IMPACT
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Impact’s Amy Evans reflects on the University of Nottingham’s treatment of Father David Palmer and argues it is representative of a larger issue of censorship and intolerance on university campuses. Earlier this academic year, the University of Nottingham refused to acknowledge the appointment of Catholic Chaplain Father David Palmer following concerns over the manner in which he had expressed his religious beliefs online. Despite the University’s U-turn on the decision, the fact that his position was ever questioned as a result of his speech raises major concerns about the state of religious tolerance, and the tolerance of others’ views more generally, on campus. The specific comments made by Mr. Palmer regarded abortion and euthanasia, two points of particular importance in the Catholic faith. Using Twitter, Father David Palmer expressed his belief that euthanasia is “to kill the vulnerable”, while in a later tweet, as part of a criticism of US President Joe Biden, he referred to abortion as the “slaughter of babies”. A number of days later, the University officially refused to accept Father Palmer as the University’s Catholic Chaplain, citing the manner in which he expressed his religious opinions as the reason.
The Times reported that Father David Palmer was asked by the University to use more inclusive terminology when voicing his views online, yet he regarded this as “unacceptable policing of religious belief” and refused to make changes. Indeed, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that euthanasia constitutes “a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person” and abortion as equivalent to infanticide, an “abominable” crime. Contrary to the University’s claims, Father David Palmer did not divulge from Catholic teaching in opinion or language. His choice of words was synonymous with central Catholic authority, and his decision to use social media to talk about his beliefs seems in tandem with the Catholic teaching of “[preaching] the Gospel to those who do not know Jesus Christ”. How can the University expect a Catholic Chaplain to preach anything else but the core tenets of the Catholic religion?
Further, as a community of religious, racial and socioeconomic plurality, the University of Nottingham prides itself on inclusivity. According to the University’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy, which all students and staff are expected to abide by, it is “a community where everyone can contribute and be appreciated for who they are”. And yet, where is the evidence of such tolerance toward Father Palmer? Do the University’s actions, then, constitute unjustified censorship of the Catholic faith? What is for sure is that the University of Nottingham risks contributing to growing concerns regarding censorship and a homogenisation of political discourse on university campuses. Parliaments’ Joint Committee on Human Rights reported that, too often, controversial debates or non-mainstream views are shut down at university, rather than allowing students to confront such differences in opinion. The Committee, which is chaired by Harriet Harman, raised concerns that in a similar fashion, safe-space policies on campuses are “problematic” because they “often lead to the marginalisation of minority groups’ views”.
