Holier Than The Church?

In the Catholic Church, kindly priests used to tell zealous Catholics, “You can’t be holier than the Church.” These days, that doesn’t always seem so hard to do.

“Obama goes to Notre Dame and everyone gets their pants in a twist; 80 bishops pile on saying Notre Dame shouldn’t have done that; the president comes and gives a speech; [the university] still turns away 1,000 students; they still get a million dollars in contributions; they honor the [papal] nuncio. … They’re back in the good graces of the church—what happened as a result of this?” outgoing Catholic University president Monsignor David M. O’Connell said in an interview with The Washington Times. Thus did the Monsignor give a fairly accurate, if free form, description of what transpired when the pro-choice president spoke at the premier Catholic university in South Bend.

Ironically, college students themselves are becoming increasingly pro-life, in both religious and secular schools. “When Gallup starting polling on abortion in the mid-1970s, young adults from 18-29 were the most supportive of legal abortion; today they are the least,” Life News reports.

Meanwhile, a very young parishioner went to great lengths to pursue the Faith of his fathers. “The parents of a high school student from Rockland County are demanding answers after their ninth grader was suspended for wearing rosary beads to school,” Marcus Solis reported on WABC-TV on February 11, 2010. “He was suspended even though the school doesn’t even have a policy banning them.”

“So did the principal go too far? Jason Laguna is a former altar boy and proud Catholic. He got his rosary beads as a gift, thinks they look cool and sometimes wears them under his shirt at school. But last Friday, right before dismissal, he pulled them out on his way out. He was given a one-day suspension from Fieldstone Secondary School.”

“His mother calls the punishment extreme, considering the 14-year-old is a member of student government and, according to his last report card, ‘is a pleasure to have in class.’”

“Laguna says she was told the school has an unwritten policy regarding beads because they could be used to show gang affiliation. The principal claims it was insubordination, saying Laguna’ actions, ‘endangered the safety, health, morals or welfare of himself or others.’”

1. The “unwritten policy” is vaguely reminiscent of the “double-secret probation in the film Rock and Roll High School.
2. How many street gangs get together to pray the rosary?
3. How do rosary beads endanger morals?

Solis goes on to report that Jason’s “mother has contacted the American Civil Liberties Union as she continues to fight the suspension.” I wouldn’t hold my breath over that one.

Malcolm A. Kline is the Executive Director of Accuracy in Academia.