Archdiocese sends theology discussion group packing

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Archdiocese has closed its doors to a popular round-table discussion series on Catholic theology, forcing organizers to find a new home.

Since the 2003-2004 school year, the Aquinas Institute had conducted the lunchtime lectures at the Cardinal Rigali Center in Shrewsbury, discussing issues ranging from the separation of various arms of the Christian faith to the controversies behind such popular culture as "The Da Vinci Code" and the "Left Behind" series.

The latest discussion, held earlier this month, focused on the debate over stem-cell research, with the lecturer, Sister Jean deBlois, explaining the church's ethical and moral problems with such research.

But deBlois' lecture appears to have been the last on church property. In May, the Aquinas Institute was told it can't hold the events at the Rigali Center anymore, said the Rev. Charles Brouchard, the institute's president.

Archdiocese spokesman Jamie Allman termed the ban an "administrative decision," and said the archdiocese would not comment further. Allman said no one from the chancery had attended any of the discussions, and thought officials used information from priests who attend the roundtables in their decision.

Brouchard said the archdiocese hadn't complained about the programs, and described the roundtables as "a setting for informed conversations, not opinions."

Some theologians have worried that the Catholic Church is beginning to crack down on theology debates that run counter to accepted orthodoxy.

For example, the recent resignation of the Rev. Thomas Reese, editor of the Jesuit magazine America, has been blamed on a request from former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. The magazine was known for taking positions on controversial issues different from the official church view.

"There are areas of theology that are more controversial than others," said the Rev. Kenneth Steinhauser, a theology professor at St. Louis University. "Some people in those areas might feel themselves under pressure."

The Aquinas Institute formalized the program in the 2004-2005 school year, hoping to both provide adult faith education and to raise the school's visibility. He said the response has been "overwhelming."

Some attendees said they, too, were troubled by the archdiocese's decision.

"You'd think the archbishop would be in favor of them," said John Burle, 70, of Fenton.

Brouchard said he's moving the roundtables in the fall to a banquet center in Marlborough. But he said he doesn't understand why the church would push another Catholic organization off its property.

"I'm very discouraged," he said.