Six west of Ireland Catholic bishops, trustees of the Newman Institute in Ballina, Co Mayo, cancelled a lecture there last month after learning that the speaker has previously criticised the Church's views on homosexuality.
Two leading Catholic theologians have since declined to speak at the institute in protest.
Dr Linda Hogan, lecturer in international peace studies at the Irish School of Ecumenics, was to speak at the institute on "exploring feminist philosophies" on March 16th.
Her invitation was cancelled following a meeting of the trustee bishops after they had been contacted by a number of people opposed to Dr Hogan's views on homosexuality.
Confirming the cancellation yesterday, one of the trustee bishops, Dr Thomas Flynn of Achonry diocese, said it was because Ballina Stephenites GAA team were competing in the All-Ireland club finals next day and "nobody would be at home".
He did agree however that Dr Hogan's talk had not been rescheduled and that her views on homosexuality had been an issue for the bishops.
The trustee bishops of the Newman Institute are the Archbishop of Tuam, Dr Michael Neary, who is also chairman of the Irish Episcopal Conference's commission on doctrine; Dr John Fleming, Bishop of Killala and chancellor of the Newman Institute; his predecessor in both roles, Dr Thomas Finnegan; the Bishop of Galway, Dr James McLoughlin; the Bishop of Elphin, Dr Christopher Jones; and Dr Flynn.
In a paper Living with Contradiction: Disagreement and Dialogue in the Church, Dr Hogan had said she disagreed fundamentally with the church's teaching on homosexuality and that, in her view, "it reflects an institutionalised homophobia that is evident in many aspects of culture and society".
Her belief was that "all sexual relationships, homosexual and heterosexual, whether they are brief or long-term, have the capacity to reflect the best of our humanity . . . "
Dr Seán Freyne, former professor of theology at Trinity College Dublin, and Fr Eamonn Conway, head of the department of theology and religious studies at Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, both wrote to the institute last week declining invitations to speak there next month.
Prof Freyne was to speak on early Christian spirituality on April 7th, and to teach there on April 8th and 9th.
In a letter to Dr Fleming he protested that Dr Hogan had not been allowed present her side before her lecture was cancelled.
He accused the bishops of collapsing before fundamentalists and warned that this made them vulnerable to further targeting by such groups. He stressed that the homosexuality issue would have to be debated in the church, and drew attention to articles on the issue by himself and by Fr Enda McDonagh, former professor of moral theology at Maynooth.
Fr Conway was scheduled to speak on "Resurrecting the Church: Signs of Hope in a Transforming Community" at the institute on April 15th next.
In a letter declining the invitation, he said he was doing so with a heavy heart and that he had never found himself in such a situation. He had heard the trustees insisted on the cancellation of Dr Hogan's lecture and that the reason for this was complaints from a small group.
He considered her treatment unfair, ill-judged and a disservice to the pursuit of truth.
