A few weeks ago I attended a lecture at Marquette and a student raised the question: "Does the Catholic Church consider the war in Iraq an unjust war?" The speakers turned to me to answer the question. Calling forth all my Catholic and Jesuit education I said YES, the war in Iraq is considered by the Catholic Church an unjust and immoral war.

I repeated what my Catholic tradition, our past and present Holy Fathers, the Vatican and moral theologians like the Rev. Bryan Massingale had taught me on the morality of this war. What is wrong with this picture? Here I am at a Catholic, Jesuit community telling students and faculty my understanding of the Church's position on one the greatest moral issues of our time.

Last week I joined a group who publicly asked the Rev. Robert A. Wild and Archbishop Timothy Dolan the question: "Is the War in Iraq a just war?" In the morning of the action, Oct. 26, I was interviewed by Channel 12.

The news reporter told me she had called Wild's office and that a university representative has said: "The university is a place where the question of what constitutes a just war can be debated freely and respectfully. But ultimately, that decision rests with our elected leaders." I was dumbfounded by that response.

In the afternoon when a group of us went to Wild's office to get a response to the question, we were met by security guards who allowed only one Marquette student in the building. Inside, the student was met by administrators who refused to come outside and talk to the group. They communicated to the student that Wild would send us a letter in two weeks with his answer.

Again I was dumbfounded by this response. When the president of a Jesuit, Catholic University cannot answer an important moral question of our time yes or no with an explanation, it is no wonder that students at Marquette and other universities question morality and are confused.

Yes, the question is a politically and financially tough one to answer. But I do not think it is a morally difficult question to answer. The teaching of the Holy Roman Catholic Church should be clear and consistent, we Catholics deserve a clear answer.