Los Angeles, Calif., Oct 2, 2012 / 03:02 am
Students at Loyola Law School have drawn criticism over writing a legal brief in support of Costa Rica legalizing in-vitro fertilization, a practice condemned by the Church.
The L.A.-based Catholic school issued a statement on its decision to submit the brief, saying it is "committed to the academic freedom of faculty members and students to participate in the study of different perspectives."
But Dr. Anthony Lilles, professor of spiritual theology at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, Colo., countered that a Catholic understanding of academic freedom means that it should be guided by truth as revealed in scripture and tradition, and as taught by the Magisterium of the Church.
"Academic freedom means the freedom to pursue the truth, wherever it might take you," he said in an interview with CNA Oct. 1.