Identity, academic freedom go head-to-head at Catholic U

National Catholic Reporter, Oct 15, 2004 by Joe Feuerherd

When the bishops gathered behind closed doors in June, the central question they faced in developing a statement on "Catholics in Political Life" was whether pro-choice Catholic politicians like John Kerry should be welcomed at the Communion table.

The Kerry Communion flap largely faded when the bishops decided that the decision to deny Communion rests with each bishop individually. At the time, however, the dispute overshadowed two lines in that more than 1,000-word statement declaring that Catholic institutions "should not honor" [emphasis in original] or give "awards ... or platforms" suggesting support for individuals "who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles."

Those lines were not an afterthought.

With the academic year now in full swing, the question of honors and platforms for politicians and celebrities who support abortion rights has become prominent at Catholic universities and colleges, highlighting age-old tensions over academic freedom and the Catholic nature of institutions of higher learning.

The immediate focal point is The Catholic University of America, where 52 faculty members charged last week that restrictions on who is welcome to speak at a university-sponsored event "limit the range of views available on campus [and] undermine both our educational mission and the university's reputation." Some of the university's 2,800 undergraduate students were similarly energized, with dozens joining in an Oct. 6 sit-in outside the school's university center. Nearly 700 members of the university community signed a "petition for free speech," declaring that "our rights to the free flow of information and knowledge [are] being challenged in our university."

The unlikely cause of the current flap is Stanley Tucci, an award-winning actor, writer and director. Among the actor's many credits, Tucci cowrote, co-directed and starred in "Big Night," a highly praised 1996 film set in an Italian restaurant.

As part of a weeklong citywide Italian Cultural Institute-sponsored film festival, the university's Media Studies Department planned to invite Tucci to a program where he would discuss his work. Word of the pending invitation reached Vincentian Fr. David O'Connell, the university's president, on Sept. 14.

"I received word today that the Media Studies program is contemplating inviting actor/director Stanley Tucci to campus for some program," O'Connell said in an e-mail to the school's provost and dean. "Tucci is well-known for his public support of the pro-choice/pro-abortion, pro-Planned Parenthood position. You can see this if you Google his name and pro-choice. I am sorry but we cannot have him, plain and simple. You're going to have to bite the bullet on this one."

And so they did. Tucci was not invited. But the story was just beginning.

On Sept. 16 The Washington Post ran a story describing the Tucci non-invitation, further riling a campus already buzzing with rumors about the event and O'Connell's role in dissuading the Media Studies Department from inviting Tucci.

It is exactly the type of reaction O'Connell had hoped to avoid earlier in the summer when he explained to key campus constituencies his interpretation of the bishops' statement related to "platforms" and "honors."

On July 26 O'Connell wrote to the campus' College Republicans and College Democrats. The directive related to "platforms," he told them, "is clearly intended to describe any appearance, speaking engagement, rally and so forth of any person who acts contrary to fundamental Catholic moral principles and teachings." He continued, "Why do I bring this to your attention? Because I do not want the university or you to be embarrassed by extending an invitation, in an election year, to anyone to whom this new policy applies. Many times, over the past seven years, the university has been put in the awkward position of having to rescind or cancel such an invitation extended by members of the university community, especially students. Such actions invariably draw negative attention to the university and create much discomfort within the community here."

Writing in his online column on the university Web site in August, O'Connell reiterated the message. "I hope and pray that the university will not be placed in a position, during this election year especially, in which I would have to rescind invitations extended to any advocates of abortion."

He followed that with an Aug. 26 note to the school's administrative council and academic deans, in which he enclosed the bishops' statement. "I send this to you now, before the semester begins, so that you know I cannot approve pro-abortion/pro-choice speakers on campus. This is not part of any vast right-wing conspiracy or an assault on academic freedom. It is simply what we, as a Catholic institution, are obliged to follow as an expression of our Catholic identity and mission."

On the day the Post first reported on the flap, O'Connell met with the university's academic deans and provost. He repeated his concerns about associating the university with pro-choice figures. The group agreed, however, that no "absolute prohibition" was in-place and "that we needed to review each invitation on its merits and on a prudential case-by-case basis."