Knights joust with UW-Madison

In a flare-up seemingly destined for the courts, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has decertified the campus Knights of Columbus chapter because it admits only Catholic men; state law requires that campus-affiliated organizations be open to all students regardless of religion and be run by students. Although the university originally released a statement that it had reached an agreement with the Knights to create an affiliate organization that would be open to all students, the Knights are protesting that no such deal had been struck.

This seems to me to be a no-brainer: If the Knights want university recognition (and probably a chunk of student fees to go with it), they should be open to all students; actually, it might be a great opportunity for evangelization. If the Knights impressive enough, they might attract some new folks to Catholicism. On the other hand, if they want to restrict membership, they can easily affiliate with a local parish. Piece of cake. Like it or not, if you want public recognition at a state school, you have to play by their rules. Let this be a lesson to all you folks who want public funding for Catholic schools; you can expect the same.

I know, I know, this is just another example of liberal academia taking potshots at us poor Catholics. Then again, it could be a great opportunity to show how calm and open Catholicism can be, unthreatened by the people who might want to share our work but aren't ready to accept our beliefs.

It'll be OK, guys. And if it doesn't work out, you can always change your mind. That parish is probably just right down the street.