Fr. Coughlin on the identity of Catholic universities

I am sorry for the light blogging (I'm in Arizona, doing a few talks and enjoying watching my kids play with my parents).  This interview, with my friend and colleague, Fr. John Coughlin, OFM, should be of interest to many readers.  Fr. Coughlin talks about Ex Corde, the identity of Catholic universities, and other good stuff.  Here is a taste:

"Ex Corde Ecclesiae" requires that at least a simple majority of the members of a Catholic university be practicing Catholics. This juridic requirement reflects the understanding of a Catholic university as a community of persons who are committed to Catholic faith.

Catholic belief is necessarily normative within the Catholic intellectual community. Catholicism is not just another "good idea" sometimes at issue and to be batted around in the ongoing intellectual debate at the Catholic university.

Without the recognition of the primacy of Catholic truth claims, the university's own internal dialogue will fail to ensure integration of faith and reason; and in its dialogue with wider culture, the Catholic university will be a weak partner with little of its own to offer.

The phrase "hiring in accord with mission" means that there can be no fruitful internal or external dialogue unless the majority of the faculty members are committed Catholics and that others on the faculty at least show a genuine respect for the integration of faith and reason.