Human Life International's Millstone Award, Summer 2006

Thursday I received my copy of the Summer 2006 issue of Human Life International's FrontLines. It included the latest winner of their Millstone Award. In the Spring of 2005 HLI instituted the award to be used as a tool for "exposing those who cause grave scandal to the faithful by their words, teachings or example." It is given to a Catholic in a public position because of his/her "dereliction of duty to teach the Faith & protect the faithful from spiritual harm." HLI took the title from Luke 17:1-2 where Jesus warns of the punishment ahead for those who by their words & deeds cause others to sin. "He said to his disciples, "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin." Taking their lead from the next verse "If your brother sins, rebuke him." The purpose of the rebuke is to hopefully lead the person being rebuked to repentance & a return to orthodox Catholic teachings & actions. The winner receives a model of a small millstone

The roll call of previous winners reads like a hall of shame, a list of those who have brought disonore to the Lord & to His Church. The list includes Fr. Richard McBrien, theology proffesor at Notre Dame; Fr. Robert Drinan SJ; & Fr. Charles Curran. Sadly, the latest winner is another priest, Fr. John I. Jenkins CSC, President of the University of Notre Dame.

So what did the recently appointed head of the University do to deserve this recognition. The article points out 2 main actions he took as head of the school. Actually, inaction is a better word. Instead of standing up for what the Catholic Church teaches he allowed 2 events on campus, 1 a play, 1 a festival, that by what they stood for flew in the face of what a Catholic College has the responsiblity to promote.

The festival was a gay film festival. It showed a variety of movies promoting & glorifying the gay lifestyle as something good, acceptable & normal. The play that was performed was the infamous Vagina Monologues. I won't even go into what sort of garbage it contains.

In an interview found in the 23 April 2006 issue of Our Sunday Visitor he justfied his actions. "We are committed to a wide-open, unconstrained search for the truth, & we are convinced that Catholic teaching has nothing to fear from engaging the wider culture". The 15 May 2006 issue of The New America had the following justification for his actions: "I am very determined that we not suppress free speech on campus. I am also determined that we never suppress or neglect the Gospel that inspired this university".

The 1st question raised in my mind by these statements is this: "How did you enage the culture?" Engaging the culture isn't done by allowing any & all things on campus. engaging the culture is done by proclaiming the Truth of the Gospel. It is done by calling sin a sin, obscenity as obscenity & evil as the evil it truly is. It is not done by allowing evil to flourish, let alone promoting it. By allowing the play & film festival to occur under the auspices of Notre Dame that is exactly what he did. He didn't engage the culture, he surrendered to it. He, like Judas, betrayed Jesus, selling out for 30 pieces of silver, in this case to what HLI calls a "new god". Rightly so, HLI points out "The god that academics like Fr. Jenkins worship are false idols called repectability, political correctness, free speech & academic freedom. & Fr. Jenkins regretfully serves that god's agenda".

HLI is absolutely correct in what it points out about Fr. Jenkins actions. I think that he would do well to go back & read the apostolic constitution issued by Pope John Paul the Great Ex Corde Ecclesiae which clearly lays out what a Catholic University must do to correctly engage the culture. He would do well to properly implement the guidelines found in the document.

By allowing events like these, what kind of message is Fr. Jenkins sending to the 1000s of students who attend Notre Dame? It clearly isn't a message promoting & upholding Catholic values. He is failing to do what he should in his role as president of a Catholic college, his role as an educator & esp he is betraying his vocation as an ordained priest.

The University of Notre Dame was named so in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Theotokis, the Mother of God. Do events like this bring her honor. I think not.

Kudos to HLI for the courage to speak out & challenge Fr. Jenkins. Pray that he will hear the prophetic voice that Jesus has inspired to speak out. Pray that he will repent & allow the Holy Spirit to transform him into the faith filled orthodox Catholic priest that he was called to be.