No matter how they judge the merits of the case, thoughtful Catholics should agree that the current controversy surrounding Rev. Charles Curran is the most crucial intellectual issue now facing the Catholic Church in America. To assess this uniquely important controversy, Catholicism in Crisis asked a number of prominent Catholic thinkers to contribute their thoughts on the Curran affair and its implications for American Catholicism.
Many of Curran’s colleagues on the theological faculty of Catholic University also drafted and signed a statement of support. We have reprinted that statement, along with a dissent from William May.
Two contributors to this symposium have set aside the particularities of the Curran case, instead addressing more general questions. Germain Grisez submits, in outline form, his thoughts on the role of “non-infallible” Catholic teachings; Quentin Quade proposes guidelines for the judgment of cases involving Catholic orthodoxy and academic freedom. The remaining contributors approach the issue from many perspectives; we leave them to speak for themselves.