Catholic institution is to show where these writers went wrong. A Protestant professor doesn’t believe necessarily that teachings and perspectives contrary to the Catholic faith are wrong.
 
So what about those “authentic” Catholic Hospitals with Doctors who are Hindus or Buddhists?

I think you are missing my point.
 
DIERM said:
So what about those “authentic” Catholic Hospitals with Doctors who are Hindus or Buddhists?

I think you are missing my point.
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Perhaps we are talking past each other. Let me restate my view: I am ok with a non-Catholic teaching a non-Catholic theology subject in a Catholic institution, provided everyone knows that upfront. I have a distinct issue with a heterodox Catholic priest teaching anything related to a theology subject in a Catholic institution, as this causes confusion for someone seeking the truth about the Catholic faith.

How about that?
 
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