PART I
IDENTITY AND MISSION
A. THE
IDENTITY OF A CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY
1.
Nature and Objectives
12.
Every Catholic University, as a university, is an academic community
which, in a rigorous and critical fashion, assists in the protection and
advancement of human dignity and of a cultural heritage through research,
teaching and various services offered to the local, national and international
communities(14). It possesses that institutional autonomy necessary to
perform its functions effectively and guarantees its members academic freedom,
so long as the rights of the individual person and of the community are
preserved within the confines of the truth and the common good(15).
13.
Since the objective of a Catholic University is to assure in an institutional
manner a Christian presence in the university world confronting the great
problems of society and culture(16), every Catholic University, as Catholic,
must have the following essential characteristics:
"1.
a Christian inspiration not only of individuals but of the university community
as such;
2. a
continuing reflection in the light of the Catholic faith upon the growing
treasury of human knowledge, to which it seeks to contribute by its own
research;
3.
fidelity to the Christian message as it comes to us through the Church;
4. an
institutional commitment to the service of the people of God and of the human
family in their pilgrimage to the transcendent goal which gives meaning to
life"(17).
14.
"In the light of these four characteristics, it is evident that besides
the teaching, research and services common to all Universities, a Catholic
University, by institutional commitment, brings to its task the
inspiration and light of the Christian message. In a Catholic
University, therefore, Catholic ideals, attitudes and principles penetrate and
inform university activities in accordance with the proper nature and autonomy
of these activities. In a word, being both a University and Catholic, it must
be both a community of scholars representing various branches of human
knowledge, and an academic institution in which Catholicism is vitally present
and operative"(18).
15.
A Catholic University, therefore, is a place of research, where scholars scrutinize
reality with the methods proper to each academic discipline, and so
contribute to the treasury of human knowledge. Each individual discipline is
studied in a systematic manner; moreover, the various disciplines are brought
into dialogue for their mutual enhancement.
In
addition to assisting men and women in their continuing quest for the truth,
this research provides an effective witness, especially necessary today, to the
Church's belief in the intrinsic value of knowledge and research.
In a
Catholic University, research necessarily includes (a) the search for an
integration of knowledge, (b) a dialogue between faith and reason,
(c) an ethical concern, and (d) a theological perspective.
16.
Integration of knowledge is a process, one which will always remain
incomplete; moreover, the explosion of knowledge in recent decades, together
with the rigid compartmentalization of knowledge within individual academic
disciplines, makes the task increasingly difficult. But a University, and
especially a Catholic University, "has to be a 'living union' of
individual organisms dedicated to the search for truth ... It is necessary to
work towards a higher synthesis of knowledge, in which alone lies the
possibility of satisfying that thirst for truth which is profoundly inscribed
on the heart of the human person"(19). Aided by the specific
contributions of philosophy and theology, university scholars will be engaged
in a constant effort to determine the relative place and meaning of each of the
various disciplines within the context of a vision of the human person and the
world that is enlightened by the Gospel, and therefore by a faith in Christ,
the Logos, as the centre of creation and of human history.
17.
In promoting this integration of knowledge, a specific part of a Catholic
University's task is to promote dialogue between faith and reason, so
that it can be seen more profoundly how faith and reason bear harmonious
witness to the unity of all truth. While each academic discipline retains its
own integrity and has its own methods, this dialogue demonstrates that
"methodical research within every branch of learning, when carried out in a
truly scientific manner and in accord with moral norms, can never truly
conflict with faith. For the things of the earth and the concerns of faith
derive from the same God"(20). A vital interaction of two distinct
levels of coming to know the one truth leads to a greater love for truth
itself, and contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the meaning of
human life and of the purpose of God's creation.
18.
Because knowledge is meant to serve the human person, research in a Catholic
University is always carried out with a concern for the ethical and moral
implications both of its methods and of its discoveries. This concern,
while it must be present in all research, is particularly important in the
areas of science and technology. "It is essential that we be convinced of
the priority of the ethical over the technical, of the primacy of the person
over things, of the superiority of the spirit over matter. The cause of the
human person will only be served if knowledge is joined to conscience. Men and
women of science will truly aid humanity only if they preserve 'the sense of
the transcendence of the human person over the world and of God over the human
person"(21).
19.
Theology plays a particularly important role in the search for a
synthesis of knowledge as well as in the dialogue between faith and reason. It
serves all other disciplines in their search for meaning, not only by helping
them to investigate how their discoveries will affect individuals and society
but also by bringing a perspective and an orientation not contained within
their own methodologies. In turn, interaction with these other disciplines and
their discoveries enriches theology, offering it a better understanding of the
world today, and making theological research more relevant to current needs.
Because of its specific importance among the academic disciplines, every
Catholic University should have a faculty, or at least a chair, of
theology(22).
20.
Given the close connection between research and teaching, the research
qualities indicated above will have their influence on all teaching. While each
discipline is taught systematically and according to its own methods, interdisciplinary
studies, assisted by a careful and thorough study of philosophy and
theology, enable students to acquire an organic vision of reality and to
develop a continuing desire for intellectual progress. In the communication of
knowledge, emphasis is then placed on how human reason in its reflection opens
to increasingly broader questions, and how the complete answer to them can only
come from above through faith. Furthermore, the moral implications that
are present in each discipline are examined as an integral part of the teaching
of that discipline so that the entire educative process be directed towards the
whole development of the person. Finally, Catholic theology, taught in a manner
faithful to Scripture, Tradition, and the Church's Magisterium, provides an
awareness of the Gospel principles which will enrich the meaning of human life
and give it a new dignity.
Through
research and teaching the students are educated in the various disciplines so
as to become truly competent in the specific sectors in which they will devote
themselves to the service of society and of the Church, but at the same time
prepared to give the witness of their faith to the world.
|