Catholic college presidents summoned to meet pope

In a summons that is prompting both anticipation and unease, Pope Benedict XVI has asked the presidents of all U.S. Catholic colleges and universities, along with Catholic school superintendents from across the country, to meet with him this week during his East Coast visit.

Will Benedict, who was viewed as the Vatican's "enforcer" of Roman Catholic orthodoxy before he became pope, chastise American educators for not adhering more strictly to traditional church teachings? Or will he celebrate the historic strength of the church's schools in the United States, home to the largest collection of Catholic colleges and universities in the world?

For the most part, Catholic education leaders say they do not expect the pope, a former university professor, to rebuke educators or seek to impose tough new restrictions.

"He understands universities, and I think he really understands how Catholic universities serve the church," said Father Stephen A. Privett, president of the University of San Francisco. "He will be very comfortable with this group."

Privett and others interviewed pointed to recent speeches and informal comments in which the intellectual Benedict has emphasized the importance of reason in the practice of faith and has spoken positively of universities as arenas where faith and the wider culture engage.

But Privett and others planning to attend the Thursday meeting at Catholic University say they expect the pope to challenge them to promote a stronger Catholic identity for their institutions, some of which have been criticized by local bishops for allowing speakers and activities that the critics say are at odds with Catholic teachings.

A number of Catholic colleges have, for instance, hosted candidates and graduation speakers who favor abortion rights, and some, including the University of Notre Dame, have allowed performances of such controversial works as "The Vagina Monologues."

"I think he'll urge us to try to foster a strong Catholic identity in our institutions and also a rigorous fidelity to what the church teaches, a sort of affirmative orthodoxy," said Father David M. O'Connell, president of Catholic University, who will host the pope during his campus visit. "This is a pope who wants to put forward the best of the Catholic intellectual tradition and hold it up as something to be emulated."