A Bishop’s Lament

Our Catholic bishops have been taught that they are the successors of the apostles and are therefore endowed with unquestionable knowledge and wisdom. Many were but a great number were not. Has anyone ever considered that the apostles would not qualify as Catholic bishops today? For example, the apostles:

• were allowed to marry
  
• continued to celebrate their Jewish heritage and traditions
  
• did not speak Latin
  
• never read the Bible (probably could not even read)
  
• did not receive indoctrination into Catholic Tradition and way of life.
  
• never recited the 'Hail Mary'.
• would not have understood the words 'Church', 'bishop', dogma, doctrine or term 'excommunication'
  
• would not have worn a crucifix
  
• did not wear a mitre or silk clothing
  
• lived in simple homesteads
  

Perhaps the only thing the apostles held in common with today's bishops is that they frequently misunderstood Jesus true message.


Now that we perhaps reached a better understanding of who our bishops are, we may begin to see how they have influenced our understanding of our Catholic Tradition as presented by Fr. Tom Doyle as follows:


The Church is a visible institution. The Church teaches as official dogma that the Church as we know it, that is, a hierarchical structure that is totally run by celibate male clerics (mostly bishops), was instituted by Jesus Himself. The Church teaches that the pope is the representative (Vicar) of Christ on earth. It teaches that Christ founded His church and left it in the control of the twelve apostles and explicitly willed that these apostles pass this power down to their successors. Consequently the official teaching is that the visible church is run by men who have been explicitly chosen by the Supreme Being. Furthermore the Church teaches that priests are fundamentally different than other humans. They are, in the words of John Paul II, uniquely configured to Christ. Catholics are taught to believe that priests are special. They represent Jesus Christ. They have very special spiritual powers. Their intercession is essential for anyone who wishes to make it to heaven in the next life.


This teaching is the foundation for the clerical culture that runs the Church. Clericalism is the belief that clerics (deacons, priests and bishops) are superior to lay persons and are rightfully entitled to deference, unquestioned respect and exemption from many of the obligations born by most lay people. This clerical world is the home of the men who make up the Church power structure. The Church teaches that this structure is the church. To be a Catholic, one must believe totally in the teachings about the nature of the church strictures and the sacredness of the Church's clerical ministers.


If all of these teachings were true, would there be a need for all of the secrecy? If these teachings were true, especially about the "Christ-like" nature of priests and bishops, would there be such widespread corruption, dishonesty and abuse found among clerics at every level?


If all of these things were true! The problem is that there is no authentic historical evidence that any of it is true. The various titles, roles and offices attributed to popes, bishops and priests are not products of divine revelation but of human invention, often as a response and reaction to serious external threats to the power and wealth of the clerical aristocracy. For example, and it's a good example, Papal Infallibility was literally invented by Pope Pius IX and forced through the First Vatican Council . . . for political reasons. The pope's kingdom, the Papal States, was threatened with dissolution by the Italian social upheaval at the time. Likewise the title "Vicar of Christ" was part of a conscious program of a medieval pope to fortify papal power. This title has had a long and complex and by no means consistent history. It was not applied to the Papacy until the 13th century when Pope Innocent III took it to enhance his overall program of actively concentrating just about all power in the Church in the papacy.


Consequently this massive institution seeks above all to preserve itself. Sexual abuse of children or anyone by members of the sacred elite is potentially disastrous for the image, credibility and hence the power of the Church. The bishops really believe that they are essential to the existence of the Church. Therefore protecting the hierarchy is essential and believed to be God's will. The popes and the bishops did not have to conspire to keep sexual abuse by clergy buried as deeply as possible. The secretive response is in the blood of the bishops. It is rooted in the fundamental urge to survive. Disruption and disintegration of the monarchical structures of the Church means the end of the system of power and control as we know it. This poses an unthinkable threat to the clergy and to the clerical world. The threat is personal because this world, this monarchical institution, this magical theological support system is the past, present and future of the bishops. It is their source of identity. To change or destroy it is a threat to the very being of the clerics who feed off of it.


Readers are invited to read Fr. Doyle's entire text at http://www.richardsipe.com/Doyle/2010/2010-07-25.htm


More than twenty five years ago, the Rev. Thomas Doyle warned the nation's Roman Catholic bishops about the church's looming sexual abuse nightmare. Since then, he has become a hero to the victims, speaking out on their behalf and helping them in legal cases in recent years. In doing so, Father Doyle also became a thorn in the side of the church hierarchy.For more on Fr. Doyle please read: http://www.snapnetwork.org/news/otherstates/doyle_loses_job.htm


The Lament of a bishop: "Wherever Jesus went there was a revolution; wherever I go people serve tea!" Anthony deMello, SJ.

The Sexual Abuse Scandal & Theology

Experts tell us that the sexual abuse scandal within the church is both endemic and systemic. Interestingly, and certainly not surprisingly Catholic teaching on sexuality has a very strong basis or focus on sin. The development of Catholic moral theology, points especially to the legacy of Augustine and this saint's preoccupation with sin. Augustine who struggled with lust throughout his life has come under increasing criticism in recent times for his excessive sexual pessimism. Augustine, a favourite of Benedict XVI, linked sex so strictly with procreation that he held as sinful all sexual activity by married couples that was not consciously ordained to procreation. During the Middle Ages, as the sexual body became to be seen as evil, the self flagellation of body hatred became the highest form of devotion. To quote James Carroll "The sexual body now became an "occasion of sin" to be subdued". Among Augustine's many teachings such as 'original sin' he believed that people tend toward evil. This theology especially on sexuality continues to influence the Church's position on such matters as celibacy, contraception, abortion, masturbation, premarital sex, and homosexual relations.

When a church is so negatively inclined toward human sexuality, it cannot possibly be expected to find a solution internally to the sexual abuse crisis it now faces. A healthier approach to sexuality must be found. But first the church will have to shed it pessimistic views on sexuality it has held as sacrosanct for so long. And that will require a brand new theology – one that rejects what was pronounced by St. Augustine and begun with Vatican II. Perhaps we should all learn to re-read and absorb one of the greatest and sensuous chapters ever written about human sexuality – The Song of Songs. It would be interesting to learn how other religions view sexuality.

Which Cardinal or bishop is going to be the first to admit that the Church's theology on sexuality is at the root of the problem? Remember it only took the Church nearly four hundred years to admit Galileo was right.

The second hurdle to be overcome by the Church, in regards to the sexual abuse crisis, is its hierarchical leadership structure and the theological basis which supports it. This structure is clearly visible when members of the clergy view themselves as elevated above rather than totally integrated with the laity. Jesus taught equality not superiority. Jesus clearly denounced earthly kingdoms during his time in the dessert. The Church seems more interested in protecting a religious kingdom with a power that reaches beyond that of the people and nations it serves. The theology of 'apostolic succession' along with the claim that Jesus came to found a separate church not only denies Jesus' Jewish heritage but also his call to EVERYONE to bring about a worldwide community based on God's kingdom values. As long as the Church sees itself as special and separate from the world it cannot be expected to look inwardly. Hence the required changes will not take place. Which Cardinal and which Bishop is prepared to accept this challenge?

One of the most natural and valuable teaching tools we possess is learning by trial. We probably learn more from our mistakes then by any other means. But we will be bound by our mistakes if we never learn from our mistakes. That is why I wanted to examine how Catholic theology may have contributed to the Church's handling of the sexual abuse scandal.

Some other facts about St. Augustine

Augustine developed a theology of just war,

Augustine struggled with lust throughout his life.

As a youth Augustine lived a hedonistic lifestyle
Augustine underwent a profound personal crisis, which led him to convert to Christianity, abandon his career in rhetoric, quit his teaching position in Milan,
eventualy gave up any ideas of marriage, and devote himself entirely to serving God and to the practices of priesthood, which included celibacy.
as a bishop he used to warn, that one should avoid mathematicians who combine science and horoscopes

He believed all people tend toward evil

students must be physically punished when they allow their evil desires to direct their actions

He also wrote "On Free Choice Of The Will," answering why God gives humans free will that can be used for evil.

Augustine's arguments against magic, differentiating it from miracle, were crucial in the early Church's fight against paganism and became a central thesis in the later denunciation of witches and witchcraft.
Augustine taught that Adam's guilt as transmitted to his descendants much enfeebles

Augustine took the view that the Biblical text should not be interpreted as properly literal, but rather as metaphorical, if it contradicts what we know from science and our God-given reason

Augustine taught that Original sin of Adam and Eve was either an act of foolishness (insipientia) followed by pride and disobedience to God or the opposite: pride came first

The sin of Adam is inherited by all human beings

He often said that any can be saved if they wish. While God knows who will be saved and who will not,
he believed in papal supremacy
Augustine taught that the eternal fate of the soul is determined at death,and that purgatorial fires of the intermediate state purify only those that died in communion with the Church. His teaching provided fuel for later theology.

Augustine struggled with lust throughout his life. He had a mistress before he converted, but once he became a Christian, he condemned all forms of extra-marital sex (including his previous relationship with his mistress),

For Augustine, the evil was not in the sexual act itself, but rather in the emotions that typically accompany it.

Augustine's life experience led him to consider lust to be one of the most grievous sins, and a serious obstacle to the virtuous life

St Augustine "vigorously condemned the practice of induced abortion" as a crime, in any stage of pregnancy

At the risk of being too critical of St. Augustine - he did say many other wonderful and inspiring things.

On Being a Heretic

Photo: Old Catholic Church on the Island of Barbados

Copyright © 2003–2009 Deron E. Meranda

The heart is a heretic because it seeks unity of spirit, not uniformity of thinking.

Heretics are people who deviate from the norm. The word heretic comes from the Greek word 'haireses', meaning “to chose.” Heretics choose a path that differs from the norm. Jesus was a Jewish heretic, and Christianity began as a Jewish heresy.

Religious orthodoxy is the inevitable result of thinking exclusively from the head. Distinctions of “us-versus-them” dissolve when we see each other through the heart

From: Robert V. Thompson, ‘A Voluptuous God”

I truly think that I am guilty of being a heretic at times - at odds with the church on several sensitive issues, albeit with due respect and uncensored humility. Please note the following words in italics are my own,

ON THE Founding of the Catholic Church

Catechism of the Catholic Church, #763 (1994): Christ accomplished God the Father’s plan of salvation, which was the reason he was sent into the world. By preaching the good news of the reign of God, which had been promised in the Scriptures, Jesus inaugurated the Church.

Good News: Jesus came to inaugurate God’s Kingdom beginning here on earth for all people, not to establish an hierarchical institution complete with all its trappings. The keys of the Kingdom are the keys to living out a life in the Spirit based on Christ's teachings and example.

ON Original Sin

St. Augustine (CE 354-430): the guilt of Adam’s sin is passed on through “lust” involved in procreation.

Catechism of the Catholic Church # 390 (1994):The account of the fall in Genesis 3 uses figurative language, but affirms a primeval event, a deed that took place at the beginning of the history of man. Revelation gives us the certainty of faith that the whole of human history is marked by the original fault freely committed by our first parents.

Good News: "Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind^* in our image, according to our likeness . . . God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good". (Gen. 126-31, NRSV)

We are God’s holy daughters and sons, created with his original blessing which is to share rather than to receive for the self (ego) alone; and the source of all our pain and suffering.

ON Apostolic Succession

Dogmatic Constitution of the Catholic Church, n. 20 (1965): “by divine institution bishops have succeeded to the place of the apostles”.

Good News: We are all ‘God’s people’, equal in status, (as promised by the Church through baptism) united by embracing diversity through the Spirit to share the ‘good news’ with all those God places in our path.

ON Salvation outside the Church

Catechism of the Catholic Church , # 846: (1994) ‘Outside the Church there is no Salvation” How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body.

Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 171,(2006): This means that all salvation comes from Christ, the Head, through the Church which is his body. Hence they cannot be saved who, knowing the Church as founded by Christ and necessary for salvation, would refuse to enter her or remain in her. At the same time, thanks to Christ and to his Church, those who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ and his Church but sincerely seek God and, moved by grace, try to do his will as it is known through the dictates of conscience can attain eternal salvation.

Good News: “those who sincerely seek God and open themselves to God’s grace can be saved even if they have no explicit knowledge of Christ”. (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 1965)

ON Universalism

St. Augustine(CE 354 - 330) : God does not actually will everyone to be saved; for if God did, no one would be lost.

Council of Constantinople (AD 553) : The concept known as Universalism holds that all persons and creatures are related to God or the Divine and will be reconciled to God. The Fifth General Council of the church in Constantinople officially condemned Universalism. Promoting it could result in punishment, even death, for heresy.

Good News: “God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Tim 2:3-4

If everyone understood their holy nature above their sinful or ‘false self’ believing that God desires to reconcile all in heaven, we could stop judging those we banish to hell and get on with the ‘here and now’! (see also my blog on ‘Heaven and Hell’')

ON Sexuality - Homosexuality

Catechism of the Catholic Church , # 2359, (1994): Homosexual persons are called to chastity . . they should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

‘Dominus Jesus’ (2002) Catholic Doctrinal Statement: “Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered to an intrinsic moral evil, and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder,”

Good News: The New Catholic Catechism (1969) “It is not the fault of the individual if he or she is not attracted to the other sex. The causes of homosexuality are unknown”

"I find it strange that, if I were to tell a cardinal in the Vatican that I was struggling with doubts about the existence of God, I would receive sympathy and support. But if I were to tell the same cardinal that I had doubts about papal teaching on contraception and the ordination of women, I would receive a stern lecture on loyalty to the pope". Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, 'Confronting Power & Sex in the Catholic Church'.

The aim of this pilgrim heretic, is not to take issue with organized religion, but rather to awaken that restless and questioning Spirit that rests within all hearts. A Spirit that will not rest until it rests in God.

more to come . . . .