Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George is getting lots of kudos for his speech to the Pope on the travails of the Catholic Church in the US. I’m not so sanguine about it.
For one thing he speaks as if the Church in the US is a faithful remnant striving against the tide of virulent anti-Catholicism, like it was the 19th century still, rather than facing the fact that the problem in the US is that Catholics are indistinguishable from non-Catholics in both behavior and moral outlook. Catholics are just as likely as non-Catholics to engage in the same immorality and to support it in others. And the fact is that this has happened on the watch of Cardinal George and all his brother bishops. But then blaming the problems on outside forces keeps the finger of blame from being pointed at them.
I don’t think the Cardinal believes there’s a moral equivalence, as he acknowledged that the group on the ‘right’ believes Catholic teaching.
Pointing at supposed problem groups ‘on both sides’ was a bit of necessary posturing: politically necessary because he was there representing not just himself, but a whole swath of bishops from the Midwest.
For goodness’ sake, Cardinal (and I mean that) – just go out and preach and teach and exemplify the word of God and of Christ, and the Catholic faith unafraid – and stop whining.
When we can excuse political posturing as necessary we have to recognize that we no longer live in an age of courageous shepherds. I expect political posturing from my politicians. I expect courage and forthrightness from bishops. Or at least I want to expect it.
It is certainly becoming more and more difficult to defend Cd. George as time goes on. To his credit, he has established a new liturgy school, effectively cutting off the Gabe Huck charlatans; reportedly, he has instituted some other reforms in his seminary.
He has also done a good job in aiding and abetting the shredding of ICEL, which likely has consumed a fair amount of time.
But I, too, question the Cardinal’s recent fixation on “attacks from outside” the Church, which seem to this layman to be no more nor less than they have been over the past 25 years…
Dominic,
It *IS* the case that “the Church in the US is a faithful remnant striving against the tide of virulent anti-Catholicism, like it was the 19th century.”
What has happened in the interim is only that we consented to be part of the grand American consensus. Now the consensus is coming apart, to the consternation of those who love the consensus more than the chruch. It’s nice to be comfortable, after all.
Don’t be fooled. The general population was never Catholic in any way, shape or form. They only overlooked our stranger manifestations of faith to sell us merchandise at Sears, etc. It was convenient. And profitable. And social. The American way, and all.
Catholics STILL want more than anything to be accepted. How much have we paid? How much are we willing to pay?
It is possible to be American AND Catholic and not sell out, but it’s not easy.
Cardinal George, as always, is playing politics, BTW. No one has been able to peg which side he’s on or what he’s up to 90% of the time. The ICEL changes are good, I think, unless the bishops manage to screw them up with their incompetence.
We will just have to take what we can get, for now. And yes, Dom, that’s the basic stance of traditionalists. We don’t ask for much and we have learned to grasp for crumbs. It’s outrageous.
But the bishops should not overlook this: There is an increasingly large group of Catholics who have spent literally years waiting and hoping for things to turn around. We have hung on every word, every little (sometimes) imaginary turn of events. Only to get kicked in the teeth. Only to see pictures of the Assisi perversion on the news. Only to have to listen to abuse after abuse. I don’t have to tell you what outrages we have had to put up with.
We’re angry, very angry. We want to be faithful and we’re not going anywhere but we are pissed enough to make sure things go on like they need to, weak bishops or no weak bishops. Period. Prayer will go on; mass will go on; people will manage somehow.
I’m not VOTF. I’m catholic. I don’t want institutional change. I want the bishops to get off their keesters and do their jobs before the institutional machinery of the Church collapses entirely and the work gets harder than it already is.
I don’t think the Church is a faithful remnant anymore, because the vast majority of Catholics are indistinguishable from everybody else around them. They support abortion to the same degree, they contracept just as often, they engage in every kind of immorality or support it, to the same exact degree. In fact, Catholics have been almost completely assimilated into the culture.
As the old “Pogo” comic strip once said, “We have met the enemy and they are us.”
“What has happened in the interim is only that we consented to be part of the grand American consensus. Now the consensus is coming apart, to the consternation of those who love the consensus more than the chruch. It.