Catholic Group Says 'Out' With DePaul's New Queer Studies Program
by Jim Brown
February 10, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Students at the largest Roman Catholic university in the U.S. can now minor in study of homosexual culture, history and lifestyle. That is because DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, has begun offering a "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer Studies" program.
The university has recently implemented this course of study despite the Vatican's official teaching that homosexual orientation is "objectively disordered" and homosexual behavior is "intrinsically evil." This compels some conservative Catholic groups to believe DePaul has strayed from core Church teaching on sexual morality.
Karl Maurer is the vice president of Catholic Citizens of Illinois and an alumnus of DePaul. He says the school's new "Queer Studies" program is indicative of a problem not just with that university but with "the American institutional Catholic Church."
One would "have to be living under a rock for the last five years not to have noticed the homosexual scandals that are going on within the Church," Maurer asserts. "And it's not just in the seminaries: it's not just in the chanceries; it's in the universities as well, and it really calls into question whether or not the U.S. bishops are serious about rooting out homosexual abuse."
The ideal solution to this problem, at least at DePaul, would be for the school to recognize the error of its ways and drop the "Queer Studies" program completely, the university alum says. However, he doubts that is likely to happen. The homosexual studies classes are in high demand on the campus, and some students say DePaul's "gay and lesbian" course offerings are the main reason they chose to attend the school.
But Maurer feels it is hypocritical for the university to put forth courses promoting views or values contrary to Catholic teaching. "If DePaul wants to be a secular school, they're more than welcome to do that," he contends. "If this was a private university, this really wouldn't be an issue from the standpoint of a private secular school."
However, the Catholic Citizens spokesman feels that DePaul, as a private Catholic institution founded by the Society of St. Vincent DePaul and bearing the name of that 17th Century priest, has a responsibility to demonstrate a higher, Christian standard.
"What DePaul is doing," Maurer asserts, "is really falsely characterizing itself as both being Catholic and being inspired by St. Vincent's spirit, which is a fraud." He and the other members of Catholic Citizens of Illinois are calling on DePaul University to shut down its new "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer Studies" program.
Although the new "Queer Studies" program purports to teach, among other things, the history of the "gay and lesbian liberation movement," some traditional Catholics argue that it is nothing more than pro-homosexual propaganda.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
