When can an employer insist employees keep views private?
St. Louis University hoops coach Rick Majerus has said on a televised interview that he supports abortion rights and stem cell research. These views are counter to those of the Catholic Church. SLU is a Catholic institution.
Says Archbishop Raymond Burke in today’s story:
“It’s not possible to be a Catholic and hold those positions,” Burke said. “When you take a position in a Catholic university, you don’t have to embrace everything the Catholic church teaches. But you can’t make statements which call into question the identity and mission of the Catholic church.”
Burke says that he thinks Majerus should be disciplined. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the university, Jeff Fowler, says this:
“Rick’s comments were his own personal view. They were made at an event he did not attend as a university representative,” Fowler said. “It was his own personal visit to the rally. The comments were his, he was not speaking for the university in whatever comments he made to Channel 4.”
I think we could agree that a Catholic priest — a church employee — should be required to conform to his employer’s dogma. Are there other circumstances when an employer would be within its rights to insist that its employees keep their personal views private if they conflict with the employer’s?
Kurt is the director of social media for the Post-Dispatch, where he has worked since August 2002. He's been a journalist since 1982, covering municipal government, courts, education and two hurricanes as a reporter before becoming an editor. 
Congradulations to Mr. Majerus. I hope he has the courage to continue to defy the tyrant of St. Louis. Why does the Catholic Church think it can suppress the God given right all people have to free speech???? It just goes to prove it is a totalitarian religion. Everyone must march, lock step with the pope and his bishops or they throw you out. Hah! They protect pedophile priests, but allow free speech—- NO! What kind of religion is that?
Working as a federal employee, I couldn’t campaign for a cause or candidate on the job or in uniform. However, I can do whatever I want if it’s outside of work. And that’s the government sector…the private sector, from what I understand, tends to be more lenient.
Majerus wasn’t representing his job, the guy can do whatever he wants. Good for him, it’s refreshing to hear. If people who worked for Catholic institutions were fired for not believing in various beliefs within the religion, they’d be firing thousands and thousands of people- if not most or almost all their employees- across the country. Sounds like Majerus is pro-science…he advocates women’s safe repro health and cures for various diseases- like many Catholics (or anyone of any religion) do.
The Church has a long track record of anti-science efforts…just recently The Pope was asked not to make an appearance at an Italian university because he condones Galileo’s trial. Condoning the persecution of Galileo!! The Church has & still advocates outright lies about science & various social issues, I don’t know why anyone would listen or care about what their dark-age, ill-informed views are on such issues…not to mention, I don’t recall Jesus mixing politics with religion…he certainly could have…but Catholicism tends to downplay a lot of Jesus’s actual teachings in favor of medieval hierarchy’s totalitarian dogma…
I’ve found the harshest critics of Catholicism tend to be Catholics…I was razed Catholic & went to Catholic school, just because I criticize doesn’t mean I don’t understand…I DO understand. That’s one great thing I took away from the experience…a nice innoculation against religious bs and authoritarianism. Jesuit universities advocate thinking and free thought…some of the best debaters (and harsh critics of Catholicism, for that matter) I’ve met have gone to Jesuit schools. People don’t want to pay tens of thousands of dollars to be told they can’t say or think something, and instead have to adhere to some medieval mindset to be loved conditionally by a higher power. Ahh, if only the peasants had never learned to read…
I read a SLU professor interviewed who just laughed and said something to the effect of, “If we all believed like Burke wants, there would be no one left at SLU.” Good for them. Burke’s a self-aggrandizing bully. He’s a shining example of so much that is wrong in The Church- trying viciously to seize a Polish church’s assets & hurt the people fighting him, then wanting to ‘discipline’ someone who partakes in the democratic process. That on top of the child molestation cases he doesn’t even take seriously.
Someone pointed out the press is making a big deal of this- yes, they are the ones who started all the attention. I’m glad- I think this joke of a spiritial leader deserves to be known for what he is, and the politics vs. religion and employer discrimination issues are all ongoing relevant ones.
1. The Jesuits take an extra vow besides their vows of preiesthood. That vow is LOYALITY to the pope, and quite frankly Biondi has faild to follow up to his word. He should be doing someing about Majerus and his fat mouth.
2. Abortion is immoral. You can not be pro-choice and a Catholic. The Archbishop is only defending his faith, there is no reason for his ridicule.
3. There is a place for people who disagree with what the Catholic church teaches. There are plenty of protestant churches. FIND ONE!!!
4. Majerus is a terrible coach anyway. This is a joke season for what could have been a good SLU basketball team.