NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

    WASHINGTON, DC (CWNews.com) - The United States' bishops gathered in the biennial meeting on Monday with the group's president reiterating their stated purpose of implementing papal guidelines on Catholic higher education.

    Bishop Joseph Fiorenza of Galveston-Houston, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, told the bishops that their task of maintaining Catholic identity in higher education mirrors their predecessors' efforts in the 19th century for parochial schools. The US bishops are struggling with how to implement the guidelines of Pope John Paul's apostolic exhortation "Ex Corde Ecclesia."

    Some Catholic college and university presidents are resisting efforts to impose any kind of guidelines from the hierarchy of the Church. Under the proposed rules, Catholic theologians would be required to obtain a mandate from the local bishop to teach in his diocese and schools would be encouraged to select mainly Catholics for their boards of trustees and faculty.

    Supporters of the rules have said they would prevent a further erosion of Catholic identity at most schools without sacrificing academic freedom, but some educators see the guidelines as a threat. The rules require a two-thirds approval for passage and a closed-door session on Tuesday will determine whether the majority exists.

    The conference is also scheduled to elect new leadership, reorganize the bishops' conference, and issue rules that would make it difficult for seminarians expelled from one seminary to enroll in another.

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