BYU professors have eye on pontiff

PROVO — Some Brigham Young University professors have their eye on Pope Benedict XVI as he plans to address presidents of Catholic colleges and universities today.

BYU, owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has some similarities to Catholic universities, such as Notre Dame.

Many Catholic academic leaders and others are anxiously awaiting the pope's words today. "I'm curious to hear what he has to say," said BYU chemistry professor Juliana Boerio-Goates, who is Catholic.

Pope Benedict has had a reputation for being strict — the enforcer of orthodoxy in the Catholic Church, said Daniel Peterson, BYU professor of Islamic studies and Arabic.

"I would imagine there are some nervous people in Catholic academic circles right now, wondering if he is going to announce further restrictions," Peterson said. He is also on the directors council of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship.

In his speech, the pope could very well voice his concerns regarding Catholic schools' creep toward secularism. He might share his opinion on just how religious a Catholic college should be, BYU professors predict.

"There is no question he will talk about maintaining a Catholic identity," said James Faulconer, BYU professor of philosophy. He also holds the Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding.

Boerio-Goates says she believes Pope Benedict may address Catholic schools' "role as educators, forming the next generation of Catholics."

The BYU professors said they would have mixed reactions if LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson was preparing to address the administration of the church's higher education institutions.

Faulconer said an LDS Church president speaking on higher education wouldn't be reason to worry. LDS prophets have frequently spoken at BYU's devotional to begin the school year. "That happens with some regularity," he said.

However, if the LDS Church president was about to deliver a weighty decision or statement, such as when Ricks College was renamed BYU-Idaho in 2000, it would be cause for greater attention, Faulconer said. "It caused a big stir."

Peterson said there is no fear LDS Church leadership would tighten the reins on BYU because "we haven't been allowed to get off the path that far" as compared to Catholic schools.

In 1990, Pope John Paul II issued Ex Corde Ecclesiae (Latin for "From the Heart of the Church"). It was a call for Catholic schools to be faithful to the Catholic Church's mission and its identity.

In 1992, BYU issued a statement of academic freedom.