Students and staff at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo
(PUC-SP) have been on strike since 13 November, in a dispute with the
Grand Chancellor of the University, Cardinal Odilo Scherer, over the
appointment of the new rector.
Cardinal Scherer, who is the Archbishop of São Paulo, departed from
precedent and appointed as rector - a post roughly equivalent to
vice-chancellor - the third-placed candidate on the list of three
presented by the university community after an election by staff and
students.
The university choice was a previous rector, law professor Dirceu de
Mello, but the archbishop chose Professor Ana-Maria Cintra, from the
department of Portuguese, who was defeated both by Professor Dirceu de
Mello and history professor Francisco Serralvo.
Cardinal Scherer has given no reason for his decision, but it is
being suggested that he wishes to bring the PUC more closely into line
with the Vatican's guidelines for Catholic universities.