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Michael W. Higgins is President of St. Jerome's University. Photo: Ron Hewson Understanding, exploration, and enlightenment Several times during the course of the recent conference held jointly by St. Jerome's and the University of Waterloo on Pierre Elliott Trudeau--The Hidden Pierre Trudeau: His Spirituality, His Faith, His Life, His Times--I heard from numerous participants, registrants, scholars and journalists, biographers and Cabinet ministers that this was the right thing for a Catholic university to do. I also heard the same thing from several alumni who had taken the time to come and attend all or part of the conference in order to learn something about one of Canada's extraordinary political leaders. Why was it the right thing to do? If a Catholic university does not undertake the kind of initiative we see in the Trudeau conference then what other institution of higher education will? It is right to subject to careful examination the role of religion, ethical decision-making, spiritual formation, and devotional practice in the shaping of the worldview of a political leader and the impact that these may have on his or her party. It is right to ask questions in the public forum about the constructive role of religion in the making and maturing of a public citizen. It is right for a Catholic university to provide space where questions can be debated, new issues reflected upon, probes and proddings justified, sometimes indelicate matters raised, all forms of censorship eschewed, and every effort made to throw some illumination on the admittedly complex interweaving of religious faith and public leadership. Over the last number of years St. Jerome's University has worked in many ways to provide a forum for appropriate enquiries regarding faith, political perspective, philosophical beliefs, and social policy. First of all, we launched the Catholics in Public Life conference--held every two years and in partnership with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board--which focuses specifically on a theme or aspect of leadership of deep current concern for Canadian Catholics, whether healthcare, education, social policy, etc. In addition, we established through the generous support of the Wintermeyer family the annual John J. Wintermeyer Lecture on Christianity and Public Policy, a lecture that operates under the auspices of the St. Jerome's Centre for Catholic Experience. It made perfect sense, then, for us to undertake with the University of Waterloo this two-day scholarly foray into areas that most scholars, policy makers, and active politicians fear or ignore. It is undoubtedly true that the role of religion in our society is often marginalized, made the property of each individual's private concern, ignoring in the process the compelling need to know as much as possible about the different creeds, religious traditions, and spiritual paths that emerge from the multi-ethnic components that make up the wider Canadian tapestry. Fanaticism, intolerance, ignorance, and fear flourish in the dark. As a Catholic university federated to a provincial constituent university, we have a very clear educational obligation to cast light on those dark areas that contribute to division and disharmony. What better way to perform one of our many tasks than by undertaking a conference of the kind that we had with The Hidden Pierre Trudeau. Some critics of our conference wondered aloud, and in print, why a Catholic university would undertake to "canonize" Pierre Elliott Trudeau. The Trudeau conference was not about canonization, it was not a lovefest, and it was not about hagiography. The conference was about understanding, exploration, and enlightenment. And this is the right thing for a Catholic university to do. Some critics of our conference wondered aloud, and in print, why a Catholic university would undertake to "canonize" Pierre Elliott Trudeau.