

























Introduction
The complexities and pressures within modern 
western societies have eroded the perceived 
relevance of traditional sources of meaning and 
identity…The construction of meaning and 
identity is therefore, a critical developmental 
task…that needs to be well informed and 
supported by the Church, Catholic and religious 

1
education.

 There is currently a growing concern in the Catholic 
Church about the continued but gradual confusion or at best 
deviation from the age-old understanding of Catholic identity 
in the face of modern and contemporary ideologies, pressures 
and complexities of the human knowledge and societal 

2
organization.  Some even fear that the continuity of this trend 
could, in the near future, result in significant erosion of the 
fundamental Catholic identity which in reality, they say, may 

3
have seismic implications on the Church's survival.
 While this concern is generally shared about the Catholic 
Church, it is much more expressed about the Catholic 
Universities and Colleges, some of whom are seen to have 

165

Osayamen S. IMHANGBE

THE QUEST FOR CATHOLIC 

IDENTITY FOR 

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITIES 

AND COLLEGES



 over the years, assumed continually nuanced configurations 
4and identities.  This development no doubt, provokes such 

critical questions as, what is a Catholic University? What 
should constitute the identity of a Catholic College? What is 

5
the nature of a Catholic University and the like.  These 
questions invariably raise a legitimate critical issue of what is 
and what should be the true and enduring identity of Catholic 
Colleges and Universities today in the midst of growing 
technological and scientific advancements, cultural 
dynamism, societal configurations and incessant social 

6change.
 The quest then into the true identity for Catholic 
Universities and Colleges in the attempt to reassert their 
fundamental character as citadels of sacred and sound 
learning, where faith and reason meaningfully interact for the 
faithful service of the truth (Benedict XVI, 2008) becomes 
imperative. It is in clear appreciation of this need therefore, 
that this work embarks on this enquiry, Quest for Catholic 
Identity for Catholic Universities and Colleges. It is its 
expectation that this enquiry would provoke some critical 
questions that would help to further understand and 
effectively engage this issue of the Catholic identity of 
Catholic Universities in our world today.

Quest for Catholic Identity: What is Catholic Identity?
D'Antonio, Davidson, Hoge & Gautier define 

7
“identity” as “a person's sense of self, his or her concept.”  (p. 
15). Alternatively, it is circumscribed as basically referring to 
the factor that differentiates one thing from another. That is, 
the essential characteristics that belong to a person, institute 

8or organization.  On this understanding of identity in general, 
they explain that Catholic Identity can be viewed as the 
distinctiveness and the uniqueness of the Catholic 

9institutions.  In a similar way, Fuller et al., place the meaning 
of Catholic identity within the frame of the incorporation and 
expression of three circumscribing principles/characteristics; 

10
viz: universality (Catholic), tradition and sacramentality.
 These three principles, they observe, though 
overlapping and interdependent, yet distinctive, constitute 
the defining strands of Catholicism that confer the Catholic 
Identity. Thus, to be a Catholic, true to the name, would mean 

166



to be in full accord with the teachings and traditions of the 
Universal Church and to accept and submit to her hierarchical 

11authority  (p.17). This understanding of the Catholic identity, 
it would appear, places more emphasis on what differentiates 

12
than on what binds , which however, would seem to be the 
leaning for many with the shift of emphasis of the Vatican 

13
Council II. It remains, nonetheless, the subsisting 
conceptualization of the Catholic identity and thus would be 
adopted as the work's working definition here.

Catholic Universities and Colleges: Identity of
Pope Benedict XVI in his address to Catholic 

14Educators in his 2008  visit to the United States, states that a 
University's Catholic identity does not necessarily reside in 
the number of students it has. But rather it resides in her 
acceptance and manifest conviction in the mystery of the 
Word made Man, commitment to the self, both in mind and 
heart, to God, acceptance of the truth that Christ reveals 
faithfulness to the liturgical and sacramental life of the 
Church, and in acts of charity, concern for justice and respect 
for God. These he avers give fervent expressions to these 
truths and mystery of the Catholic faith. As such, in the mind 
of the Pope, the true Catholic Identity of Catholic Universities 
and Colleges must be found not in its numerical constitution 
but in its total immersion in the life, values, teachings, 
celebrations and sacramentality of the Church.

In this way, the true identity of the Catholic university 
and colleges has to involve recognition and commitment to 
the ecclesial duty to illuminate the light of Christ, 
demonstrate the harmony between faith and reason and 
maintain a careful and discreet posture towards methods and 
discoveries that not only deviate from the principles of the 
Catholic teaching and cherished values but also that are seen 

15to have controversial ethical implications and coloration. It 
is in the light of this functional identity that the Catholic 
Universities and colleges are called to maintain a posture that 
is in perfect accord with the Church's teachings and positions 
on issues. Every Catholic university or college is, thus, 
charged with the inalienable commitment to the service of the 

16truth ; to perform some specific functions for the Church 

167



17from whose heart it is drawn.
 Maintaining the identity of Catholic Universities and 
Colleges as institutions drawn from the heart of the Church to 
be an extension of the Church's life, teachings and cherished 
values and faith has posed current and contentious issue both 
in the Church and in the institutions themselves. In relatively 
recent times, the Catholic identity of the Catholic Colleges 
has been viewed to be gravely undermined in these 
universities' pursuit of relativism and unrestricted academic 
freedom, laying claim to their right to independence and 

18autonomy.  Coupled with the declining control of the 
Bishops over these institutions, many faculty members 
shifted focus from the Catholic tradition “rooted in the liberal 
arts which was originally seen as tools to train the mind and 
heart to be able to deal with the big issues of the day and apply 

19
Christian faith to them” to opposing alternatives. In some 
Catholic Colleges and universities, the concept of boundary 
and distinctive culture which define the Catholic identity are 
either undermined or totally lost within the campuses of these 

20institutions morphing to places where almost anything goes.
21

 The critical nature of this development  especially in 
the 1970s, 1980s & 1990s, generated such complex questions 
and issues as: Who can teach the Catholic Theology in the 
Catholic University? What should be the supervisory role of 
Bishops in the internal organization of Catholic Colleges and 
Universities on Campuses? What are the core elements of the 
Catholic Identity of a Catholic University or College? How 
much freedom should be allowed faculty members? And 
what should be the criteria for selection of candidates for 
honorary degrees in Catholic Colleges and Universities?
 To address these issues, Pope John Paul II issued two 
separate documents: Sapientia Christiana and Ex Corde 
Ecclesiae on April 29, 1979 and August 15, 1990 
respectively. While in the former, he focuses on ecclesiastical 
Universities and Faculties that grant ecclesiastical degrees, in 
the latter, he aims at providing clarity of vision on the purpose 
and mission of Catholic Colleges and Universities.
The Holy Father defines a Catholic University as:

An academic community which, in a rigorous and 
critical fashion, assists in the protection and 

168



advancement of human dignity and of a cultural 
heritage through research, and various services 
offered to the local, national and international 
communities. It possesses that institutional 
autonomy necessary to perform its functions 
effectively and guarantees its members academic 
freedom, as long as the rights of the individuals, 
persons and community are preserved within the 

22
confines of truth and common good.

 According to him, Catholic universities have four 
distinctive characteristics that define them uniquely and 
present them distinctively. These characteristics portray the 
Catholic university as an institution with an identity that is 
informed and shaped by:  

1) A Christian inspiration not only of individuals, but of 
the university community as such

2) A continuing reflection in the light of the Catholic 
Faith upon the growing treasury of human 
knowledge, to which it seeks to contribute by its own 
research

3) Fidelity to the Christian message as it comes to us 
through the Church and

4) An institutional commitment to the people of God and 
of the human family in their pilgrimage to the 

23
transcendent goal which gives meaning to life.

These distinctive marks were stipulated as the defining 
frames for every Catholic University or College and every 
Catholic University or College was expected to carry or be 
identified by these marks. In this way, it was thought that the 
issue of indistinctness and ambiguity about the true character 
and identity of the Catholic University or College anywhere 
in the world would be wholly resolved and laid to rest. But did 
this put the issue of the Catholic identity of Catholic 
University to rest? It did not seem it did. Developments after 
the documents continue to indicate that the quest for 
distinctive and common delineation and understanding of the 
Catholic identity for Catholic Universities and Colleges 

169



remained very relevant and was still very much alive. We 
inquire more.

Historical Development
24D'Antonio et al.,  observe that over the years, the 

Catholic identity of the average self-identified Catholic in 
terms of perception of the Catholic identity, identification 
with the faith and commitment to her cherished and taught 
values has consistently continued to evolve, variegate and 
assume new coloration. Just as there has been evolving 
perception and conceptualization of the identity of the 
Catholic among Catholic members in general, so also it has 
been about the Catholic identity of Catholic universities and 
colleges. Historical consideration, however, of the earliest 
periods of the existence of Catholic universities does not 
suggest that the question of the Catholic identity of Catholic 

25
universities and colleges was an issue.  It was a given that to 
be identified as Catholic university meant to be immersed in 
and to uphold unequivocally the known identity and 
commitment of the Church. Though the place of the origin of 
university remains unsettled among scholars with some 
identifying it with the Greeks, and others, Rome, it is, 
however, clear that the origin of the modern organization of 
the university system is undeniably traceable to the Catholic 
Church. It is the Catholic Church which in the middle of the 

th
13  century aided the unity of three Cathedral schools to form 

26 a university. Thus, in the early centuries of the existence of 
this institution, most of the leading universities basically 
existed as extensions of the Church's life, beliefs and values.
 It was not until 1871, following Darwin's publication of 
The Descent of Man, that some questions began to emerge as 
to what should be the true identity of the Catholic 
Universities. The call for reform of the Church's teaching to 
conform with modern science and sociology, the review of 
the content of the universities' curriculum and the general 
crisis that this publication provoked led to the issuance of two 
papal documents: Testem Benevolentiae Nostrae of Pope Leo 
XII, 1899 and Paschendi Dominici Gregis of Pope St Pius V, 
1907. Both documents condemned the call and posture and 
described them as heretical and an attempt at the 

170



enthronement of relativism. Since then, there has arisen series 
of declarations and postures, especially after Vatican II that 
has continually kept alive the critical question of the Catholic 
identity of Catholic universities and colleges. 

For example, the Eugenic Movement that spanned from 
1899 to the 1960s on the basis of which many prominent 
universities and colleges' professors and luminaries like Fr 
John A O' Brien, C.S.C “publicly criticized Church teaching 
on sexual morality and advocated their reform to conform to 

27
the times”  are still fresh in modern memories. In 1967, there 
was the Notre Dame statement, or the Land O'Lakes 
declaration, where the autonomy and independence of the 
universities from both lay and clerical authorities was 
asserted and enshrined. As a result, many of the universities 
and colleges engaged in activities that consistently raised 
question about the authenticity of their catholic identity. By 
1972, many universities who were not part of the Land O' 
Lakes declaration adopted it; such that any appeal for an 
unreserved commitment to the fundamentals of the Catholic 
faith became considerably ineffective in most of these 
institutions. The Land O' Lakes declaration won admiration 
in many quarters that in 1976, the National Catholic 
Education Association of the United States (NCEA) adopted 
it and made it an official document. The Vatican however, 

28
never gave its approval .

This trend took a different turn in 1990 as observed 
earlier. Some professors of theology in some Catholic 
universities and colleges did not only make statements that 
ran contrary to some Catholic teachings but also attempted to 
publicly debunk the principles on which the tenets of these 
teachings sprung and stood. We have, for instance the case of 
Fr. Macquarie of Marquette University who in his sacred 

29Choices declared abortion, as an option, a sacred choice.  
This spurred the instance and issuance of the Ex Corde 
referenced earlier to address the issue. These examples are 
some historical cases in point that suggest that the question of 
the Catholic identity of Catholic universities and colleges has 
been and continue to be an issue of critical concern for the 
Church. While these controversies seem to have expression in 
lands geographically distant from the African continent, their 

171



possible or potential influence in the African continent in the 
near or distant future cannot be totally occluded. Be that as it 
may, the reality and recurrence of these developments evoke a 
lot of critical questions that demand urgent attention and 
extensive consideration. We note a few. 

Critical Questions
It would appear that the Papal document of Pope John 

Paul II, Ex Corde resolved this issue of the true identity of 
Catholic universities and colleges. But recent developments 
in these institutions, like the continued hosting of the 
“Coming Out Week” and the publication of “Vagina 
Monologues, both by Notre Dame University,  which have 
been criticized as opposed to Catholic teachings on sexual 
morality, protection of human life and contraception, indicate 
clearly that this issue is far from being laid to rest. Hence, the 
more reasons that the following questions remain critical: 
Who can teach the Catholic Theology in a Catholic 
University? What should be the supervisory role of the 
Bishops in the internal organization of Catholic Colleges and 
Universities? Who should be invited to speak in their 
campuses? What constitutes appropriate activities on 
campuses? What are the core elements of the catholic identity 
of a Catholic university or college? How much freedom 
should be allowed faculty members? And what should be the 
criteria for selection of candidates for honorary degrees in 
Catholic Colleges and Universities?

Conclusion
 The paper has attempted to point out that finding or 
carving the right and enduring definition and circumscription 
of the actual identify of Catholic universities and colleges, 
remains a critical issue that appears to continue to demand 
attention and resolution. In so doing it observed that this 
attention and/or resolution that it apparently demands may be 
not effectively pursued and engaged if recourse to and clear 
understanding of the antecedents of the developments in the 
existence and intervention for this issue are not included in 
the effort. That is why this work took an intellectual journey 
into the development and progression of this issue over time 

172



and highlighted efforts made to bring the final denouement to 
the issue. It was also able to show how these efforts of 
intervention and response do not seem to have quelled or 
surmounted the issue. 

In this way, the paper noted how the issue continues to 
haunt or linger and yawn for more and urgent action to 
forestall greater harm that its continued presence can trigger 
and/or engender. It is the expectation of this paper that 
unambiguous delineation of the identity of the Catholic 
university or college is needed and the need to insist on 
compliance to the determined character and defining marks 
of the Catholic identity of the Catholic University or College 
for it to be properly and unquestionably so calls for urgent and 
specific action. To this end, it has been the intention of this 
paper to provoke and spur relevant efforts to put final 
analysis, conclusion and clarification to the issue of what can 
be properly known as Catholic University and/or College and 
totally lay this issue to rest. 

ENDNOTES
1. Rossiter, G. & Tinsey, W. Search for Meaning and Identity. Brisbane: 
ACU, 2002, p. 1

2. D'Antonio, W.V., Davidson, J.D., Hoge, D.R& Gautier, M. L. American 
Catholic Today: New Realities of their Faith and their Church: New 
York: A SHEED AND WARD BOOK, 2007.

3. Hendershot, A. Obama and the alternative magisterium: How Catholic 
Universities and Colleges played a role in Electing him, despite the 
Pope's message to them about Fidelity to the Church's Teaching, March, 
2009.

McIntire, M. V. From orthodoxy to heresy: The secularizing of Catholic 
universities. New Oxford Review 75 (8) pp. 26-31. Retrieved March 9, 
2014 from Pro Quest Catholic World Report, pp. 19-22., 20008.

4. Pace, E. “Universities” The Catholic Encyclopedia, 15. New York: 
Robert Appleton, 1912.

5. The question of the indistinctness or nebulousness of the delineation of 
the identity of what is Catholic in the Catholic College or University 
comes to mind. The need for close engagement, determination and 
clarification for what should present for an institution that must go by the 
qualification “Catholic” is called for, and the resolution of this may be 
urgent.

6. Fullan, M. Leading in a Culture of Change. San Francisco CA: Jossey-
Bass, 2007.

173



7. D'Antonio, W.V. et al., Opera cit. (p.15)
8. Encarta World English Dictionary  Microsoft Corporation, 2005
9. D'Antonio, W.V. et al., Opera Cit. (p.17)
10.Fuller, J. L.,& Eamon, M. Irish and Catholic? Towards an 
Understanding of Identity. Dublin: Columbia Press, 2006.

11.Ibid, p.17
12.Agnus, I. Identity and Justice. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 
2008.

13.D'Antonio, W.V. et al., Op. cit.
14.Benedict XVI. Meeting with Catholic educators: Address of His 
Holiness, Benedict XVI.” In L.T. Cameron, R.G. Henning &P.I. Vaccari 
(eds.) Christ Our Hope: Pope Benedict XVI's Visit to the United States 
and Visit to the United Nations. Washington DC: EDITIONS DU 
SIGNE, 2008.

15.Pope John Paul II. On Catholic Universities: Ex Corde Ecclesiae. 
Washington D. C. : United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, 1990, 
no. 12. Latter versions exist. The contents of the latter versions do not 
markedly defer on the issues referenced herein from the contents of this 
earlier version. 

16.United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Education. 
Catholic Identity in Our Colleges and Universities: A Collection of 
Defining Documents. Washington DC: USCCB, 2006.

17. On Catholic Universities: Ex Corde Ecclessiae, Op. cit.
18. Hendershot, A. (2009, March) Op. cit.
McIntire, M. V., Op. cit.
19. Morey, M. M.& Piderit, J. J. Catholic Higher Education a Culture in 
Crisis: New York: Oxford Press, 2006, p. 4.

20.  Ibid.
21. The variegation in opinion about what Catholic identity should be 
generated a lot of questions about what actually should stand as the 
unifying strand for what can be truly claimed the catholic identity as 
typified in Institutions of leaning.

22. Pope John Paul II. On Catholic Universities: Ex Corde Ecclessiae, op. 
cit. no 12.

23.  Ibid. no 13
24.  D' Antonio, W.V. et al., Op. cit.
25. McIntire, M. V., Op. cit.
26. Pace, E. “Universities” The Catholic Encyclopedia, 15.Op. cit.
27.  McIntire, M. V., Op. cit., p. 28
28. Legan, J. P. Catholic Universities in the Church and Society: A Culture 
in Crisis. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.

29. Hendershot, A., Op. Cit.

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