Catholic character

The phrase “Catholic character” is used by Tilburg University to refer to the Catholic worldview that, according to its founders, should be underpinning the institution’s activities. The 1927 founding act proclaimed that it meant “to give to students a thorough education in line with the spirit of the Roman Catholic Church.”

A commonly shared interpretation of the meaning of these words has never been prevalent at any time, and, as the practice of science is supposedly value free, the idea that faith and science could be intertwined in their substance has been widely rejected. A viewpoint that was actually considered permissible was to hold that, while scientific outcomes ought to be respected, they could be interpreted in a framework that was in conformity with Catholic orthodoxy.

Provision Article 9 of the original statutes committed teachers to “providing teaching in the spirit of the Roman Catholic Church.” This provision presumed the availability of teachers who were prepared to do so, a presumption that came under increasing pressure over the years as secularization advanced and candidates were appointed for their professional rather than their spiritual eligibility. The provision in Article 9, therefore, was withdrawn. The Catholic character was manifest in the institution’s name, in there being a student parish, in Mass being celebrated when the academic year was opened and in prayer being said when lectures started and ended. Over the years, such expressions have inevitably perished. In the sixties, the Board proved to be prepared to renounce the special Catholic character so as to facilitate the establishment of a medical faculty. In the highly politicized seventies, subsequently, debates erupted over whether the Catholic character was to be retained or not. In 1977 these led to the decision to preserve the Catholic character, albeit in an “open Catholic institution that is in dialogue with other worldviews.” This thought was then embodied in a Center for Science and Philosophy in 1988 and in the Zwijsen Building with its center for reflection and prayer in 1992.

Remnants

Remnants of the Catholic character are still to be found in the continuation of specific programs (the Tilburg School of Catholic theology, in particular), institutes such as the Cobbenhagen Center and for example in the possession of works of art that refer to the University’s Catholic roots.