What's your mandatum quotient?

National Catholic Reporter, Feb 23, 2001 by Patrick O'Neill

Theologians warn of a higher ed witch-hunt

A Web site developed by a maverick priest has some theologians warning that a Joseph McCarthy-like witch-hunt could be on the horizon in the U.S. Catholic church in response to Ex Corde Ecclesiae, the 1990 apostolic constitution on Catholic identity of colleges and universities, and related norms requiring Catholic theologians to be certified by a church authority.

Under norms being developed by U.S. bishops, theologians will apply to their local bishops for certification as "authentic" instructors of Catholic orthodoxy.

Fr. John J. Stryjewski, a priest in the Mobile, Ala., diocese, has set up a Web page at www.mandata.org that provides information about the number of faculty members at Catholic colleges and universities who have agreed to request certification, known as a mandatum. Although the mandatum process has yet to be implemented, just the specter of this kind of watchdog approach has many Catholic theologians crying, "I told you so" as bishops try to walk the fine line between fidelity to Rome and respect for the way American universities operate: within a tradition of academic freedom that shelters academics from external controls.

Stryjewski plans to assign an MQ to each school listed on his Web page -- a mandatum quotient found by dividing the number of faculty members who have received a mandatum by the number of faculty eligible to receive one.

"The obvious purpose of this Web site is something we warned the bishops about," said Sacred Heart Sr. Theresa Moser, assistant dean in the college of arts and sciences at the University of San Francisco and past president of the College Theology Society. "They are opening the floodgates to the harassment of theologians and universities by the self-appointed guardians of orthodoxy. This can only undermine the enterprise of Catholic higher education in this country.

"The issue of the mandatum is very complex, and there are very good reasons why faithful theologians may choose not to apply for a mandatum," Moser said. Many theologians say that resistance to a mandatum does not signify lack of loyalty to the church or its teachings but rather is rooted in legitimate concerns about academic freedom and the role of theology in an academic institution.

Stryjewski insists that, whatever the objections, a bishop's seat of approval is an important criterion for parents to consider before enrolling a child in a Catholic institution of higher learning. "That's my opinion," Stryjewski said. "If you want to take my opinion that's fine. I'm providing a piece of information that otherwise might not be available. We're just interested in the fact that the bishop stood behind the professor wherever he or she was. I'm just a scorekeeper ...

"You judge for yourself. If you find it acceptable, use it. If you don't, throw it away. It's very simple. Just information, no judgment."

Judgment is implied nonetheless, said Fr. Kenneth Himes, professor of moral theology' at Washington Theology Union and president of the Catholic Theology Society of America, which, at 1,600 members, is the nation's largest group representing Catholic theologians. "My concern is that, not only individuals, but institutions and their reputation are going to be defamed by this Web site, which I think is very unfortunate. I don't for one moment think bishops intend for this sort of thing to happen, because this undercuts their authority." At the same time, he said, such a watchdog approach was "entirely foreseeable."

"This is just the first of what will likely be a series of fairly scurrilous, self-appointed orthodoxy guardians." Himes said the U.S. bishops have a duty to speak out "and in some way be very clear that they disavow this kind of activity."

Traditional categories of moral theology state that "if you could foresee and predict even unintended consequences that were negative you have some obligation to try to limit the damage of those unintended consequences," Himes said.

Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk, whose ad hoc committee on the mandatum is working toward final revisions of the guidelines, does not approve of Stryjewski's project. "This Web site is obviously not put up with the authorization of the bishops' conference or our committee," Pilarczyk said. "There is nothing any of us can do to stop it. I don't think it's a very good idea, and I don't think it's particularly well done.... We all know that you can put up anything you want to on the Web, and that doesn't make it right."

Among inaccuracies on Stryjewski's Web site, theologians cite inclusion of many non-Catholics on the faculty lists, though the mandatum requirement applies only to Catholics. Included are seminaries and institutions with pontifical faculties, which are subject to Vatican regulations rather than to Ex Corde norms.

In an NCR interview, Stryjewski downplayed such errors, claiming that it is up to users to offer corrections to the listed information. "We set up quite an extensive report system," Stryjewski said. "We've dropped about 15 or 20 names already."