St. Louis U. Is Still Mum About Majerus
By Kavita Kumar, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Feb. 5–ST. LOUIS — Two weeks after the controversy first erupted, St. Louis University leaders will still not say definitively if the school will punish basketball coach Rick Majerus, as Archbishop Raymond Burke has suggested, for his comments in support of abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research.
The Rev. Lawrence Biondi, president of SLU, said Monday that Burke has not spoken with him about the issue, nor has the archbishop requested a meeting with him.
Burke has said that he would deny Majerus Holy Communion for his statements and has said SLU should discipline him.
Biondi has not responded to previous requests to be interviewed about the flare-up. But he spoke briefly to the Post-Dispatch about it on Monday after a news conference introducing a new SLU athletic director.
Biondi mostly stuck to the Catholic university’s statement on the matter, that Majerus was expressing his personal opinions and was not speaking on behalf of the university.
When a reporter pointed out that the statement does not say whether SLU will punish Majerus and asked him if Majerus would be reprimanded, Biondi shook his head and said no.
SLU spokesman Clayton Berry said later that Biondi meant he would not discuss the issue. Berry said Biondi refuses to discuss whether he will discipline Majerus.
“Archbishop Burke has said what he has said. Mr. Coach Rick Majerus has said what he has said,” Biondi said. “And I’ve made my statement.”
Asked if there were any things that are not permissible at a Jesuit school like SLU, Biondi said, “We don’t do embryonic stem cell research. We don’t do abortions. We don’t teach murder.”
SLU is run by a lay board and successfully argued to the Missouri Supreme Court last year that it is not controlled by a religious creed. While Burke has no authority over SLU itself, he claims responsibility for overseeing SLU’s Catholic identity because it is within the boundaries of his archdiocese.
Provost Joseph Weixlmann said the university does not necessarily have guidelines regarding Catholic values and statements for staff members like Majerus. But SLU does have such things for faculty members.
One university statement on the matter says that faculty members “are expected to recognize and respect the institution’s Catholic identity and its responsibility as a Catholic institution to be faithful to the teachings of the Church. This does not require agreement with or acceptance of the Church and its various doctrines, nor does it prevent the statement of personal views which may differ from those held by the Catholic Church.”
The statement goes on to say, “Precisely in virtue of its Catholic character, it is incumbent upon a Catholic institution of higher learning to respect the freedom of conscience and religious liberty of each member of its academic community.”
But there are some things that are forbidden, Weixlmann said. The school’s 2006 faculty manual says a professor could be fired for using the classroom or school-sponsored activities to “deride or attack the Catholic faith.” The manual goes on to say that does not include scholarly and relevant criticism of Catholic organizations, leaders, activities, and theological opinions and traditions.
Weixlmann said he has not had to deal with any such possible transgressions since he’s been at SLU.
Outside of the classroom, there are other considerations for a Catholic university. The school will open its new Chaifetz Arena soon, which will be the home for its basketball teams and also will hold events and performances. Weixlmann said that because SLU is Jesuit, there are certain events the school would not be likely to book, such as a mud wrestling event.
Asked if Sheryl Crow could perform at the arena, Weixlmann said he would rather not speculate on that possibility. Crow strongly supports embryonic stem cell research, which the Catholic church considers akin to abortion.
kkumar@post-dispatch.com — 314-340-8017
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