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

National Catholic Reporter, Oct 15, 2004 by Joe Feuerherd

But Youniss acknowledged limits. "These issues are reconcilable," said Youniss. "We understand the nature of the institution and we don't expect a Catholic university to be a venue for pro-choice or pro-abortion rallies." But at the same time, said Youniss, "the role of a university is to inquire. We ask questions--we are here to make intellectual waves--but I don't think we should be afraid of other ideas. We have our own scholars and we can argue with the best of them."

For the immediate future, however, it appears that the most heated arguments at The Catholic University of America will be largely intramural.

[Joe Feuerherd is NCR Washington correspondent. His e-mail address is jfeuerherd@natcath.org.]