We were founded as, and we remain, a Catholic, Franciscan university. And if we are Catholic, then we must live up to what it means to be Catholic, to abide by certain specific principles. We've become somewhat soft on ourselves these days, saying everything depends on what an individual thinks is right, and that is wrong. There is a moral code. However, Ex corde ecclesiae is not going to restrict academic freedom.
Tradition underscores that asking the hard questions has always been a part of the Catholic faith.
There's a lot of trepidation about the mandatum, which is simply a relationship between the Catholic theologian and the local ordinary, the bishop. We at St. Bonaventure have just approved a strong academic freedom policy something I requested that the Faculty Senate develop when I came here. Fears that someone is going to come into the classroom and review what someone is teaching are simply groundless. To me, Ex corde is an acceptance, an embracing of the mission of this University. While it does recommend that a majority of the Board and faculty be Catholic, I believe in the value of having committed non-Catholic members.