About two weeks ago we at GOP3.com reported that Marquette Professor of Theology Daniel Maguire had been condemned by the Bishop of Nashville, Tennessee for a proposed visit to a parish in the diocese (I apologize that the archived post was lost when the site went down). Bishop Choby wrote at the time in an open letter to the Diocese:
I was greatly saddened and disturbed to learn that one of our parishes would extend this invitation despite Mr. Maguire’s extensive published record of positions which stand in clear opposition to teachings on the sanctity of life. His long history in this regard has lead to a prohibition against his speaking at parishes of his home diocese, which prohibition was put in place a number of years ago by Archbishop Rembert Weakland. That prohibition remains in effect. I want to make it perfectly clear that he appears without my endorsement as Bishop of Nashville.
Smackdown, right?! Not surprisingly, Maguire did not fail to make hay in the media after the Bishop’s letter went out:
Maguire is considering a libel action, as he is unaware that such a prohibition is in place. In fact, he has spoken in parishes of his home diocese in recent memory. Diocesan spokesman Rick Musacchio says Choby is out of town and unavailable but emphasizes that the bishop spoke to the current archbishop in Maguire’s diocese before writing the letter. In which case, Maguire says, Choby is either misrepresenting the truth or revealing a secret prohibition the archbishop chose not to make public. “In either case, issues of libel arise,†Maguire says.
Well, it is now a matter of record that the policy is in place, and it is no secret. Dr. McAdams provides us the following excerpt from an e-mail sent out by Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan.
May I speak to you about a couple delicate issues? The first would be guidelines about hosting a speaker or a group in the parish or under Church auspices. … One speaker whom I would ask you not to have is Dr. Daniel McGuire [sic]. He should never be given an invitation or provided a platform at any parish in the archdiocese. He has recently publicly stated that both Archbishop Weakland and I have welcomed him to any parish in the archdiocese, which necessitates this corrective. His position on abortion — and on a number of other areas — is so radically outside Church teaching that his appearance at any parish would be a grave scandal and a cause of disunity in the Church. Dialogue about Church teaching and pressing pastoral challenges is always welcome. But the above speaker is not into dialogue but into clear and purposeful dissent from Church teaching: He gets enough attention without us giving him another platform.Â
[emphasis added] The Archbishop’s words speak for themselves, and powerfully so, on the matter of Maguire speaking in churches.
I will put the matter more simply and more relevantly for the Marquette community. There are those who will accuse me of simplifying to the point of demogaugery, but I insist that this question goes to the heart of understanding the mission of a Catholic university:
If the Archbishop will not allow Dr. Maguire to lecture adults in Catholic parishes, how can the University allow him to lecture impressionable students in a Catholic institution’s classroom?Â
P.S. Dr. McAdams has been busy lately. A pair of other posts by him that are definetly worth reading: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. = Crackpot AND Marquette Manipulating Admissions Data?
P.P.S. One Tennessee Catholic parishoner wrote a letter to the editor in the most recent issue of The Tennessee Register, saying in part:
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Even the prophet Isaiah warns, “Woe to you who call evil good, and good evil: who put darkness for light, and light for darkness …†(Is. 5:20). Dr. Maguire is simply a living testimony to those prophesies. Dr. Maguire mocks Catholic teaching with an arrogance that should frighten all Catholics.
What Catholics should find even more disturbing is that he is a theology instructor at the 450-year Jesuit tradition Marquette University. However, don’t bother writing to the Marquette President Father Robert Wild, S.J., to voice your disapproval. … Basically, their position for retaining Dr. Maguire at the university is based upon his tenure and the university’s commitment to “academic freedom.†… As a Catholic University, Marquette’s position regarding Dr. Maguire is nothing more than sanctioned heresy.
In affirming his position, he promotes disbelief in the Church’s doctrinal teachings and disobedience of her precepts, therefore causing scandal – the spiritual ruin or death of another – on a vast scale.
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Last 5 posts by Daniel- Tom Barrett's Savings Plan - June 8th, 2010
- C.J. Abrahamson on J. Stevens - April 11th, 2010
- Why always Bill Bablitch? - March 24th, 2010
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- Did the USCCB Foresee Dead People? - February 8th, 2010
I see that the original email came from “Get up, and Get Moving”… has anyone confirmed that Dolan actually sent that? Who is this fellow? Because it seems like gop3 from mu-warrior from g.u.&g.m… and nothing official… has he made any statements on it? have any milwaukee area papers or other news sources picked up on this? any reaction from local catholic community?
just curious… i guess this post raises a lot of thoughts in my head.
That’s a fair enough question, but I used the material because I simply could not imagine that anybody would simply fabricate something like this.
I will try to get confirmation from the Archdiocese tomorrow, however.
Hi Yana, John and all:
I am Mike, blogger of Get Up & Get Moving.
Yes, the e-mail from Dolan is real.
Yet, if my word alone is not enough (which is need not be), the Marquette Warrior Blog confirmed the text with the Communications Office of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. http://mu-warrior.blogspot.com.....aukee.html
The lack of coverage in the MSM is somewhat surprising.
Mike
http://movingcatholic.blogspot.com/
[...] Absolutely ridiculous. We allow the decidedly uncatholic, even anti-Catholic (and anti-life) teachings of Daniel McGuire but if someone doesn’t like the government, large or small, they are censored and chastised. Marquette University needs to stop engaging in doublespeak and selective censorship and start applying the principles they decide on in an even, fair fashion. [...]