Philadelphia Veredict

The veredict is in in the trial of the Vicar for Religious in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Guilty! But the veredict is not about Monsignor Lynn who did what he was told by his Archbishop, Cardinal Bevilacqua, who happily died before the trial; it is about all those who lied and covered-up the abusers of children in their care because their religious superiors told them to and it is about those superiors who prefessed ignorance and refused to listen to reports of such abuses by highly plsaced, wealthy and influential figures in the Church. It is about the cult of "clericalism" in the Church which exempted this special caste from the demands of moral decency and civil law.

As a Catholic I am proud of onr thing about this trial: the prosecutor is a Catholic layman who faithfully carried out his duty in spite of the pressure he undoubtedly experienced in doing so. I presume that some of the jurors were also Catholic. It is a sad contrast with the performance of our moral leaders who failed everyone, the children, themselves, the Church by their prevarications and carefully crafted denials of facts.

But the case for the defence accurately poimted the finger at who was ultimately responsible for Msgr Lynn's actions: his boss, the late Cardinal, who determined policies and made final decisions on all those actions. Despite clear statements on the right and responsibility of the individual to follow their conscience, Church authorities from the pope down demand unquestioning obedience to their commands. Ask the LCWR, ask Hans Kung or Charles Curran.

Coincidentally the NCR this week published a review by Jason Berry of a book about the Legion of Christ and the life of their founder,Marcial Maciel Delgallado. It describes in great detail the efforts of many priests to tell Pope John Paul II from 1998 until his death about Maciel's abuse of his followers and his manipulation of supporters. John Paul II refused to hear their accounts and continued to praise Maciel as an example to others. Several authority figures in the Vatican who profited from their relationship with Maciel refused meet with or hear those who made these reports.

To the credit of Benedict XVI, he listened and removed Macial from power, but he does not seem to grasp the failure of John Paul II to act upon reports. He is still surrounded by toadys of his predecessor and seeks to canonize John Paul II, to hold him up as a model, especially to those who exercise authority in the Church. God save us from more unresponsive leaders. We have enough already.

Bishops' Lawsuit

I have very ambivalent feelings about the bishops' suit against Obamacare. On one hand I see medical care for all as good and desirable. On the other I see that current interpretations of the law could destroy the religious freedom enshrined in the constitution.

To force Muslims to eat pork obviously violates their religious convictions. To force them to provide pork for others to eat is less obvious.  However if we frame the question in terms of "Should we pay to provide guns to Al_Quaida or Mexican drug dealers?" the answer iis simpler: NO! Our country has a history of recognizing consciencious objections to  killing. even murderers. These are grounds for excluding someone from jury duty in capital cases.

 On the other hand the explanation that paying for others' contraceptives violates my religious convictions seems very flimsy. Jesus never mentioned contraception. It is generally accepted that up to 80% of Catholics do not see contraception as morally wrong. Vatican Council II never dealt with the topic (Pope Paul VI removed the topic from its consideration). A panel appointed by Pope Paul VI studied the topic and made a report, generally recommending that contraception be accepted as a method of family planning. However, the pope never published the report but issued a personal ban on contraception. This was not a doctrinal decision, infallibility was not involved and all the subsequent statements and controversies on the topic have changed nothing.

We are not dealing with essential Church doctrine when we talk about contraception. I am not promoting or recommending contraception as the .most desirable or effective method of family planning.  In  the judgement of  the pope and of many  committed Catholics  it is morally wrong, but that is an opinion and it is not the doctrine of the Church.

However, there is more to the current controversy than contraception. There is the issue of abortion and the obligation the law imposes to pay for it. If as a mobster I pay a goon to murder a rival gangster, I am guilty of murder. If I pay to procure an abortion, I likewise share the guilt. The state says that Churches will not have to pay for the abortion, the insurance company will. "Out of the goodness of its heart", I'm sure! The Church will pay through higher premiums.

Another issue seems to be a redefinition of "religion" and "church", limiting them to what occurs in the church sanctuary. Services the church provides, such as education, health and social services are excluded from this new definition.

So I'm ambivalent. I have problems with the Church's involvement in partisan politics. It diminishes the Church's prestige and the credibility of the bishops. We don't trust politicians, even when they trumpet their faith. This is an area where lay organizations like the Knights of Columbus and others should be carrying the ball, not the bishops. They should be the coaches, enunciating the moral principles, not the linemen in the trenches.

(P,S. I note that the CHA (Catholic Health Association) has taken such action in an objection filed today, 6/15/2012)

                         Trauma's effects

 I was just thinking about family ties and support, especially who becomes a surrogate Dad or Mom when a parent dies and leaves a young child. Actually I was thinking of John the Baptist. His parents were in their old age when Elizabeth became pregnant with John and they probably did not see him grow up.

Mary was much younger than Elizabeth, although close to her cousin, so that she went to visit her when told of Elizabeth's pregnancy.  Although they apparently did not live close to each other, in the normal course of events they would have stayed in contact and their sons would have probably met from time to time. John would certainly have been among the brothers of Jesus mentioned in the New Testament.

 Since their boys were the same age Mary would have been concerned for John when his parents died. Did she and Joseph consider fostering the orphan? Would such a solution have been possible? Did John spend some time with his cousin? We don't know.

 How did John survive? How did losing his parents at an early age affect him?  Today we hear about the traumatic effect of losing a parent. So often traumatic loss is offered as an excuse for delinquent behaviors, drug addiction, alcoholism etc.. But just as often the victim instead of turning inward to brood on his own loss turns to others who have endured similar losses to help them cope with their pain. We all have choices to make, to become a victim or to help one.

 John seems to have been a loner as he grew up, living in the wilderness, usually depicted as what we would regard as a long-haired hippie. But there is no evidence of delinquency or addiction. In fact he drank no alcohol, ate no rich foods, lived simply.

We do know how he died.  He condemned wrong-doing by a powerful political figure and was imprisoned and eventually executed for doing so. Of him Jesus said: "among those born of woman there was none greater than John the Baptist!"

Church Shopping (4)

                                 Church Shopping (4)

The program I described also demonstrated the abandonment of the principle of subsidiarity, that decisions should involve those who must implement them and be made at the lowest level possible, It was imposed from the top without consultation as to the need or the appropriateness of the material.

No two communities are identical in their needs or their composition and such programs should be tailored to the needs and also to the abilities of the participants. Many parishes must adapt their programs to accommodate different levels of spiritual maturity as well as educational backgrounds.

Perhaps what I am saying is that while the neophyte may be seeking an introduction to Christ for the first time, others may be seeking a deeper personal relationship with Him and a fuller understanding of His Gospel. If a church or the church community is not prepared to respond to this search, the seeker may go elsewhere, to another church of the same or of another denomination. If we fail to meet this need, which is actually universal, we tend to blame the seeker, but the failure us ours. Since only 50% of those who leave join another church, we all fail the other 50%.

But if we meet the need, if we have a warm, vibrant, welcoming community, if the joy and love of Christ is evident in our celebrations, and His message is faithfully and enthusiastically proclaimed in the homily, then the seeker has found a home where their faith is fed and nurtured and grows to maturity and bears fruit in abundance.

Doctrinal orthodoxy, a Scripture-based theology, may be what the visitor is seeking, but it also seems that the presentation of the message, the welcome and the friendly atmosphere in which it is communicated may be the factor which determines the choice. Only you can provide that.

(The end.)

Church Shopping (3)

                            Church shopping (3)

 Christ told His Apostles to go and teach all nations, so sharing the gospel is essential to the Church’s role. Church schools, preaching and Sunday school all obey this command. But I feel that we are failing in the area of ongoing faith formation for adults, particularly doctrinal education. After Vatican II there were efforts to provide such programs , but as time passed , the initial fervor waned and religious formation reverted to a formal and legalistic presentation of traditional apologetics.

The bishops have  initiated a program to call Catholics who have drifted away from the Church to come home and many parishes are making an effort to welcome home the prodigal sons and daughters. I was recently irked by a national program, ostensibly of renewal, which would have delighted Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre or Fr. Leonard Feeney. Its focus was what to do as a Catholic rather than why one should be a Catholic.  It was an exercise in ecclesiastical narcissism rather than evangelism. My initial misgivings arose when a presentation on the program never mentioned Vatican Council II.  These sessions were supposed to explain our faith and renew the spiritual life of our parish, but it became clear that it was merely a make-over of a generation-old program which I believe was very successful in its time. However, times have changed.  As an inducement to come home it elicited a big yawn: "Why?'

The program concentrated on “How to” rather than “Why.” The content was similar to what I got in my third grade catechism seventy years ago.  Reading it one would never know that Vatican II occurred. There was no mention of ecumenism, of the empowerment of the laity, of liturgical changes, of freedom of conscience. It was a repeat of the old caricature that the role of laity in the Church was to “pay, pray and obey.” There was no recognition that since Vatican II Catholics have learned to think for themselves, to make their own decisions and to be responsible before God for their own actions. They are no longer a nineteenth century Church of illiterate immigrants looking to their priests to tell them what to do. They are successful, intelligent, well-educated men and women who do not need the hierarchy to micromanage their personal lives or their relationship with God.

 Richard McBrien in The Church expresses it well:”Educated Catholics still look to the Church for moral guidance but they are searching for principles not rules.” Incidentally the booklets used for the six sessions of the program cost $10.00 each ($60.00 total) while copies of McBrien’s The Church could probably have been purchased in bulk for less than half that cost and would have presented a far more complete exposition on the Church.

I have reviewed  other materials from Catholic and non-Catholic sources which are solidly Christian in content and present a far more inviting image of the Church than the rigid, comdemning institution  which many deserted years ago. We need to love the Church, not fear it and that is the message which we need to share. Above all those who come need to hear that we welcome them, we  accept them, we listen to them and we love them.

 (To be concluded)

Church Shopping (2)

                               Church Shopping (2)

Scandles however are not the major cause of leakage if faced honestly and dealt with promptly. In most cases loyal parishioners will close ranks and pick up the pieces. According to a national survey in 2011, 70% of those who left Catholicism for another church say they did so because their spiritual needs were not being met.  Richard Gaillardetz, professor of theology at Boston College, explains this as “because the quality of Church life is poor and church leadership is inattentive to their real pastoral concerns.” By “quality” he seems to refer to teaching, preaching or community life and liturgy. My personal experience suggests that the quality of the preaching has improved but that the content has not. Homilies are more Scripture based and better prepared, but still comfortable and unchallenging. Community life and liturgy have deteriorated in the last thirty years.  Gaillardetz also points out that our hierarchy seems to focus its recent teaching on abortion, same-sex marriage and artificial birth control – all serious issues but indicative of an emphasis on human sexuality --while ignoring other issues including clerical pedophilia, which is disturbing to many. Twenty years ago the Church dealt with human life as a “seamless garment” that included issues of war and peace, capital punishment and social justice, which are still critical but no longer a priority from the bishops’ perspective.

I am impressed by the emphasis on ongoing adult religious education and formation by many other Christian communities in their Sunday School programs and various groups which focus on Scripture study and family living and by their outreach through home and foreign mission trips. I welcome the efforts which have developed to build such programs among Catholics, though I think more home visits by pastors or parish associates would be more effective in building up the parish community. I know it worked in the past. A priest and his parishioners can get to know each other, to share their needs and vision, far more effectively in the family living-room than from the pulpit to the pew. People will utter criticisms far more easily and honestlyin the privacy  of their home than in public.

Other churches utilize home visit programs with sufficient frequency to suggest that it still works. I think the social gospel of the Church has been reasonably promoted in spite of the amount that is still lacking.  The current economic recession has demonstrated that Christians of all denominations have grasped their responsibility for those who are hungry or homeless. I realize that Christ told us we would never get it perfectly: “The poor you have always with you.”

(To be continued)

                               Church Shopping (1)

I was baptized a Catholic when I was three days old and have been a loyal member of the Church all my life. Recent events have made me ask “Why?” but I am still here.  I have a number of good friends who are committed Christians who have switched their allegiance from one denomination to another over the years

I recently found myself involved in several discussions about why people choose to join a particular church or denomination. In all of them at least one participant was a “former Catholic” who had left the Church for some reason.  (10% of most non-Catholic church members are "former" Catholics), Since surveys show that about 28% of parochial school graduates leave the Catholic Church as adults and that 50% of these join another denomination,  their reasons interest me.

Responses may be indicative of a denomination's liturgy, ecclesiology or rule of faith. Some stress the source of doctrinal orthodoxy, the nature of authority in the church, the style of liturgical celebration, the quality of preaching, the sacramental system or the nature of clerical leadership. The role of women in church ministry is an issue in today’s society. Some focus on the personality of the pastor or the friendliness of the church community. Other churches stress a community outreach to serve those in need while still others are primarily seeking to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Programs which serve children often have significant effect either through a church school or a religious education program. Generally all of these factors are involved to some degree.

For me Church is a committed community sharing the same vision of the Gospel, who come together to celebrate Christ’s gift of Himself and to live out His message in the world. It is an experience of His presence in the community and once shared is never totally lost.
All these are positive factors in attracting new members but some  negative issues may drive long-time Catholics to leave the Church. Pedestrian liturgy, poor preaching, inadequate or dishonest responses to moral or financial scandals on the local level, insensitive and autocratic decisions by church officials and a reactionary clericalism and return to the pre-Vatican II style church at all levels have led many to say “I have had it”. In some areas, such as Philadelphia or Cleveland today, very public scandals make it embarrassing to say you are a Catholic.

 (To be continued)

Don’t Miss the Trees in the Forest!

There's been a lot of negative publicity about the Catholic hierarchy recently: financial problems with the Vatican Bank, leaking of confidential information linked to accusations of a power struggle and corruption among leaders of the Church, a well-founded perception of sexism in the appointment of an Archbishop to take charge of the Leadership Council of Women Religious (the umbrella group for most orders of nuns) in America, which seemed to be a grab for control of their activities and finances.

Parishes and schools are being closed in some major cities in the north-east and a three month-long trial of a senior pastor in Philadelphia on charges of covering-up child abuse by priests over several decades is ending. Here the jury must assign the responsibility to the priest or to his boss, the now deceased Cardinal-Archbishop.

All of this is nasty news and it has damaged the image and the credibility of the Catholic Church immensely. Even though most of it is occurring far from Orlando, it still deeply concerns most Catholics. The Church is not just the