Editor:Each Friday I find myself online reading the electronic version of The Maroon, evaluating the ever-changing views and opinions of the campus. This past Friday I happened upon a guest article written by a student whom I know and greatly respect, Ryan Richardson.I myself am a Catholic who attended Catholic school all my life, and I represent the Catholic faith in an interfaith service project, but in no way would I agree with a mandatory Catholic class for a Loyola student. If one reads the Goals of Loyola University (which can be found on the Loyola Web site and literature), they clearly state the reasoning behind not making Catholic classes mandatory. The goals speak of creating a community at Loyola that is “composed in a manner fitting to our pluralistic society and ecumenical age,” and in this community, “dedicate themselves to the mission of this Catholic university, each in his or her own way.” It goes on to state that, “All will cooperate in the search for truth, either by exploring the inner dynamism of Christianity and its implications for the present or by provoking the quest for truth in others.” The statement concludes with the idea that “…all are bound together by a common search for knowledge. … All are dedicated to the discovery and promulgation of the truth.” Could Loyola keep this statement and make a Catholic class mandatory? I must say no, unless this university would like to be hypocritical. By making a Catholic class mandatory for all students, one compromises the integrity of the search for truth that this university is attempting to embody. Loyola recognizes that there are many faces and viewpoints that can lead a student to personal growth and enlightenment, be it through the path of Christ or a utilitarian methodology. The school must then create and foster a community in which a person is able to obtain the tools that will help him on his quest for personal growth. By taking an option away from this journey, one does the student and society as a whole a disservice. If Catholicism is forced, we have forever robbed this student of the knowledge needed for personal development, for “all are bound together by a common search for knowledge.”

Anthony LeBlancA ’01