MOM, or More on Murray

I would like to add my thanks to those made previously by other members of MOJ for the wonderful John Courtney Murray conference sponsored by Villanova. Mark Sargent and company, notwithstanding any Augustinian prejudices, provided a most hospitable environment to those of Jesuit but not necessarily Jesuitical inclinations. Whilst the presentations and views varied on the different topics that were discussed, it was clear that the atmosphere was collegial. More importantly, speakers, commentators, and those who asked questions did so in a respectful manner even though there might not have been unanimity of opinion on the particular views being advanced. A healthy exchange of views took place. This is the Catholic academy at its best; moreover, there was the ability of participants to stake out a claim, advocate reasons for the view, and hold on to positions after comments were made. The proceedings reminded me of a group of individuals who saw something beyond themselves—that is, searching for God’s truth, the truth that sets us free of the limitations of the exclusively human perspective. I often wonder if this is true of the academy in general today? That is why I made the comment that the ability to present views that did not coincide with a particular stream of thought would not only not be welcome in some academic and legal environments but would not be tolerated. This is something that those of us interested in Catholic legal theory might want to consider as being constitutive of our method of proceeding. For those who might be interested, I include [Download the_role_of_international_law_in_us_constitutional_law.doc ] my most recent draft of the full paper that reflects some of the comments and observations made at the conference. Again, I offer my sincere gratitude to all who made the conference a wonderful and important event.   RJA sj