By Tim Rohr
6/25/00
Now Playing: “Vagina Monologues” (I’m not kidding. That’s the real name.) Synopsis: “a lesbian seduces and rapes a 13-year-old girl.”
I suppose you may think that this is some TripleX movie that you can find playing in some back-alley smut theater or find for rent in one of those barely curtained-off adult sections of the corner video store. I’ll save you the trouble of looking. You can find this incredibly sick theatrical production on stage at Georgetown, America’s flagship Jesuit University.
Now, I haven’t gone to see this for myself so I don’t know if this malignancy is actually acted out on stage, dramatically suggested, or simply a verbal recounting. The title seems to suggest that it probably happens in the dialogue (or monologue). But regardless of what actually happens on stage, the production, nevertheless, (according to reviews) “glamorizes” what Catholics must believe to be a sinful act.
Actually, I’m not sure if it’s still playing at Georgetown. “Vagina Monologues” opened in February and by now has probably moved on...perhaps to the next Catholic University eager to poison its students in the name of academic freedom. Perhaps some of your kids, for who’s “good” education you are now working overtime, have seen it.
At Villanova, another big name Catholic University, students can help fund abortions by depositing their money at a convenient on-campus branch of First Union Bank, which openly and generously supports Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion organizations. I’m sure the list could go on, but I don’t think it would help to further illustrate my point.
In 1990, John Paul II released an apostolic constitution entitled “Ex Corde Ecclesiae” (From the Heart of the Church). The constitution had two major concerns: 1) the religious identity of Catholic institutions of higher learning, and 2) their relationship to Church authority. It asks that Catholic universities and colleges remain dedicated to their Catholic mission. And to insure that, it goes on to require that theology professors receive a “mandatum” or seal of approval from the local bishop.
It took almost ten years for the U.S. Catholic bishops to approve, which they did last November, a revised (watered-down) application of the constitution in the United States. Not surprisingly, there has been an uproar from theology departments across the Catholic university landscape from those who believe that academic freedom of inquiry must include the freedom for a Catholic university to fund (with your tuition dollars) the production of such vomitous stuff as the “Vagina Monologues”. (Actually, I find the title more humorous than sick.)
I’m a firm believer in the maxim “Where there’s smoke there’s fire.” And I believe that the funding and staging of a theatrical production glamorizing a lesbian’s seduction and rape of a 13-year old girl on the campus of one of America’s premiere Catholic universities is a lot of smoke from a very big fire. A fire, which despite our Holy Father’s best efforts, is continually allowed to grow (in the words of Fr. Peter Stravinskas) by priests who will not obey and bishops who will not enforce, and, I might add, a laity that is uninformed or perhaps too “lai-zy” to help with the hoses.
I of course do not mean all priests, bishops, and laity. Indeed, even though this stupid play has an “S.J.” after its title (figuratively speaking) there are many revered S.J.’s such as Fr. John Hardon, and Fr. Joseph Fessio who are doing everything they can to man the hoses.
Sadly, though, one of my own former theology professors, whose name I will not mention, but who is Chairman of the Department of Theological Studies at a very well-known Jesuit university, is leading the charge against the implementation of “Ex Corde Ecclesiae” stating that “it could damage the academic integrity of Catholic universities...”.
Sorry, Father. The integrity of Catholic universities, at least Georgetown’s, has already been damaged. Our Pope is simply trying to restore it. But I have no real hope that you or your cohorts will change. However, do the rest of us a favor. Drop the word “Catholic” from the university marquee...and enjoy your school’s production of “Vagina Monologues”, though I don’t suggest you get your program autographed. By the way...”won’t be seeing you backstage”.