Is that an “or else” we hear?
Over the past year tension has risen between the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and The Vatican because of the university’s refusal to accept the tenets of Ex corde Ecclesiae.
But now, according to the Vatican Information Service, Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., met with Marcial Rubio Correa, rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) and essentially issued a deadline to the college to adapt is statutes to the Apostolic Constitution Ex corde Ecclesiae.
What happens if they refuse? Left unsaid but hanging over the entire affair is the Vatican’s right to strip the university of its title as a pontifical institution.
The VIS released a report after the meeting, saying:
“The cardinal secretary of State informed Mr. Rubio Correa of the Holy See’s request that the statutes of the PUCP be regularised as soon as possible, adapting them to the Apostolic Constitution ‘Ex Corde Ecclesiae’ for the good of the PUCP itself and of the Church in Peru. Given the evident importance of safeguarding the Catholic identity of the university, the cardinal secretary of State requested that the competent academic authorities present the statutes for approval by Easter Sunday, 8 April, with the amendments indicated to the university on 16 July 2011.
“Finally, Cardinal Bertone expressed the hope that the academic community would accept these indications, so that the PUCP may increasingly dedicate itself to its mission of offering young people a solid formation, rooted in faithfulness to the Magisterium, as a guarantee of the great contribution the university is called to make to the country”.
Tensions have risen the past few years between the Vatican and the University after the University’s very public refusal to make its statutes agree with Ex corde Ecclesiae.
Additionally, the University denied the Archdiocese of Lima a seat on its board of directors in 2007.
Recently, a legal representative for the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Martin Mejorada, reportedly said, “(i)n no way will we accept any imposition made by Cardinal Erdo. We are governed solely by Peruvian law.”
So mark down the dates. The fate of a Catholic college hangs precariously in the balance. The Cardinal Newman Society will be sure to keep you informed.
Adam Wilson
CNS Staff
Matthew Archbold
Charlotte Hays
2 Comments
Something funny is that the terrain where the university was build doesn’t belong to the university, that terrain belonged to a guy who left a will, the will said that a university can be built on that terrain as long as it is a catholic university, if for some reason the university stops being catholic, the terrain will belong to archdiocese of Peru. And the university buildings will belong to the archdiocese. So either they become catholic or the archdiocese will take complete control over it, which i think will be for the best.
God willing, this is how it will happen, if the school administration remains defiant. But the courts of Peru may be called on to settle the dispute, and as we have seen in the U.S., this can mean property rights are not respected. I pray God will deliver us from the evil of these days and restore the spirit of love and obedience to the Church.