College administrators: "Will no one rid us of these meddlesome bishops?"

The Cardinal Newman Society has reacted to the call of the directors of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities for the bishops of the United State to, in essence, leave them alone.

...yesterday the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, which represents more than 200 Catholic institutions, released its summer 2009 newsletter including a report on the ACCU’s board of directors meeting last week. The ACCU directors concluded “that it would be desirable for the [U.S. bishops] to withdraw” their 2004 policy, according to the newsletter.

Worse still, the ACCU leadership suggests “that juridical expressions of bishops’ or universities’ responsibilities should be kept to a minimum” in order to maintain a good relationship between the bishops and educators.

In other words, Catholic colleges and universities would prefer that there are no clear rules to govern their conduct. Their statement also implies that they believe that the bishops, not college leaders, are responsible for tensions arising from scandalous activities on Catholic campuses.

It appears that the educators consider themselves to be separate from and at least equal to the bishops in determining what it is to be authentically catholic. Moreover, it would appear that they deem themselves free of any responsiblility for moral leadership in terms of catholic values.
Patrick J. Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society commented, "The lesson of the Notre Dame scandal is clear: even our leading Catholic universities have lost their way."

Newman Society statement here. ACCU summer newsletter here.