A hotter-than-Hades issue has just propelled Saint Louis University into national news: At a political rally last weekend, SLU Basketball Coach Rick Majerus stated that he supported stem-cell research and abortion rights. Now, Archbishop Raymond Burke is demanding that the University discipline its wayward coach for his disobedient comments.
Burke has a history of laying down the law of the mother church in the public arena. He has stated repeatedly that one cannot be a Catholic and support abortion or stem cell research. In 2004, he said he’d refuse presidential candidate John Kerry the Eucharist because of Kerry’s pro-choice politics. Burke similarly rebuked Rudy Giuliani, one of this year’s pro-choice presidential hopefuls. That Majerus was censured for the same stance is no surprise. It’s the Archbishop’s responsibility to subdue the stray sheep and keep them from running off with the rest of the flock.
Admittedly, Burke is consistent, but he has overlooked two crucial points. First, though Majerus is firm in his politics, he is not a politician. Politicians represent their constituents and, as a result, wield real power over their public, as they serve it. Majerus made his own political decisions and spoke for himself. As an individual with a constitutional right to free speech, he has committed no offense. Majerus’ only power in this situation, as Burke fears, lies in his ability to persuade-to inadvertently convince other Catholics that it is acceptable to support abortion and stem-cell research. If the sheepdog does it, the sheep might think it’s OK, too.
But Burke has also misunderstood the nature and purpose of a university. A university is filled with critical thinkers, not sheep. These thinkers have a variety of worldviews. It is no different at SLU. Some will subscribe to Catholic teaching, and some will not. And, at a university, that intellectual independence is not only acceptable, but it is encouraged, from the students to the administration to the coaching staff. So it is and should be in the diocese. An archbishop provides guidance, but he should provide it within the confines of his jurisdiction and expertise.
Yes, in the public eye, Majerus is connected to SLU, and SLU is connected to the Catholic Church. But it is the responsibility of the thinker to separate one institution from the next. SLU prides itself in being one of the best Catholic universities in the nation. SLU regularly refers to its Jesuit mission, both inside and outside of the classroom. Yet, as a suit raised against the University last year ultimately demonstrated, SLU is not under control of the church. It is an institution steeped in Jesuit tradition, but it is not an appendage of a Catholic hierarchy. The church can dissociate itself from Majerus’ comments, but it has no right to demand that Majerus, or any other lay-Catholic leader, be punished for making up his or her mind independent of the catechism.
Burke didn’t recommend specific penance for our bold basketball coach, and he needn’t bother. Majerus voiced his views; he didn’t commit a crime. We need more men and women at SLU who, like Majerus, have opinions and are willing to stand for them.
