"This same dynamic of communal identity – to whom do I belong? – vivifies the ethos of our Catholic institutions. A university or school’s Catholic identity is not simply a question of the number of Catholic students. It is a question of conviction – do we really believe that only in the mystery of the Word made flesh does the mystery of man truly become clear (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 22)? Are we ready to commit our entire self – intellect and will, mind and heart – to God? Do we accept the truth Christ reveals? Is the faith tangible in our universities and schools? Is it given fervent expression liturgically, sacramentally, through prayer, acts of charity, a concern for justice, and respect for God’s creation? Only in this way do we really bear witness to the meaning of who we are and what we uphold."
Pope Benedict instructs that a truly Catholic institution is one that begins with the proclamation that Christ is Lord and that one's intellect and will, mind and heart belong to Him. This is and must be the assumption of every disciple from the moment of his baptism forward, and so the same must be true of Catholic institutions made up of those same disciples. Pope Benedict greatly respects academic freedom since he has worked in academia himself quite extensively. Yet academic freedom for Pope Benedict does not mean one can dispense from belonging to Christ first so that one's conversation with Jesus can be deepened and strengthened through academic study. A Catholic institution that saves faith until last is not really doing theology, which is faith seeking understanding, not vice versa.
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