It’s about decency
Reflections on Pope Francis’ Gaudete Et Exsultate and our values from Marquette University President Michael Lovell
Just days ago, Pope Francis released a new apostolic exhortation on holiness in the contemporary world — a message that resonates around the world, and closer to home here at Marquette.
In Gaudete Et Exsultate, Pope Francis reminds us to “rejoice and be glad,” words that echo from Jesus’s Beatitudes in Matthew 5:12. It was an appeal to our better selves, a reminder that we are called to be saints.
There are many aspects to striving to be our best selves, but one aspect in particular speaks to today’s contemporary culture that impacts us all: how we communicate with each other online.
Pope Francis is clear and direct when he addresses this topic, and the potential for public benefit — or great harm — in the emerging and evolving digital realm. He warns that people can say things online that would be “unacceptable in public discourse.”
Further, he writes that Christians can get caught up in “verbal violence” and abandon their ethical standards when “in claiming to uphold other commandments, they completely ignore the eighth, which forbids bearing false witness or lying and ruthlessly vilifying others.”
“Here we see how the unguarded tongue, set on fire by hell, sets all things ablaze,” he writes.
Pope Francis reminds us with this stark imagery about the fundamental importance of decency.
To be saints, we must also be human. We must be decent. If we lose sight of that, we lose our humanity.
IN TODAY’S WORLD
The message of Pope Francis is fundamentally about what kind of world we want to live in. Do we want to live in a world that incites threats online? Or do we want to cultivate and uphold a culture where we vigorously debate, discuss and respect each other’s differences while understanding from where the other side is coming?
These are questions about decency.
We have had many discussions about what kind of educational environment we desire at Marquette University, and as a result have worked together to create and adopt our guiding values.
We have already made our decision at Marquette University. We know where we stand, and the example we all strive to set for the next generation who inherit our powerful digital tools of communication.
As reflected in our Jesuit values and the message of Pope Francis, we will not be afraid to take a stand for this belief when necessary. These words matter to us close to home.
On April 19, the Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear an appeal brought by a Marquette University political science associate professor, who was suspended for mistreating one of our student teachers. The facts of the case are well-documented.
We have stated our position from the beginning, and we will state it again. This is about protecting our students.
This is about decency.
The courts have upheld our position that when a professor violates professional responsibility toward one of our students, Marquette must be able to respond. We state this yet again and we are confident as we make our case once more to the Supreme Court.
Regardless of the outcome of the court case, we are proud that we at Marquette University have taken a stand for our Jesuit values, which were so well articulated as a reminder from Pope Francis.
This is about our humanity.
This is about our future.
This is about decency.
