NU different than the rest
People often ask what is unique about a Northwestern education, and having the chance to see two men of this magnitude speak is exactly what separates our experience from any other. Few aims are more praiseworthy than combating suffering, and the two speakers coming to campus have been both courageous and successful in their humble efforts.
On Thursday at 8 p.m. in Harris Hall room 107, Stephen Lewis will give a talk free and open to the student body. In a recent issue of Time magazine, Lewis was listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Lewis is the United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, and, to put it bluntly, his job is to save 20 million lives this year.
On Friday, also at 8 p.m. in Fisk Hall room 217, a Nobel Peace Prize-winner named Bernard Kouchner will be speaking. He is both the co-founder and president of Paris-based organization Doctors without Borders. Kouchner and Doctors without Borders burned new trails in international humanitarian work by reserving the right to intervene and help people in need, regardless of previous political approval to do so.
As explained in his Nobel acceptance speech, “Silence has long been confused with neutrality,” and “We are not sure that words can always save lives, but we know that silence can certainly kill.”
I’m not sure what you have planned for Friday night, but I know where I’ll be.
— Michael Chanin,
Weinberg junior
Northwestern Conference of Human Rights chairman
Like pope, dogma changes
Following the recent appointment of Pope Benedict XVI, many Catholics, myself included, have struggled when dealing with general criticism and media skepticism aimed at the Catholic Church. We must remember that our pope strives to unify, not alienate, members of the Church and the world at large. Sadly, James Fee, in a letter published Monday, does not seem to share that vision.
Instead of expressing hope for a promising future that brings Catholics together, Fee’s letter incites polarization and hatred, neither of which are expressed in the Catholic doctrine Fee so frequently cites. Catholic doctrine is by no means “unchangeable.” Vatican II revolutionized Catholic theology and liturgy in the 1960s, shocking many who would rather leave something broken because they were too afraid someone would fix it incorrectly. If the Church were static, it would have never made the contributions to its people and to the world that it has made over the last century alone.
It is disheartening that someone feels as though they can dictate the beliefs of the Church in such a dividing and patronizing manner, declaring “women will never be priests” — which is a tradition of the Church, not a doctrine. That decision is up to the new pope and not up to James Fee. Regardless of one’s personal views, criticism of the beliefs, hopes or sexualities of others is not only unnecessary, but un-Christian.
Having been a Catholic my entire life, I am infuriated that someone would choose to represent my faith in this manner. Instead of the tolerance and compassion the Church preaches incessantly, this letter reeks of judgmental elitism. It leaves one questioning what makes James Fee so much more “Catholic” than the rest of us.
