The Nation - News from Dec. 15, 1988

A Roman Catholic priest’s suit to regain his theology chair at Catholic University went to trial--pitting claims of academic freedom against the church’s right to discipline its clergy. Father Charles E. Curran claims the university breached his contract by removing him from a tenured theology professorship because of his dissent from church teaching. The university contends that it was merely enforcing the highest authority of the Vatican, which had revoked Curran’s right to teach Roman Catholic theology. As an ordained priest, the university contends, Curran has an obligation to obey the revocation of his “canonical mission” to teach Catholic theology.