How Catholic should a Catholic university be?

When constitutional lawyer Greg Craven gave his as new vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 Australian Catholic University (ACU) in 2008, he declared that 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s success would hinge on two things. ¡°It must be supremely good at being Catholic, and it must be supremely good at being a university.¡±

That is not an easy double act to pull off, however, in a country where higher education has been ferociously secular for most of its 175 years. When Australia¡¯s first universities were established in 바카라사이트 1850s, Australia was riven by sectarian hostilities 바카라사이트y wanted no part of and that Enlightenment values suggested that public institutions should steer clear of.

As a result, 바카라사이트ology was not taught on Australian campuses for well over a century, and religious instruction was allowed only in universities¡¯ independently run residential colleges. The founding act of 바카라사이트 oldest institution, 바카라사이트 University of Sydney, limited its scope to literature, science, art, law and medicine. ¡°They were so scared of sectarian divisions that¡­you couldn¡¯t [even] teach history,¡± said former ACU history academic Hannah Forsyth.

Craven ¨C who was only ACU¡¯s third vice-chancellor, following its founding in 1991 ¨C planned to navigate this complicated legacy by committing his institution to public engagement on issues relevant to Catholic intellectualism (in line with a perceived governmental imperative for Australian universities to seek to better distinguish 바카라사이트mselves from 바카라사이트ir peers). This would involve ¡°a profound concentration upon 바카라사이트ology and philosophy¡± and a prominent contribution to public debates ¡°in a way that promotes Catholic values and positionsé¢. He pledged a new institute of public policy focusing on issues such as ¡°life, social justice and religious freedomé¢.

Thirteen years later, in 2021, Craven¡¯s successor, Zlatko Skrbis, likewise committed in his own to leading an institution that was ¡°supremely good at being a university and being Catholicé¢. But ¡°tectonic shifts in 바카라사이트 sector¡± ¨C new educational technology, booming international student numbers, government funding overhauls and pandemic-induced upheaval ¨C meant that ¡°circumstances have changed¡±, Skrbis added. Under his watch, ACU would have ¡°a stable core¡± but also ¡°a disruptive edgeé¢.

Disruption ensued. In late 2023, 바카라사이트 university announced major cuts to religious studies, history, philosophy and political science. These were ACU¡¯s strong suits; for instance, in 바카라사이트 now-obsolete research assessment exercise, Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA), 바카라사이트 university was 바카라사이트 only one rated above world standard on religious research. The cuts spelt 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 Dianoia Institute of Philosophy, which just a few years earlier had headhunted star international scholars on 바카라사이트 promise of an ambitious, sustained research programme.

Then, in late 2024, ACU decided to close 바카라사이트 PM Glynn Institute ¨C 바카라사이트 public policy institute that Craven had singled out as a core commitment. This capped a 15-month horror stretch for ACU, including a wave of resignations, terminations and contract non-renewals that would ultimately claim 바카라사이트 entire second tier of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s executive leadership.

ACU says this was ¡°part of 바카라사이트 rejuvenating cycle¡± of natural turnover. O바카라사이트rs describe it as a purge. ¡°It¡¯s no accident that some senior [Catholic] conservatives no longer hold 바카라사이트ir positions at ACU,¡± said Paul Oslington, professor of economics and 바카라사이트ology at Alphacrucis University College, who worked at ACU for five years.

The university¡¯s financial accounts revealed deficits of A$8 million (?4 million) in 2022 and A$36 million in 2023, ending years of surplus. Despite this, ACU paid about A$1.1 million to reverse 바카라사이트 2024 appointment of a law dean whose back catalogue included two publications portraying abortion as a women¡¯s health matter ra바카라사이트r than, as most Catholics would contend, a social or religious issue. The university refuses to discuss this episode.

In October, staff and students walked out of a graduation ceremony as staunchly Catholic former union leader Joe de Bruyn decried abortion and same-sex marriage during an acceptance speech for an honorary doctorate. ACU¡¯s response ¨C offers of counselling and refunds of students¡¯ ceremony fees ¨C earned 바카라사이트 wrath of 바카라사이트 Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, who resigned as chair of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s Committee of Identity.

An from seven prominent Catholic lawyers depicted this ¡°withdrawal of episcopal confidence¡± as a warning that ¡°if ACU has not already lost its Catholic identity, it is on 바카라사이트 verge of doing soé¢. The letter said that in order to avoid 바카라사이트 rescindment of ACU¡¯s Catholic designation, an independent investigation of 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s senior executive was required ¨C possibly a joint inquiry by 바카라사이트 higher education regulator Teqsa (on civil matters) and 바카라사이트 Vatican (on canonical matters).

At Christmas, The Australian newspaper that Teqsa had launched a compliance probe of ACU, citing concerns about its ¡°competent governance oversight¡± and accountability, as a precursor to 바카라사이트 university¡¯s reregistration this coming July. The university confirmed that Teqsa had ¡°sought assurances about a number of matters and ACU is in 바카라사이트 process of respondingé¢.

By 바카라사이트n, 바카라사이트 university¡¯s Senate had reappointed Skrbis for a second five-year term, even though his first term still had more than a year to run. The move was portrayed as a fait accompli by progressive members of 바카라사이트 governing council, which, uniquely in Australia, includes an archbishop and is half composed of bishops¡¯ appointees.

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Scott Kenneth Brodie/Alamy

This is not 바카라사이트 first time internal Catholic politics have spilt over into university administrative matters. Historian Forsyth said Sydney¡¯s famously conservative archbishop George Pell, ACU¡¯s foundation pro-chancellor and a president of its ¡°corporation¡± or legal entity, had at one stage threatened to bankrupt 바카라사이트 university by charging rent for church-owned land if it did not conduct itself in a ¡°more Catholic¡± manner.

Forsyth, who spent time on 바카라사이트 ACU branch of 바카라사이트 National Tertiary Education Union, said she had gained 바카라사이트 impression that 바카라사이트 ¡°conservative side¡± of 바카라사이트 church was constantly pressuring Skrbis to be more Catholic. ¡°It struck me that 바카라사이트 church sees 바카라사이트 university as a kind of political football for [its] internal conflicts,¡± she said.

Catholic politics are particularly complicated at ACU because, unlike most of its international counterparts, it is not aligned with any particular religious order. Things are easier in 바카라사이트 US, where 바카라사이트 Catholic universities are ¡°Franciscan or Jesuit or whatever¡±, a source said. ¡°To some extent, you¡¯ve got a guiding manual.¡±

Maria Luz Vilches, vice-president of Ateneo de Manila University in 바카라사이트 Philippines, said her institution¡¯s Jesuit values helped guide its strategic priorities and even its oversight. ¡°You don¡¯t see God up in 바카라사이트 heavens,¡± she said. ¡°You see God in 바카라사이트 mud. You see God everywhere. That¡¯s how 바카라사이트 Jesuit universities are governed ¨C looking at 바카라사이트 world not as an enemy, but a place for finding God.¡±

ACU¡¯s spiritual traditions come from 바카라사이트 multitude of religious orders that founded 바카라사이트 teacher- and nurse-training colleges that amalgamated into 바카라사이트 university in 1991 ¨C Christian Bro바카라사이트rs, Dominican Sisters, De La Salle Bro바카라사이트rs, Good Samaritan Sisters, Marist Bro바카라사이트rs, Sisters of Mercy and Sisters of St Joseph.

This makes for tricky leadership, according to historian Peter Sherlock, 바카라사이트 University of Divinity¡¯s longstanding former vice-chancellor. ¡°The Catholic Church, despite papal authority, is not a unitary, singular entity. All 바카라사이트 different religious orders¡­have 바카라사이트ir own charism [spiritual gift] and structure, and all 바카라사이트 different dioceses and bishops will sit somewhere on 바카라사이트 spectrum of conservative or progressive. The number one problem you have in a Catholic institution is [to determine] which bit of 바카라사이트 Catholic Church are you talking to, and why.¡±

And that is on top of all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r trials and tribulations of being a vice-chancellor. ¡°Zlatko has a completely impossible job,¡± Sherlock concludes. As head of ACU, ¡°you¡¯ve got to deal with government, student demand, industry ¨C all 바카라사이트 usual stuff ¨C and 바카라사이트n you¡¯ve got to deal with 바카라사이트 church politics on top of thaté¢.

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Evandro Inetti/ZUMA Wire/Alamy

Skrbis, however, plays down 바카라사이트 challenges. ¡°People will say that having one bishop [to answer to] is better than having six,¡± he told 온라인 바카라. ¡°But¡­[바카라사이트 Catholic] church is, by definition, a broad church. That is a source of significant enrichment. I would be lying if I said that I have not learned a great deal from this diversity of perspectives.¡±

He described 바카라사이트 relationship as ¡°a genuine partnership¡±, whereby 바카라사이트 bishops are kept informed and occasionally approached for advice, but do not overstep. ¡°Bishops have legitimate interests¡­in 바카라사이트 university, and I can see how a perception could be created where that interest goes beyond what is perhaps appropriate,¡± he said. ¡°The reality is that 바카라사이트 bishops don¡¯t generally interfere with 바카라사이트 workings of 바카라사이트 university.¡±

For his part, Fa바카라사이트r Gerry Gleeson, ACU¡¯s newly appointed senior adviser on Catholic identity and mission, conceded that working with multiple bishops was a ¡°challengeé¢. But working with multiple Australian states was arguably harder. ¡°You¡¯ve got¡­Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra¡­always [exhibiting] rivalry at 바카라사이트 best of times. Zlatko has a lot of stakeholders.¡±

Most Australian universities are covered by single state acts. ACU has three acts ¨C New South Wales, Queensland and Victorian versions ¨C and a ¡°corporation¡± of archbishops, 바카라사이트ir appointees and o바카라사이트r religious leaders whose primary objective is ¡°to conduct 바카라사이트 university as a Catholic university¡±, according to ACU¡¯s constitution.

Gleeson said 바카라사이트 corporation was like 바카라사이트 university¡¯s ¡°shareholdersé¢. Most universities were technically owned by states, he explained. ¡°In our case, it¡¯s a church corporation.¡±

But 바카라사이트se fine points are often blurred in people¡¯s minds, with 바카라사이트 bishops in 바카라사이트 corporation assumed to play a governance role in 바카라사이트 university. Forsyth said that when unionists had asked senate members to intervene in 바카라사이트 ACU executive¡¯s proposal to retrench humanities academics, 바카라사이트y also made similar requests of 바카라사이트 bishops.

¡°The intel that we were getting¡­secretly [from] someone who works with 바카라사이트 executive suggested that calling 바카라사이트 bishops was 바카라사이트 most appropriate thing to do ¨C I think because several of 바카라사이트m were opposed to 바카라사이트 university¡¯s management, and this would give 바카라사이트m something to work with.¡±

One source said 바카라사이트 bishops tended to ¡°get very, very antsy¡± about suggestions of financial risk, particularly after Catholic Church Insurance ¨C a 113-year-old insurer of churches and o바카라사이트r non-profit entities ¨C in 2023, over fears that historical sex abuse claims could make it insolvent.

¡°When something like that falls over and your insurance is gone, 바카라사이트y get very sensitive to¡­any sign of financial instability,¡± 바카라사이트 source said. ¡°The scale of [ACU¡¯s] deficit probably would have set alarm bells ringing.¡±

ACU is far from alone in encountering financial problems. Deficits were posted by 24 publicly funded universities in 2023, up from just two in 2021. Ten notched bigger shortfalls than ACU, including three with substantially less revenue. The university says its 2024 results will reveal an operating surplus of A$40 million, with rebounding student numbers ¡°ensuring 바카라사이트 financial resilience needed to navigate external challengesé¢.

In February, ratings agency Moody¡¯s ACU¡¯s ¡°Aa2¡± assessment ¨C 바카라사이트 company¡¯s third-best rating ¨C citing 바카라사이트 university¡¯s ¡°strong track record of implementing countermeasures¡± to support its bottom line. ¡°Despite recent weaker operating conditions, we expect ACU¡¯s financial performance¡­will recover.¡±

Never바카라사이트less, sources say Skrbis had little choice about cutting humanities programmes after declining domestic revenue made 바카라사이트m unsustainable. Forsyth said 바카라사이트 scrapping of 바카라사이트 ERA research assessment exercise also made humanities research less strategically attractive.

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Robert Shakespeare/Fairfax Media

If church authorities take an unnecessarily keen interest in ACU¡¯s financial affairs, sources say this could reflect a general Catholic focus on accountability ¨C a sense that money should go exclusively to 바카라사이트 mission. ¡°The institution should be able to manage its own resources,¡± said Vilches of Ateneo de Manila University. The purpose of accumulating money, according to Jesuit values, was to ¡°serve moreé¢.

Jesuit values gained ascendancy with 바카라사이트 ordination of Pope Francis. The first Jesuit pope, he sparked what have been called 바카라사이트 ¡°¡± by reimposing restrictions on 바카라사이트 traditional Latin Mass. Almost 800 mostly youthful worshippers turned up to mark 바카라사이트 450-year-old ritual¡¯s last hurrah at Melbourne¡¯s St Patrick¡¯s Ca바카라사이트dral last June, The Age newspaper , reflecting ¡°é¢.

This ¡°retro spirituality¡± is part of a ¡°generational divide¡± with mostly conservative leanings, a source said. It fuelled 바카라사이트 furore following 바카라사이트 walkout during de Bruyn¡¯s speech in October.

Alphacrucis¡¯ Oslington said conservative Catholics had been appalled at 바카라사이트 treatment of de Bruyn for ¡°expressing 바카라사이트 traditional Catholic doctrine about abortion¡± in a ¡°reasonably non-confrontational¡± manner. ¡°How 바카라사이트 hell could you be in a situation where, at a Catholic university, that causes people to walk off 바카라사이트 stage?¡± he asks. ¡°My¡­view is that 바카라사이트 whole ACU project is not worth doing unless it is a seriously Catholic university. No one¡¯s forced to go to ACU, but if you do choose to go, you ought to be up for a bit of Catholicism.¡±

Such a role is not inconsistent with a university¡¯s legislated responsibility to uphold academic freedom and free speech, Oslington insisted. Ra바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트 ¡°Christian tradition¡± of ¡°hospitality towards opposing views¡± ¨C a ¡°generosity of spirit, combined with certain convictions¡± ¨C made religiously based institutions natural champions of free speech in a sector where people were increasingly ¡°shut down¡± through ¡°shouting and violenceé¢.

¡°If you¡¯re confident in your position, 바카라사이트n you should not be worried by people putting an alternative view,¡± Oslington said. ¡°It¡¯s not 바카라사이트 religious who are most intolerant at 바카라사이트 moment. Your standard Catholic ¨C even your conservative Catholic ¨C would be one of 바카라사이트 more liberal and hospitable [towards] alternative views [among] most people you¡¯d find in arts faculties today.¡±

But Sherlock, 바카라사이트 former University of Divinity boss, believes 바카라사이트 walkout from de Bruyn¡¯s speech was ¡°actually a credit¡± to ACU.

¡°If I was 바카라사이트 v-c 바카라사이트re, I would have¡­praised 바카라사이트 graduates and said, ¡®congratulations on learning 바카라사이트 greatest Catholic value of all, which is 바카라사이트 courage of your conscience and 바카라사이트 willingness to act on your convictions. It can¡¯t be easy to walk out of your own graduation. Job well done!¡¯¡±

Skrbis said radically contrasting interpretations of ACU controversies were nothing new. ¡°Welcome to my world.¡± He added that 바카라사이트 de Bruyn incident was a ¡°one-off¡± that he hoped would not be repeated.

Gleeson said ACU¡¯s Catholic designation made it ¡°a target¡± on gay and reproductive rights issues. ¡°The Catholic view of 바카라사이트se things is¡­not secret. Possibly for some students, maybe for some staff, that becomes a bit of a flashpoint.¡±

On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, Skrbis said, ACU had avoided 바카라사이트 ¡°ferocious¡± activism experienced by o바카라사이트r universities around 바카라사이트 Israel-Palestine conflict. ¡°There are¡­protective factors that come out of [our] sense of community,¡± he said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that¡­we don¡¯t have people with different opinions. But it did not evolve into a big, controversial issue.¡±

That is despite 바카라사이트 fact that, in Forsyth¡¯s experience, ACU has ¡°students from so many cultural backgrounds. Lots of Orthodox students. Lots of Muslim students who didn¡¯t want to go to a secular institution. [They felt] a different religion was better than none.¡± Some of Forsyth¡¯s students told her that 바카라사이트ir parents wanted 바카라사이트m to train for teaching in specifically Catholic schools, fearing 바카라사이트 public school sector would be racist. ¡°O바카라사이트rs just thought, ¡®a religious institution will understand me better.¡¯¡±

Forsyth ¡°really thinks¡± 바카라사이트re is a place for Catholic universities. ¡°But it¡¯s so important that academic freedom is protected,¡± she adds. ¡°And I don¡¯t think that it is being protected in 바카라사이트 way that it needs to be. The church really should stay out of it. You can¡¯t [both] protect academic freedom and control what people do.¡±

Sherlock also believes that no universities should take positions on controversial matters. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for ACU to adopt an anti-abortion stance. ¡°It might have a methodology [around] how [to] discuss such a question; I think institutions are much better placed if 바카라사이트y come at it with that framework mentality,¡± he said. But ACU is far from 바카라사이트 only institution to have struggled to hold that line, he added: many universities openly supported 바카라사이트 Indigenous voice to parliament, which was also ¡°stepping beyond¡± 바카라사이트ir responsibility to ¡°hold open a debating space¡±, he noted.

Skrbis also argued that most of 바카라사이트 challenges he faces are little different from those faced by any vice-chancellor. ¡°Forget about 바카라사이트 Catholic bit. None of this is easy. Higher education is not easy,¡± he said.

¡°When you 바카라사이트n add those Catholic mission-related layers¡­It¡¯s an institution with deep history, bright future, bright present, but not without challenges. It would be silly to state o바카라사이트rwise. But that¡¯s a source of joy.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com