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A majority of arts and science faculty members at the University of San Diego have supported a vote of no-confidence in the Catholic university’s president after she rescinded a visiting fellowship for a British theologian who supports same-sex marriage.
The motion approved in a 99-16 vote declared that Dr Mary Lyons had “shown herself to be ethically bankrupt” over the cancelled fellowship offered to Dr Tina Beattie. Nineteen faculty members abstained.
Dr Lyons said she cancelled the two-month fellowship because Dr Beattie publicly dissented from Church teaching by signing a public statement, published in The Times of London, saying that it is “perfectly proper for Catholics, using fully informed consciences, to support the legal extension of civil marriage to same-sex couples”.
The arts and science faculty makes up one of the seven colleges at the Catholic university.
Carlton Floyd, an associate professor of English and chair of the faculty’s executive committee, said that while the vote was “largely symbolic”, “it is hugely important as a symbolic gesture”.
“It lets the world know . . . that faculty here do in fact support and believe strongly in academic freedom, believe strongly and support the leadership of its directors . . . and that the reasons and explanations that have come to us [for the cancellation], we consider largely invalid.”
Dr Beattie is professor of Catholic studies at the University of Roehampton, London. She is also a director of the London Tablet and a theological adviser to CAFOD, the Catholic aid agency for England and Wales.
On her blog she said: “The cancellation of my visit is not the most important issue in all this. The real issues are academic freedom, the vocation of lay theologians in relation to the official magisterium, and the power of a hostile minority of bloggers (some of whom are ordained deacons and priests) to command the attention and support of the [Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith]. The latter is the most sinister development of all, and it is a cause for scandal which brings the church into disrepute. However, it also shows how deep this crisis has become.”
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Image: The Guardian
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