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Ex corde Ecclesiae says little directly about student life outside the classroom, except to call for a vibrant campus ministry and complete fidelity to Catholic moral teaching. But any attempt to grapple with the problems in U.S. Catholic higher education necessarily requires attention to campus culture, which often magnifies the excesses of American culture that neither Pope John Paul II nor his successor have been reluctant to criticize.

Since 2003, the Cardinal Newman Society has protested performances of The Vagina Monologues on Catholic campuses, reducing the number from 32 in 2003 to 22 in 2007. This highly offensive and sexually explicit play—featuring stories of extramarital sex, homosexuality, masturbation and crude discussions of women’s sexuality—includes a "monologue" in which the lesbian seduction of a minor girl is described as the victim’s "salvation." If the Holy Father needs a reason to talk about the wayward culture on Catholic campuses, here it is.

Catholic campus problems, of course, are much more extensive than just the Monologues. Many Catholic colleges feature guest lecturers and honorees, including pro-abortion politicians and others whose public actions and statements oppose Catholic moral teaching. Campus ministries are often weak and understaffed, minimize catechesis and spiritual formation, and play loosely with Catholic teaching and the Sacred Liturgy. Student clubs oppose Catholic teaching, often on abortion or homosexuality. Co-ed residence halls frequently enable sexual activity. Campus health and counseling services often fail to support Catholic moral teaching.

Archbishop Miller has argued that "expectations for student behavior, the fostering of moral character and virtue, policies on campus speakers, health policies and the promotion of justice should reflect a distinctively Catholic ethos." We can hope that Pope Benedict will say at least as much. It is not simply a matter of tweaking campus policies and programs; what is needed is the full-scale reform of campus culture, with college officials willing to buck secular trends in U.S. higher education and embrace responsibility for the development of students outside the classroom.

The Cardinal Newman Society has launched an effort to help colleges do just that. Recognizing that many of the Catholic campus problems stem from a lack of appreciation and support for chaste living, the Love and Responsibility Program is bringing together experts in theology, medicine, psychology, social science and campus programs to recommend new approaches to Catholic campus life.