c. 2005 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Before John Paul II became pope, he was a college professor.

Karol Wojtyla taught theology at the Catholic University in Lublin, in his native Poland, where he was known as a dynamic and passionate teacher.

So, it was no surprise he took a special interest in Catholic universities when he became pope. During his 26-year tenure, John Paul won praise for strengthening the 1,000 Catholic colleges around the world while also drawing criticism for cracking down on liberal theologians teaching outside the Vatican mainstream.

But both his critics and supporters say the pontiff left his mark on higher education.

“He was a university person,'' said Monsignor Robert Sheeran, president of Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. “Catholic universities are stronger now than they were 15 years ago or 20 years ago.''

In 1990, the pope issued Excorde Ecclesiae, a sweeping document that redefined the relationship between the church and its universities. The Vatican called for professors at Catholic colleges to be more accountable to local bishops, a rule that critics warned would stifle academic freedom on campuses around the U.S.

The pope also censured some liberal professors teaching in Brazil, Switzerland, Sri Lanka and the U.S. when they contradicted the church teachings on homosexuality, contraception, paper infallibility and other issues.

Sheeran, who leads New Jersey's largest Catholic university, said the pope made Catholic colleges take a hard look at their roles in the church and society.

“He asked us to do truth in packaging. If we are Catholic, let us be Catholic,'' Sheeran said.

The Rev. John O'Neill, who led a memorial Mass at Felician College in Lodi, N.J., recalled how the pope as a young professor preached against Communism in his classroom in Poland and mentored a generation of scholars.

“Young Father Karol Wojtyla would spend years working with college students. He loved working with college students,'' O'Neill said. “His whole life would be spent defending the dignity of the person.''

John Paul II had a special connection to Felician College, which was founded by an order of nuns originally from Poland. In 1969, the then-Cardinal Wojtyla visited the small college and celebrated Mass with students, faculty and clergy.

He also spent the night on the Lodi campus.

Sister Antonelle Chunka, Felician's vice president of mission integration, said she met with the pope several times over the years and he always remembered his visit to the 1,700-student school.

“When I told him I was from Lodi, N.J., he always asked about Felician College,'' Chunka said.

At Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J., Sister Mariann Mahon, director of campus ministry, said the pope's well-documented efforts to bring together all religions and nations played well on all U.S. college campuses.

“We're a Catholic campus, but we're open to people of all faiths,'' Mahon said.

Campus events and Masses to mark the pope's death have attracted an unusual mix of Catholic and non-Catholic students at Georgian Court, school officials said.

Just as he was a professor in life, the pope has proved to be a teacher in his death, Mahon said. He is providing students with a unique opportunity to learn about both the rituals of the church and their own spirituality.

“He has caused us, in a positive way, to examine ourselves,'' Mahon

said.

(Kelly Heyboer covers higher education at the Star Ledger in Newark, N.J.) KRE/JL END RNS