By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
In the wake of the Notre Dame scandal, Francis Cardinal Arinze delivered a commencement speech at The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in New Hampshire on May 10 in which he stressed the need for authentic Catholic education, asking, “ . . . what does it profit us if a student is an intellectual giant but a moral baby?”
According to a report by LifeSiteNews.com, Cardinal Arinze, the former Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, said it was not enough for a Catholic university to just educate the minds of students but to provide them with a proper moral formation as well.
” . . . (W)hat does it profit us if a student is an intellectual giant but a moral baby . . . if he or she can shoot out mathematical or historical facts like a computer but is unfortunately a problem for the parents, corrosive acid among companions in the College, a drug addict and sexual pervert, a disgrace to the school, a waste-pipe in the place of work and Case number 23 for the Criminal Police? It is clear that intellectual development is not enough.”
Cardinal Arinze emphasized the mission of Catholic universities to educate students about the relationship “between faith and reason, on specialization and orientation, and on science and ethics.” He said the marker of success for Catholic colleges and universities is having “succeeded in forming and turning out model Christians who are good citizens.”
He continued, “If a Catholic College or University adopts this attitude of ‘courageous creativity and rigorous fidelity,’ it will be able to contribute much to promote a healthy synthesis between faith and culture in society.
“A Catholic college or university educates students to appreciate that moral rules of right and wrong apply also to science, technology, politics, trade and commerce, and indeed to all human endeavors.
“In the complicated world of today, where all kinds of ideas are struggling for the right of citizenship, a university student needs a clear and viable orientation on the relationship between religion and life. The Catholic College or University is ideally positioned to help him see the light and equip himself for a significant contribution in society.”
He noted the many difficulties facing new graduates in a world ruled by moral relativism. “A person who holds that certain actions, like direct abortion, are always objectively wrong, is regarded as ‘judgmental’, or as imposing his views on others.”
He added: “If a Catholic college or university answers to its vocation in the ways outlined above, then it will be educating, forming and releasing into society model citizens who will be a credit to their families, their college, the Church and the State. It will prepare for us members of Congress or the Senate who will not say ‘I am a Catholic, but…’ but rather those who will say ‘I am a Catholic, and therefore…'”
Patrick Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society, a watchdog organization devoted to Catholic education, said the Cardinal’s words of wisdom ring true in an age when Catholic universities are in desperate need of rediscovering the value of their identities.
“Unfortunately,” he continued, “some Catholic universities, including Notre Dame, have chosen prestige over principle. It is good to know that Thomas More College is encouraging graduates to emulate such a defender of the Catholic faith as Cardinal Arinze. This is the kind of public witness Catholic institutions should be providing in the public square.”
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