Dear Colleagues:

“Who am I to judge?”

With these words, Pope Francis I proclaimed an openness that, in James Carroll’s words, “startled the Catholic world.” A Pope, after all, is in principle “infallible,” proclaiming “by a definitive act some doctrine of faith or morals.” One way to be infallible is not to make judgments, but that has not been the traditional approach. Instead, as Thomas J. Reese S.J. summarizes, “Pope John Paul II spent 15 years rewriting the catechism of the Catholic Church” and Pope Benedict XVI spent the following 8 years “reinforcing that.”

Already unique in the name he took, the continent from which he comes and the Jesuit order of which he is a member, Pope Francis seems to offer the prospect of deep change in the world’s oldest, and an especially important, institution. Yet openness allows many people to assume that, when he does judge, the Pope will be on “their side.” What can we infer about how he wants to re-shape the Church, his ability to do so, or even whether he is asking questions without knowing his answers?

This will be the final Friday Lunch public affairs discussion of the Spring Semester. I would like to express my gratitude to all the speakers; to the kind colleagues who have stepped in to moderate sessions when I could not attend; to the generous individuals who have contributed to the costs of refreshments; to the College of Arts and Sciences as the prime sponsor of our discussions, and last but not least to all of you who have come and made discussion happen. I wish everyone a great end of term, a wonderful Summer, and good health so you can come back next Fall semester (if you wish) for a new series of discussions. We begin again on August 29!

All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies

About Our Guest

Paul V. Murphy arrived at John Carroll University in 2005. He holds an M.A. in medieval history from Loyola University of Chicago and a master of Divinity degree from Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, MA. He earned his Ph.D. in Renaissance History from the University of Toronto in 1996.

Dr. Murphy has taught at St. George’s College, a Jesuit high school in Kingston, Jamaica, Loyola University of Chicago’s Rome Center of the Liberal Arts, the University of Toronto, and the University of San Francisco prior to his arrival at JCU.

Paul focuses his research on the religious and cultural history of Italy in the Renaissance and Reformation. He is the author of a biography of Cardinal Ercole Gonzaga, a reforming prelate at the time of the Catholic Reformation, as well as a numerous articles and book chapters. His current research is on the work of the Jesuits in Italy, particularly at the pilgrimage site of Loreto. He teaches courses on the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Jesuits. In addition to his work in the department of history, he serves as the Director of the Institute of Catholic Studies and Vice President for University Mission and Identity.

Where We Meet

The Friday Public Affairs Lunch convenes each Friday when classes are in session, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. We usually meet in the Dampeer Room of Kelvin Smith Library. The Dampeer Room is on the second floor of the library. If you get off the elevators, turn right, pass the first bank of tables, and turn right again. Occasionally we need to use a different room; that will always be announced in the weekly e-mails.

Parking Possibilities

The most convenient parking is the lot underneath Severance Hall. We regret that it is not free. From that lot there is an elevator up to street level (labeled as for the Thwing Center); it is less than 50 yards from that exit to the library entrance. You can get from the Severance garage to the library without going outside. Near the entry gates – just to the right if you were driving out – there is a door into a corridor. Walk down the corridor and there will be another door. Beyond that door you’ll find the entrance to an elevator which goes up to an entrance right inside the doors to Kelvin Smith Library.