BU president's full statement

This is the full text of a statement released Tuesday by Benedictine University President William Carroll:

The last few weeks at Benedictine have been as dynamic, challenging and transforming as any time during my presidency. With the public announcement of the separation of a former employee from the university, we have become the crossroad for every issue currently facing the Catholic Church. My purpose is neither to defend the actions taken in Springfield nor to attack any person but to bring to light, as I see it, what is at stake in the current situation. This is not about a person but about an institution, particularly, Benedictine University and its Catholic identity.

Benedictine was founded in 1887 by the monks of St. Procopius Abbey. Their intention was to found a Catholic and Benedictine institution that was in conformity with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Over the years, the institution has thrived and grown with students from every state and from all corners of the world. It is Catholic and it is Benedictine. Its founding monks and the United States Constitution have made it so.

Students are welcomed at this university inclusively from different backgrounds. This is the Benedictine value of hospitality. We welcome the “stranger” as God among us. Each is welcome at the university; each is invited to become a full member of the community. This is also true of students, faculty and staff with a gay/lesbian orientation. In fact, our faith teaches us to avoid “every sign of unjust discrimination” against them (Catechism #2358). The church embraces and loves all people.

I believe that God does not give us more than we can handle, and the present controversy is no exception. We have here the possibility of turning a seemingly bad and contentious situation into something productive. We can grow in an appreciation of the alienation that gays/lesbians can feel within our communities. They deserve welcome and support. Also, there can be a greater understanding of the church's position, which is not against people with a gay/lesbian orientation.

As a Catholic institution, we subscribe to a particular set of values and teachings springing from our Catholic and Benedictine heritage and tradition. One of the fundamental teachings of this tradition is that marriage is a sacred union between a man and a woman. When an individual steps outside this teaching and publicly announces that he/she is living a lifestyle in total opposition to what the Catholic Church and one of its universities hold dear, that decision represents a lifestyle choice that he/she is free to make. But if the person holds a position that represents the Catholic Church, there is a conflict.

While the present controversy has focused on gay marriage, the issue at hand is about responsibility. For instance, if you wanted to be an officer of an environmental group that premised its mission on the reality of global warming, you would expect that your fellow members would hold you to advocating that doctrine and not give speeches claiming that the phenomenon is a chimera. If you came to believe differently, the responsible thing would be to leave the organization.

For the most part, what a person does is between her/himself and God. When something is publicly proclaimed and it detracts from the credibility of the institution for which that person works, however, there is a problem. When such actions are contrary to the teaching of the church and the institution looks the other way, is the institution not demeaning and denying itself?

As a Catholic University, Benedictine is much like any major corporation, or public nonprofit, that has carefully grown its brand. When one sees the “Golden Arches” one knows what to expect when entering the restaurant. Likewise, when one encounters a Catholic university, a similar set of expectations arise.

“Catholic” stands for something a particular tradition, set of beliefs and practices. For Benedictine not to be true to the tradition, beliefs and practices would make it less than a Catholic institution of higher learning.

Thus, what is at stake in the current controversy is the fundamental ability of church-related institutions in this country to be church-related. While our state institutions of higher learning are wonderful educational institutions, they are not us we have different missions. Anyone working at a university like Benedictine knows that.

When faculty are hired at Benedictine University, I am the last interviewer. I am the last interview because I always ask the “religious question.” I make a simple statement to the candidate, something to the effect: “Benedictine University is a Catholic and Benedictine University with a set of beliefs and traditions. No matter your religious background and affiliation, you are expected to respect and honor this tradition and set of beliefs. Can you accept that?”

In 15 years of such interviews, every candidate has said yes.

If a person does not ascribe to the belief system held by the church, a Catholic institution may not be the appropriate place for that individual to work. The blessing of America provides a patchwork of many kinds of institutions of higher learning. Where one's belief system may put them outside the orbit of one institution, there is surely another to find a better fit.

What has been my role in this controversy, as president? Certainly, I do not set the doctrines of the church nor do I change them. Rather, as president of a Catholic institution, I am a gatekeeper, among many other things. The university mission statement describes the university as Catholic, Benedictine and inclusive. To be a Catholic institution means that it subscribes to the Magisterium of the Church.

As president, I have learned that my own personal beliefs are inconsequential to the job. To paraphrase St. Ignatius: “The role of a gatekeeper of a Catholic institution is not to pursue his own values but to preserve and enforce those of the church.”

As president, it makes no difference what my personal opinions may be. My job is to protect and to continue the growth of the institution our founders put in place.

At times in the last few months, I have found this to be difficult and challenging. Yet I was not hired for the good days anybody can handle them. I was hired for days like the last couple of months wherein the institution must be steered with alacrity and as much skill and certainty as the matter will allow.

My biggest source of inspiration and solace has been the quiet times when walking through St. Procopius Cemetery on the Lisle campus. Buried there are the founders and the many monks who have served St. Procopius College Illinois Benedictine College Benedictine University so well. What did they want for their institution? What would they want me to do in this situation?

The answer was quiet, yet sure: “Continue to grow the institution as Catholic and Benedictine Stay the course!”