19TH century Europe saw the rapid growth of the Notre Dame Cathedral school and the affiliated parochial schools in the French capital city.
To everyone's surprise the combined Catholic schools blossomed into a full-blown center of learning: the famous University of Paris. The university attracted the best and brightest minds -- students and faculty -- from all over Europe.
Very soon the religious orders, notably the Benedictines, Dominicans and Franciscans, sent their best candidates to this prestigious center of learning. When some monks and friars finished their studies with flying colors, the department heads of the University invited them to join, mostly in the faculties of philosophy and theology. Thus Alexander of Hales, Robert Grosseteste, and Bonaventure (from the Franciscans), also Albert the Great and Thomas of Aquinas (from the Dominicans) became professors.
But talk of clerical envy! With it the fight for power and earthly glory!
The diocesan or secular priests whose parochial schools formed the nucleus of the University resented the "invasion" of religious orders into the faculty; so, they connived to limit, if not expel the religious altogether.
So bad was the clerico-academic intramurals that the Pope himself had to intervene. He wisely reminded everyone that the university, being Catholic, that is universal or open to all, should not be the exclusive property of any diocese.
Anyway, smarting from the fight, the Franciscans retreated from the University of Paris to England and founded Oxford University; the Dominicans established the University of Bologna in Italy, and the diocesan priests had their now famous Sorbonne University.
Once again, God had made something really good from a bad, scandalous situation. He smiled at men's childlessness, looks at the present picture, and is well pleased.