I'm sitting here in Lille, France during my time as an international student away from Marquette and I figured I'd catch up on some of the recent viewpoints. Seems that the topic of note has been homosexuality, and I must say I am frustrated by what I've read.

The reason I'm frustrated is the following. Douglas Zabrowski (although not the most eloquent writer on the planet) presented two questions that we are continually asked to confront in our lives.

The questions were what does it mean to be Catholic and is the way that the university conducts itself consistent with being a Catholic.

This topic has been brought up in the Tribune in years past and to this point I cannot remember any real progress having been made on the issue. Unfortunately, as has been the case in the past, any questioning of the prescence of homosexual groups often earns someone the title of a bigot.

Then someone comes out (no pun intended) championing "traditional consevative Catholic" values. I use the term loosely. This response is normally so radical that it completely destroys the original topic of debate and it becomes even easier to silence the issue with claims of bigotry. Sadly this has again been the case in this go around of the homosexuality issue.

So I would like to focus once again on the question of what it means to be Catholic and then whether the actions of the university are consistent with this ideal.

Here is my take on the issue. After 15 years of Catholic education, my idea of what it means to be Catholic is to be open and accepting of everyone regardless of race, religion or orientation. However my definition is lacking in one critical element and I acknowledge it.

This element is acknowledging the Catholic Church, without it we are not Catholic but mearly a bunch of nice welcoming people that are open to everyone.

Now I will say first-hand that I do not agree with everything the Church stands for, however I also feel that the university should not adopt a pick-and-choose attitude towards Catholic teaching.

So the university is in a bind. It should be open to all it's students and yet at the same time uphold the Catholic teaching.

I believe that the university accomplishes this feat by supporting the Gay/Straight Alliance but stopping short of a full endorsement of the lifestyle. In otherwords the university eternally operates in a gray area.

The question that must always be considered is whether the university goes too far in its endorsment. So far I havent seen a rainbow flag flying from Gesu so I must say yes.

Michael O'Connell is a junior in the College of Business Administration.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on April 12 2005.,”Michael O'Connell”

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