NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- "Theologians who teach in Catholic universities need a measure of humility, and in particular the great patience to remain faithful to what the magisterium of the Church recognizes as assuredly true." With those words, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger left Rome, heading for a meeting in San Francisco with representatives of the bishops' conferences of North America and Oceania.

      In San Francisco, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will lead a discussion of certain controversial aspects of Catholic doctrine. He will be accompanied by Bishop Tarcisio Bertone, the secretary of the Congregation, and by three members of the Congregation's staff. Also participating in the discussions will be members of the doctrinal committees from the episcopal conferences of North America and Oceania.

      (Vatican sources explained that the bishops of Oceania had joined in the meeting with North American bishops because the membership of their own episcopal conferences is not large enough to warrant a separate meeting, and in San Francisco they will be able to conduct their discussions in English.)

      The San Francisco meeting is designed to stimulate cooperation among the bishops, and to formulate better responses to challenges on controversial topics. The specific items on the agenda for the meeting, which will take place February 9-12, include homosexuality, feminism, and the role of theologians at Catholic universities.

      In remarks to reporters in Rome before his departure, Cardinal Ratzinger mentioned the importance of implementing the motu proprio Ad Tuendam Fidem, which was promulgated in June 1998. That document inserted two new requirements into the Code of Canon Law, mandating that theologians teaching on Catholic faculties must make an oath of fidelity to the teachings of the Church.