Professor Ken Howell is the Man of the Hour: Diocese Responds to Rehiring

The unjust firing of Professor Howell was a warning to all who hold that truth exists in an age which has followed the pied piper of relativism. It mobilized Catholics, other Christians, other people of faith and many, many people of good will to resist an unjust act. The Good News is that this resistance has resulted in the rehiring of this good man.The relativists of this age have persuaded many, including some Catholics, that there are no objective moral truths; there are only "my" truths and "your" truths. They are wrong. Professor Howell is a model of courage in an age of cowardice.

P>PEORIA, IL (Catholic Online) - We covered the unjust firing of Professor Ken Howell very closely. He is a faithful Catholic, well qualified academically with a stellar record in the classroom. He was hired to teach courses on the Catholic faith and intellectual tradition. He taught those courses in complete fidelity to the Magisterium, the teaching office, of the Catholic Church. 

He became a victim of the "Dictatorship of Relativism" which Pope Benedict XVI warned of in the homily he gave prior to the Conclave wherein he was chosen to become the successor of the Apostle Peter.  Professor Howell taught what the Catholic Church affirms about the existence of the Natural Law and its binding nature on all men and women of every age. After all, that was the very subject he was hired to teach!

An e-mail complaint generated an unconstitutional termination of Professor Howell. It was sent to Dr. Robert McKim by a student who was not even in Professor Howell's class. He purported to be writing on behalf of a student who was in the class and wished to remain anonymous. The e-mail read in part "Teaching a student about the tenets of a religion is one thing. Declaring that homosexual acts violate the natural laws of man is another."

There in that one sentence we find the danger this matter exposed. This is PRECISELY the Catholic claim! Homosexual sexual acts violate the Natural Law. They are therefore objectively immoral. This position is not simply a "religious" position. Such thinking is the very foundation of Western Culture. There are objective Moral truths which can be known by all men and women through the exercise of reason. These Moral truths should govern our life together.

Another moral truth, confirmed by medical science and knowable through the exercise of reason, is that the taking of innocent human life is always wrong, at every age and stage, from conception, throughout life up to and including natural death. That is why faithful Catholics are at the forefront of the great human rights struggle to restore the recognition of the fundamental human right to life for our first neighbors, children in the womb. We will not back down.

The newest front in this struggle to recognize the inalienable Right to Life for children in the womb concerns so called "medical abortions".  New York Times Columnist Nicholas D. Kristof wrote a column this past Sunday entitled "Another Pill That Could Cause a Revolution." He praised the use of deadly chemical weapons which produce abortions in women and thereby take human life as some kind of societal "breakthrough".

This is lunacy! Make no mistake; the concoction he praises is a chemical weapon. The subject  sought to be killed is a new human life. This action is despicable. It is also immoral. It should be illegal. The Catholic Church energetically opposes this evil based on medical science and the Natural Law. Catholics must not back down. Our position is just.

Catholics insist that there is a Natural Law, "present in the heart of each man and established by reason." This law "is universal in its precepts and its authority extends to all men. It expresses the dignity of the person and determines the basis for his fundamental rights and duties." (CCC# 1956) It is in this Natural Law that we find the moral truths which should inform our life together if we hope to be a truly just and free society.

So too with the Church's position that homosexual sexual acts are morally disordered. They are. Authentic Human Freedom has a moral constitution. It must be exercised in reference to the truth concerning the human person, the family, our obligations in solidarity to one another and the common good.

The unjust firing of Professor Howell was a warning to all who hold that truth exists in an age which has followed the pied piper of relativism. It mobilized Catholics, other Christians, other people of faith and many, many people of good will to resist this unjust act. The Good News is that this resistance has resulted in the rehiring of this good man.

The relativists of this age have persuaded many, including some Catholics, that there are no objective moral truths; there are only "my" truths and "your" truths. They seek to relegate our claim of the existence of such truths to simply being a "religious" position. We will not and we cannot back down.

There is some good news concerning Professor Howell. He has been rehired. Professor Ken Howell is the man of the hour. He would not compromise and he would not be intimidated because he stood for the truth and his position was just. He is a model for Catholics, other Christians and all people of good will. Now is the time for courage!

We happily present the Press Release issued on Sunday by the Catholic Diocese of Peoria. We commend the Diocese for their handling of this difficult matter. We also commend the leadership of the Newman Club as well. This is an example of how a New Catholic Action can and must work on many other fronts. We are dedicated to doing everything we can to encourage this kind of New Catholic Action.

*****

DIOCESE OF PEORIA CONFIRMS UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS' DECISION TO REHIRE CATHOLIC PROFESSOR KENNETH HOWELL
 
PEORIA - The University of Illinois has confirmed with officials from the Catholic Diocese
of Peoria that they will comply with the Diocese's request that Dr. Kenneth Howell be allowed to teach courses at the University. Chancellor, Patricia M. Gibson, stated, "The Diocese of Peoria has met with and had several discussions with the University of Illinois officials since their decision in May to terminate Dr. Howell's ability to teach at the University. We have had several meetings and discussions with University officials and are very pleased that the outcome of these efforts resulted in a return of Dr. Kenneth Howell to the classroom.

"In recent years, Dr. Howell has done an excellent job teaching at the University and both Monsignor Gregory Ketcham, Director of St. John's Catholic Newman Center, and Diocesan representatives staunchly advocated that he remain the adjunct professor of courses in Catholicism." Gibson further stated, "The University of Illinois also wishes to consult with St. John's Catholic Newman Center and the Diocese in the future regarding these courses.

"St. John's Catholic Newman Center and the Diocese of Peoria adamantly embrace the whole of Catholic teaching as decreed by the Magisterium of the Church. The University of Illinois has indicated that they value a relationship with the Newman Center and plan to continue to offer these courses in Catholic studies. They have also asked that they be allowed the freedom to pay Dr. Howell's salary for instructing these courses and this decision was met with no objection from the Diocese, the Newman Center, or the Alliance Defense Fund, which has been actively involved in assisting Dr. Kenneth Howell in this matter."

Gibson further stated, "Most Reverend Daniel Jenky, C.S.C., Bishop of the Diocese of Peoria, is immensely grateful that the University of Illinois was willing to listen to our concerns and has decided to act in what he believes is a very appropriate manner in allowing Dr. Kenneth Howell to return to the classroom. St. John's Catholic Newman Center and the Diocese of Peoria have had a rare and proven relationship with the University of Illinois for decades and we look forward to further discussions with them as we chart our future, and maintain a healthy relationship. Overall, it is important that we work together to determine how St. John's Catholic Newman Center can best serve the University and the Catholic students there."

St. John's Catholic Newman Center intends to meet with Dr. Howell next week to determine an ongoing role for him at the Newman Center which will complement his work teaching at the University."

*****

We are convinced that the rehiring of Professor Howell is directly related to the response of Catholics, other Christians, other people of faith and many, many people of good will to this injustice. There is a Cultural Revolution underway in the West with two conflicting visions of the human person, human freedom, human flourishing and true marriage and the family founded upon it as the first cell of a just society contending for the future. We cannot and we will not back down.
 
The Courage of Professor Ken Howell is a model for all of us. His rehiring is not a time for any of us to relax. It is time for continued, resolute and courageous Catholic Action.

They are waiting for you. Will you answer?

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'