It Was More About ''Camera Quality'' And ''Communications Strategy'' Than Theology

Loss of Symbol gives Rise To Thought

By Rev. Thomas F. Dailey, OSFS, is director of the Salesian Center for Faith and Culture
at DeSales University in Center Valley.

An excerpt.

More than 40 years ago, the philosopher Paul Ricoeur coined the phrase ''the symbol gives rise to thought.''

His analysis of religious symbolism demonstrated a crucial link between thinking and expression, both of which are intimately connected to the depth of human experience.

Unlike the ordinary language we use to describe our living, and the more scientific language that gives precision to our knowing, symbols touch the realm of the mysterious: They point to meaning beyond us; they convey the meaningfulness that lies within us....

Because such symbols evoke a meaningfulness that cannot be communicated by other means, they constitute an important way to express not only one's belief but also one's identity. Without such symbols, meaning is lost, and meaningfulness is absent.

Thus, the temporary loss of symbols at Georgetown University gives rise to the thought that an institution's religious character is merely fashionable, able to be covered up for different occasions.

Recently, university officials there chose to conceal from any camera's view the Christogram -- the letters ''IHS'' with a cross extending upward from the center -- that adorns the archway above the dais at which President Obama delivered a speech on economics (a message, ironically, based, in part, on the biblical metaphor of ''the house built upon rock'').

One effect of this cover-up was to provide a ''consistent backdrop'' to the presidential speech; the other was to hide away the religious ''identity'' of the place, for those letters are central to the seal of the Society of Jesus, the Catholic religious order that founded the university.

Which effect was intended, and whose initiative led to the iconoclastic decision, have been matters of debate.

But whether it was sought by the White House or offered by the university, the symbolic message was evident -- nothing religious should be considered alongside political posturing.

Some may brush this aside, as even one Jesuit did when he said it was more about ''camera quality'' and ''communications strategy'' than theology.

Link (here)

Photo is of Fr. Dailey, OSFS