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?