Catholic Theology and the Public Academy
A colloquium in dual celebration of the establishment of the Durham Centre for Catholic Studies and the Bede Chair of Catholic Theology 8th-10th May, 2008 Durham University
Tina Beattie Gavin D’Costa Eamon Duffy David Ford Paul Griffiths Karen Kilby Michael Kirwan, S.J. Paul Lakeland Nicholas Lash Gerard Loughlin Andrew Louth John Milbank Francesca Murphy Paul D Murray
I would certainly like to hear Gavin D’Costa, Eamon Duffy, and Paul Griffiths. The first Bede Professor of Catholic Theology will be appointed just before this conference, and the appointment will make it clear whether this is the long-awaited new start or not. There have been a lot of international applicants, apparently, so my breath is bated. But why aren't Stratford Caldecott or Aidan Nichols among the speakers? Why doesn't Ex Corde Ecclesia (JP II's Apostolic Constitution on Catholic universities) appear anywhere on the Centre's website? Why is a Protestant giving the opening address on 'The Case for Catholic Theology in a Twenty-first Century University’? How much Protestant permission has to be sought?
From a Catholic point of view the contemporary secular university is not at fault because it is not Catholic. It is at fault insofar as it is not a university…
Alasdair MacIntyre (Commonweal October 20, 2006 / Volume CXXXIII, Number 18)