The Anti-Catholic "Pontifical Catholic University of Peru" | Carlos Polo | Catholic World Report
A former student explains the Vatican’s struggle to restore the Catholic identity of Peru’s most important university
The escalating struggle between the Vatican and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) over the reform of its statutes may appear to be nothing more than a conflict over administrative differences, and an obscure papal document known as Ex Corde Ecclesiae. In reality, the conflict is about the very nature and identity of a Catholic educational institution. The PUCP, in short, must decide if it wishes to be Catholic, or not. The fate of the country’s most important university, as well as millions of dollars in assets, is riding on the outcome.
A short history of the conflict
On February 21, the Vatican gave an ultimatum to the PUCP to change its statutes before April 8 to conform them to Ex Corde Ecclesiae, a papal decree on the governance of Catholic universities. The decision to set a deadline was personally given by the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Tarcisio Bertone, to the university’s rector, Marcial Rubio Correa. Rubio was called to the Holy See days before to reveal to him the conclusions of Cardinal Peter Erdo, who was sent to Lima in December by Pope Benedict XVI to mediate the conflict between the Archbishop of Lima and the PUCP over the conformity of its statutes to Catholic law.
The Peruvian daily El Comercio, citing confidential sources, has indicated that Rubio proposed that the University Assembly designate the rector, and, as a symbolic gesture, to have a mass that would affirm the Catholic identity of the institution. This proposal, as the PUCP has observed, was not considered by the Vatican.
The request of a change of statutes is not new. It was first made almost 30 years ago through Papal Nuncio Mario Tagliaferri. From that day forward, the same request has been made repeatedly, and the PUCP has repeatedly refused, even taking the issue to court to vindicate its cause. The current rector of the PUCP has misinformed the public, repeating in recent months that the statutes are in agreement with Ex Corde Ecclesiae. Now, in the face of Rome’s ultimatum, that is clearly revealed to be untrue.
But beyond the legal issues, the contribution of the PUCP to social and political debates is even less Catholic. The professionals who have been educated in its classes stand out for their efforts to eliminate the Catholic character of Peruvian society.
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