Cardinal Newman Society

The Cardinal Newman Society is one of those groups that, for good or for ill, usually finds itself in the middle of a firestorm. The goal of the group is described as such on it's site: "Cardinal Newman Society is a national organization dedicated to the renewal of Catholic identity at Catholic colleges and universities in the United States. We are an intercollegiate organization of more than 16,000 college leaders, educators, students, alumni, and others dedicated to promoting John Henry Cardinal Newman's vision, further developed by Pope John Paul II in his 1990 Apostolic Constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae."

Recently, the president of the group gave a talk at Georgetown University. Below are some excerpts of the event from a Catholic News Service story:

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A self-described watchdog organization that claims many Catholic colleges are losing their Catholic identity is not setting up a teaching authority independent of the bishops, said the head of the group.

The Cardinal Newman Society is exercising a "concurrent magisterium" in keeping with the church's teaching authority, said Patrick Reilly, the society's president.

He said that the organization presents to bishops its concerns that some Catholic colleges hire professors and invite speakers who oppose Catholic teachings, especially on abortion and sexual morality.

But the society needs no prior permission from bishops to issue its criticisms, he added.

Get the rest of the story.