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Responsibility Violated? The Cardinal also acted to stamp out dissent at Catholic University, of which he is the chancellor. At his behest, trustees of the university met last week, voted to investigate whether the 18 C.U. theologians who signed the anti-encyclical statement "have violated their responsibilities to the university." The dissenting faculty members may continue teaching, the trustees decreed, as long as they "agree to abstain for the period of the inquiry from any activities which are inconsistent with the pronouncements of the ordinary teaching authority established in the church—above all, that of the Holy Father." Teachers "unprepared to accept these conditions" will, in effect, be placed on suspension during the inquiry.
What the debate comes down to is two views of papal authority. To Cardinal O'Boyle, the case is clear-cut. Although the encyclical is not an infallible pronouncement, he sees it as an authoritative teaching of the church that must be obeyed. To the dissenters, the fact that the document is not infallible means that it can be rightfully dissented from on grounds of conscience.
"The issue," Father O'Donoghue told his parish supporters, "is the competence of your conscience and mine to arrive at truly Christian decisions after hearing all sides."