Catholic educators encouraged by choice of new pope

Less than a year after the Catholic church stripped a top Peruvian university of its association with the Vatican, educators in the region’s Catholic universities are encouraged by the choice of new pope.

Not only do they see the newly elected head of the Catholic church as an advocate for a more liberal education, they are also hoping he will open doors for a renewed relationship with the church.

Educated at the Universidad del Salvador, a Jesuit institution in Buenos Aires, Pope Francis becomes the first pontiff from the Americas and also the first Jesuit – an offshoot of the Catholic church known for its support for universal education.

He taught high-school literature and philosophy, and served as president of the committee for the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina.

“The news of the new pope was received with much enthusiasm in all of Latin America,” said Dr Pedro Pablo Rosso, rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and head of the Association of Catholic Universities in Latin America, ODUCAL.

“His involvement in education will make him an excellent ambassador to Catholic universities and to Latin America,” he told University World News.

Role of the church in higher education

With more than 220 institutions of higher learning in Latin America – a region with an overall shortage of affordable university options – Catholic institutions serve a pivotal role in educating young adults.

Because the region’s state-run universities cannot meet the need of all those eligible for tertiary education, the Catholic church has responded by opening dozens of institutions of higher learning across the region. Currently, three million, or 20%, of Latin America’s 15 million university students, are enrolled in a Catholic institution.

According to Rosso, the typical Catholic University in Latin America is a young, small- to medium-sized institution that pays professors by the hour, and is less focused on research and more on professional development.

“What makes it Catholic is the fact that the majority of teachers are Catholic (same with the students), which isn’t surprising given the continent is 80% Catholic,” he said. “Catholic universities also tend to have theological departments or departments of religious studies.”

Two philosophies

There are two philosophies on the purpose of Catholic education, which that have long divided adherents, argued Pablo Quintanilla, a professor of philosophy and dean of general studies at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, or PUCP.

One camp views the role of the Catholic university as an emissary for Church doctrine; the other believes that universities should focus more on professional development, scholarship and social responsibility, while providing an education to those who could otherwise not afford it.

“Many of the conservative sectors want Catholic universities to serve only as dissemination centres for Catholic thought,” Quintanilla told University World News. “A university is not that. A university is not a dissemination centre for any form of thought – whether it’s Catholicism or something else. It’s a centre of learning and research.”

Quintanilla has seen firsthand how the two philosophies can conflict. His own university was ordered to remove the word ‘Catholic’ from its title after it took measures to distance itself from the local archbishop and, according to the Vatican, violated canonical legislation.

According to Quintanilla, the archbishop threatened the university’s autonomy by demanding oversight of the institution’s finances and was a vocal critic of many of the more liberal teaching methods.

“He considered the university a part of the Catholic church – something that never occurred before. The university was not founded by the church; it was founded by Catholics who gave the university its name.”

Despite bearing both ‘Catholic’ and ‘Pontifical’ in its title and falling under the Ex Corde Ecclesiae – an apostolic exhortation that governs Catholic institutions – PUCP does not consider itself subject to the management of the Church.

Long considered one of the most prestigious universities of Peru, PUCP has more than 45 laboratories and 17 research centres, and offers degrees across 14 disciplines including architecture, science and engineering, with more than 17,000 students enrolled. Its mission is to offer a tolerant, multi-dimensional education inspired by ethical and Catholic principals.

“We are all obliged to follow church doctrine as part of our teachings – and we do this as well because we are Catholics. We want the Catholic teaching to be part of our university,” Quintanilla said.

“What we also believe is that Catholic theory shouldn't close the door to learning other forms of the world’s religious practices. What we give to the students is a very varied education and very open – and that’s what the archbishop of Lima didn’t like.”

Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, the archbishop of Lima, and PUCP continue to be at odds in Peruvian courts, a situation Quintanilla calls absurd. “We are all Catholics,” he said.

Optimistic

But Quintanilla is optimistic about what the selection of Pope Francis means – not just for his university but for all of education in Latin America.

“With the arrival of Pope Francis, the situation has now gone in a positive direction for the university. I believe that the current pope maintains a more conciliatory attitude and he’s going to want the bishop and the university to come to a reasonable agreement.”

He added: “A Catholic university needs to be like any other university in other parts of the world – only that the Catholic thought also needs to be reinforced. Thanks to changes within the Vatican, we have much hope for the university and the Catholic church.”