John J. Myers, Archbishop of Newark, chair of Seton Hall’s board of trustees, and president of the school’s board of regents has asked the University’s governing board to cancel a course on gay marriage on the grounds that the class conflicts with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
In a statement, the archbishop said the church teaches that marriage should only be between a man and a woman.
"This proposed course seeks to promote as legitimate a train of thought that is contrary to what the Church teaches. As a result, the course is not in synch with Catholic teaching," Myers said. "Consequently, the board of trustees of Seton Hall have asked the board of regents to investigate the matter of this proposed course and to take whatever action is required under the law to protect the Catholicity of this university."
The course had been approved by both the political science department and the dean’s office.
"The initial review at the departmental level and at the dean’s level suggests that the course is not an advocacy course … but a ‘special topics’ course to objectively examine a significant current public policy issue," [vice provost Larry] Robinson said. "Thus, we fully anticipate that the Catholic position on same-sex marriage will be explored."
The instructor, W. King Mott, associate professor of political science, is gay and has clashed with the church and university officials before. The Star-Ledger article has details.
Religion on our Campuses 