Many presidents and boards of trustees are also more aware than ever before of the importance of the entirety of the institution's mission, and the fact that it is not only academic but also Catholic. They believe that the requirement of the mandatum runs the risk of diminishing academe's already shaky confidence in the compatibility of Catholicism and serious intellectual work. From their point of view, juridical oversight of all three obligations will not suffice to foster a vibrant Catholic intellectual life, and may do harm. For an active Catholic intellectual life, much more is required, not least of all the presence of Catholic intellectuals and others committed to a distinctive intellectual experience rooted in Catholicism. One of the biggest challenges to achieving the goals of Ex corde is that, although many Catholics now have Ph.D.'s, few are Catholic intellectuals.
Catholic intellectuals undertake scholarly work with certain presuppositions.
The Catholic intellectual is a believer, one who is nourished by the sacraments and who draws inspiration and guidance from the tradition and teachings of the church. Whether or not the vote on Ex corde is postponed this week, I hope that the press, observers, and participants will remember the complexity and long history of the issues. In biblical thought, the image of the heart combines the capacities of a believer both to think and to love. And in the American tradition, they have, on the whole, benefited from institutional autonomy and academic freedom. Learning how to maintain that duality without division requires vision, humility, and courage.