Religion & Law

Rick has called our attention to Notre Dame's statement that, "[c]onsistent with the teaching of the Catholic Church . . . , the University of Notre Dame recognizes and upholds the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death."  I'm of two minds about this statement.  On the one hand, thank God that  the University of Notre Dame is willing to say that it "recognizes and upholds" as much; thank God for another voice in favor of life.  On the other hand, what does it mean for *the University of Notre Dame* to talk in terms of acting in a way that is "consistent with the teaching of the Catholic Church"?  Isn't the University of Notre Dame *part* of the Catholic Church, not something that can or cannot be consistent -- or inconsistent -- with the Catholic Church? 

I'm not unaware of the structures that were restructured in a way "consistent" with ideas in the Land-O-Lakes Statement.  I am not unaware of the ways in which Catholic (and other Christian) universities and colleges are no longer linked as they used to be their "sponsoring" denominations, the story told incomparably by Notre Dame's own (wonderful) James Tunstead Burtchaell CSC. 

Still, I find it odd to consider it a victory -- though it is a victory -- when a university, such as Notre Dame, that describes itself as Catholic issues a press release (so to speak) to say that it acts in way "consistent with" the Church.  I'm very grateful for the statement -- don't get me wrong.  But a *lot* had to go wrong before it became desirable for the University of Notre Dame to make the fairly modest claim that it is "consistent" with fundamental Catholic teaching.  A different statement would have spoken in terms of fidelity, not consistency.  A different reality wouldn't have called for a statement at all; performance would have been sufficient. 

I am reminded of this line from Muriel Spark's novel The Bachelors: "Don't ask me . . .  how I feel about things as a Catholic.  To me, being a Catholic is part of my human existence.  I don't feel one way as a human being and another as a Catholic."  The same should obtain in Catholic institutions, or so I would like to suggest.