Catholic Beliefs Threatened

The Catholic News Service recently quoted Pope Benedict XVI as saying that ‘Catholic beliefs are not open to popular vote’.

Pope Benedict XVI is absolutely correct ‘Catholicism is not open to popular vote or democracy’.   However, there is little doubt that the institutional Church under Pope Benedict is operated under a distinct form of autocracy or even a theocracy.  History teaches that the Roman Catholic Church once claimed the role of supreme ruler of the world (a role Jesus clearly rejected while spending 40 days in the desert).  It is precisely this form of institutional religion Jesus came to reject and turn upside down. By following a way of life as lived by Jesus we no longer have the need for earthly power or control.  When our communities are places where everyone is welcome we will discover the true meaning of God's unconditional love.  Here we lead by example not by fixed dogmas or doctrine which has brought the world so much division and exclusion.

God did not create us to be robots.  God created us for greatness endowed with holiness and diversity. God created us to become responsible adults trusting in the Holy Spirit. God created us as unique individuals to share our diverse gifts as a means of unity and reject any feelings of superiority.  Even before we were adults we were confirmed in the Holy Spirit.  Has Benedict forgotten that ‘the People of God’ through this sacrament were assured that ‘the Holy Spirit will teach us all we need to know’? (Jn 14:26; Lk. 12:12) Now Benedict XV! would have us surrender what God gave us freely through his Holy Spirit.  Why? Because the Vatican seeks power and control by reinforcing and centralising its hierarchical institution.  Benedict has rejected many of the visions held by Vatican II.  For example , why is collegiality is no longer practised, and why must theologians now surrender their God given inspiration to the Bishops?  And why must the laity now surrender and hide their gifts of the Holy Spirit under a bushel? (Mt. 5:14-15) What has happened to the supremacy of the individual conscience as stated in the documents of Vatican II? There simply is no hierarchy among Kingdom people.     

Jesus never wrote anything down and never insisted we embrace or practise his Jewish religion.  Jesus merely asked we become kingdom people. Isn’t that what we pray for when we say let ‘thy Kingdom come’? Here is the place where God accepts us as we are not as others would have us be.  Here is the place we have no need for condemnation, scapegoating or separation from all others be they relativists, secularists, atheists, gays etc., etc.. Here is the place where God is only interested in our potential not our sins.  Here is the place where it is safe to acknowledge that the ‘Devil’ or ‘Satan’ is none other than our individual ego’s which is responsible for so much pain and suffering in the world.  Here is the place we will discover that the life we lead is not about us, but rather about God experiencing himself through each of us in a unique and mysterious way.

Democracy versus Autocracy

Old and New model of church

The term ‘People of God’ was first introduced by Vatican II in its document now known as the ‘Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Church’ (Lumen Gentium). This document radically introduced a church that has moved away from the previous overemphasis on the hierarchy to a concept of church as including the whole people of God. Thus the major shift at Vatican II was from a church too concerned with juridical and the official church aware of itself as a mystery that expresses the love of God for all humankind.

Pope Benedict XVI on several occasions firmly criticized dissent from church teachings as disobedience of God's will.  While this charge would affect an estimated 90+ percent of Catholic women who have practiced birth control at one time of more during their lives – it is hardly encouraging for any meaningful and true dialogue between the faithful and the clergy on matters of faith.    

In this regard “the body of the faithful as a whole, anointed as they are by the Holy One (cf. 1 John 2:20,27), cannot err in matters of belief. Thanks to a supernatural sense of the faith (sensus fidei) which characterizes the people as a whole, it manifests this unerring quality when ‘from the bishops down to the last member of the laity,’ it shows universal agreement on matters of faith and morals” (Lumen Gentium, 12).

When Benedict quotes his understanding of “sensus fidei” he subordinates its meaning by adding that this sense of faith “can come only when Catholics actively participate in the life of the church and follow the teaching of the pope and bishops”.  In other words, only the Catholic hierarchy alone holds the truth.    

The Church Is a Democracy

Daniel C. Maguire, Professor of Ethics at Marquette University offers this valuable insight on why the Church Is a Democracy  

http://www.religiousconsultation.org/Church_IS_a_Democracy.htm

Clericalism and its Culture

The Cardinal's Portrait 
Toby E. Rosenthal 

The Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests from Vatican II clarified the duties of priests and their relationship with bishops and lay people, It implied that priests should foster greater involvement of laypeople in the life of the Church.  This document stood in direct opposition to the historic problem of CLERICALISM.    

The dictionary defines Clericalism as a policy of maintaining or increasing the power of a religious hierarchy.  When some clerics believe they are the untouchable representatives of the People of God endowed with the power to control and determine which person is a ‘Real Roman Catholic’, they will have failed their true calling.

The role of the Church is not to determine who is in, who is out, who is worthy and holy, or whose theology and Tradition is right or wrong.

 

Jesus meets us where we are, not where others would have us be.  When clerics feel the need to compare themselves with  those who fall short of being a ‘real catholic’ it suggests a definite lack of humility,compassion as well of an understanding where theologically informed adults are.  Even so, these clerics are themselves victims of the hierarchical system that drew them in with its appeal to their romantic pre-adolescent idealism.

This kind of outdated clericalism thrived in pre-Vatican II era and restores the high times of the hierarchical Church.  Eugene Cullen Kennedy emeritus professor of psychology warned  “Clerical redux energizes this spreading movement to reinstate that Neverland age of Catholicism when priests controlled the church, lay people knew their place, the Mass was in Latin, God was in His heaven and all was right with the world.”

  

It has been fifty years since Vatican II but there are still some obvious vestiges of clericalism that need to be addressed.

 

The quote from Eugene Cullen Kennedy noted above was taken from a two-part article which he wrote in 2011 under the general heading of ‘Set-decorator Catholicism’.  Part 1 ‘The Common traits of set-decorators’, and Part 2 ‘Clericalism thrives in a new phase of the sex abuse crisis’.

Both can be viewed in detail, courtesy The National Catholic Reporter as follows:

Part 1. http://ncronline.org/blogs/bulletins-human-side/set-decorator-catholicism-common-traits-set-decorators

 

Part 2. http://ncronline.org/blogs/bulletins-human-side/set-decorator-catholicism-clericalism-thrives-new-phase-sex-abuse-crisis

       

Both articles describe how the Roman Catholic Church came to and continues to struggle with the sex-abuse scandal and how CLERICALISM fostered the ongoing crisis.  Professor Kennedy colourfully illustrates how traditionalist clergy are like ‘set-decorators who treat their people as if they were children to be set right rather than as theologically informed adults to be nourished in their understanding of faith.’  He supports this observation with the need to respect the voices of Vatican II which promotes clergy and laity as equals.  When seen and treated as complimentary equals the Church will finally be able to honestly address the myriad of issues and challenges it faces today for a better and healthier tomorrow.  

 

Suggested reading: 'Clerical Culture - Contradiction and Transformation' (2004), Michael L, Papesh, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN.    

VATICAN II FAIL

"Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins.
If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." - Matthew 9:17 (NIV)

 

THE IMPACT OF VATICAN II on lay people is best described by Rev. Maurice O'Connell and Joseph Stoutzenberger in their book ‘The Church Through History (2003) as follows:

Anyone born after 1960 grew up in the post-Vatican II Church. There are Catholics who remember when the Church meant priests and nuns, when the Mass was entirely in Latin, when a Catholic wouldn't dare set foot in the church of another religion, and when not eating meat on Fridays was a Catholic's most distinguishing characteristic. In hindsight, the seeds of change were planted before Vatican II, the council promoted the growth, and major developments have continued to take place in the Church up to the present time.

 

   The Council Was More than Its Documents

 

   While the council produced sixteen documents, the impact of the council cannot be reduced to its documents. The council carried with it a spirit of inquiry and self-reflection, an attitude of dialogue, and an openness to change that went beyond the walls of Saint Peter's Basilica where the bishops met. As word leaked out about discussions taking place within Saint Peter's, Catholics in many parts of the world were buzzing about topics related to their religion that they had taken for granted a few years earlier. Lively discussion and anticipation were the order of the day. It was an exciting time to be Catholic.

No one knew where the Holy Spirit would lead the Church. When the bishops voted on a particular statement or called for further debate on a controversial issue, they were never completely certain what all the consequences would be. Realizing that they did not have time to investigate all matters, the bishops designated commissions to study various aspects of Church life and to recommend changes over the coming years. For instance, commissions were formed to update each sacrament's theology and practice. The efforts of these commissions would bring about changes in the rites of the sacraments over the next ten years. For example, the new rite of the Sacrament of Penance, or Reconciliation, emphasized the communal nature and scriptural basis of the sacrament, which were barely noticeable in its previous form. As a result of changes to this sacrament, during the 1970s young Catholics learned about "celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation" while older Catholics talked about "going to confession." In other words, there was a different emphasis accompanying the newer experience of the sacrament compared to the former experience. The same can be said for each of the sacraments, as well as for many other Church practices.

 

   In his historic book ‘What Happened At Vatican II' (2008) professor John W. O’Malley accurately captures the drama of the council, depicting the colorful characters involved and their clashes with one another. The book also offers a new set of interpretive categories for understanding the council’s dynamics categories that move beyond the tired “progressive” and “conservative”labels. As we approach the fiftieth anniversary (October 11, 2012) of the calling of the council, O’Malley’s work reveals in a new way the spirit of Vatican II. His book is a critical resource for understanding the Catholic Church today, including the pontificate of Benedict XVI.
    
  
VATICAN II TODAY – A QUICK OVERVIEW 

   Readers may want to take advantage of reading a brief and compact summary below, of the sixteen Vatican II documents which includes the Titles, Theme and Implications for each document. This summary was made available with kind permission from its author Dennis M. Doyle.  As Professor of Religious Studies at Dayton University Professor Doyle specializes in such topics as  'Vatican II', 'Just War doctrine' and 'Sexual Abuse in the Church'. His book The Church Emerging from Vatican II – A Popular Approach to Contemporary Catholicism (rev. 2002) is an excellent resource for those who want to learn more about Vatican II. 



Vatican II docs.
Part 1
click to enlarge

Vatican II docs.
Part 2
click to enlarge

  There is very little doubt among Vatican observers today that beginning with the reign of John Paul II and his successor Benedict XVI both Popes have made serious attempts and efforts to reinterpret the original intent and impact of Vatican II on the ‘People of God’ (laity and clerics as equals) who represent the Catholic Church today. Benedict, in particular, wants to return to a time before Vatican II and likes to express his backward looking reforms as the necessary “hermeneutic of reform and continuity”. These strange words simply mean interpreting our understanding of faith over time.

 

  The Roman Catholic Magisterium (teaching body of the church) believes that Vatican II went too far and therefore wants to retract the proposed documents in a format that looks more like the Roman Catholic church before Vatican II. Using such strange words often will or perhaps expressly confuse the masses. God’s gift of faith is meant as a starting point – it cannot remain static. It implies a responsibility on behalf of the recipient to nurture this gift daily for it to grow and blossom over time. The same applies to church documents. Inspired by the Holy Spirit it must be allowed to grow over time. One cannot remain static or go backwards. The world around us, can only move forwards (isn’t that the dynamic of the Spirit?). Pope John XXIII recognized this fact all too well when he opened the council with the Latin word “aggiornamento’ meaning lets open the windows to a fresh beginning.

 

   Opponents to developments introduced by Vatican II were present (although a minority) almost from the very beginning of the Council and remain to this very day. Development to the opposition suggested progress. John O’Malley describes it beautifully as follows “Development takes the present as its starting point and looks to the future for even greater fulfillment . Opponents to change or development prefer to use the French term Ressourcement (another strange word). Ressourcement is skeptical of the present because of what is has discovered in the past. Soon competition for supremacy formed two opposing parties. According to O’Malley ‘had the conflict been foretold, few would have wagered that an overwhelming majority or bishops, hovering between 85 and 90 percent would so early on, so consistently, and so insistently side with “the Transalpines” [progressives]. Yet they did. This convergence meant that the council moved in a direction that no one could have predicted’.

 

   At this point readers may ask ‘why after almost fifty years, are we still finding opposition to the full implementation of Vatican II? In one word the answer is CHANGE. To a certain extend we all resist change. For one thing it forces us out of our comfort zone. For an institution it can mean loss of power, control and esteem. At risk is the question of equality when the council affirmed that obedience to one’s own conscience was to be everyone’s moral and ethical obligation. Church teaching could now be disobeyed provided it was done so in prayer and consultation with established doctrine. Compare this to Benedict’s recent warning that equates ‘dissent’ from Church teachings as a direct disobedience to God. The fathers of Vatican II thought otherwise:

 

“Deep within their consciences men and women discover a law that they have not laid upon themselves but which they must obey. Its voice, ever calling them to love and to do what is good and to avoid what is evil, tells them inwardly at the right moment: do this, shun that. For they have in their hearts a law inscribed by God. Their dignity lies in observing this law, and by it they will be judged . . . By conscience that law is made known in a wonderful that is fulfilled in love for God and for one's neighbour. Through loyalty to conscience Christians are joined to others in the search for truth and for the right solution to so many moral problems that arise both in the lives of individuals and in social relationships”. - Pastoral Constitution on the Modern World

Still another threat to the institution was the affirmation regarding Religious Liberty which reads:

 The dignity of the human person is a concern of which people of our time are becoming increasingly more aware. In growing numbers people demand that they should enjoy the use of their own responsi­ble judgment and freedom and decide on their actions on grounds of duty and conscience, without external pressure or coercion. They also urge that bounds be set to government by law, so that the limits of reasonable freedom should not be too tightly drawn for persons or for social groups. This demand in human society for freedom is chiefly concerned with the values of the human spirit, above all with the free and public practice of religion. - On Religious Liberty, Dignitatis Humanae

 

  

Even though the Vatican and some bishops insist that ‘religious freedom’ is being eroded through the influence of secularism they have never enjoyed greater freedom especially to express their opinion worldwide. There is little doubt that this opposition is fueled by a desire to return to the glory days of clericalism and imperialism of the Church. There are many other issues that continue to be debated between those who want to return to a more comfortable and recognizable time and those that want and need to experience a more inclusive and ecumenical community.

No doubt the Roman hierarchy continues to experience all of its self-inflicted wounds, from the hiding of the sexual abuse scandal,  its declining membership, to its failure to adopt the principles of Vatican II. These obvious failures cannot be blamed on the news media, secularist, the rise of atheism or a growing list of other things. The Roman Catholic Institution has simply failed to meet the people they were called to serve and are ignoring those who have left the church, while embracing the once excommunicated ultra orthodox community of St. Pius X, as well a few disenchanted Anglicans who fear homosexual clergy. All this is being done in favour of maintaining outdated orthodoxy and a position of power and control.

 

  It is no secret that the Vatican today is in the hands of Traditionalist better known perhaps as the Roman Curia which of course includes Benedict XVI. Catholics should ask ‘how is it that a minority now rules the roost’? The answer again is quite simple. John Paul II a charismatic leader and actor understood what it meant to hold and gain power. He had witnessed the harsh and deadly  power structure that successfully ruled Eastern Europe and Russia for nearly seventy years, including his beloved Poland. If he was defeat the 'enemy' he realized that he needed an equal or even stronger power structure in his church. Together with Cardinal Ratzinger the Roman Catholic church build an empire that would eventually help to overthrow its most feared enemy* since the formation in 1917 by Vladimir Lenin called communism.

 

To build such a powerful church, ironically based on a very worldly model, the church decided to consolidate and centralize its operation in the following calculated manner:

 

• Pope John Paul II expanded The College of Cardinals role by calling on  them – and not the Synod of Bishops –for advice and counsel on certain key issues, like church finances and the child abuse crisis. More importantly it is this group that holds the exclusive and political right to elect the next pope. This move virtually eliminated the need for collegiality. Collegiality, introduced by Vatican II was intended to bring together the way in which the Pope and bishops form a body of ministers to make decisions to lead and guide the one billion Catholics of the world.

 

• Pope Benedict XVI refused to recognize that it is the laity, the most numerous body of the church and rightfully recognized by Vatican II as the ‘People of God’ that have an equal role to play in the spiritual and political direction of the church. In that sense the Catholic hierarchy including The College of Cardinals therefore usurps the right of the laity to take part in the church’s future.

 

Today the Roman Curia remains in total denial as it tries to hide behind its ongoing failures by diverting our attention to matters such as homosexuality, abortion, masturbation, in-vitro fertilization, or the new enemies. These pelvic issues have long since been resolved by most informed Catholics and actually remind us that thus far the Church remains silent on the systemic and endemic issues that led to the sexual abuse crisis in the first place. As for the future of Vatican II do not be misled into thinking that it has failed or that it can be ignored. The power and energy it released is greater than the documents it produced and is therefore still among us. We only have to be ready for change.
 

* Note:  

The Roman Catholic church’s obsessive fight against the spread of communism from its very beginning may have literally obscured their sight of an even greater enemy -the  rise of fascism. In fact, Pius IX “supported any policy or any man who would oppose and fight Soviet Russia”.  Perhaps as a result of this ‘blindness’ Pius IX and Hitler forged a false alliance in 1933 in the form of a binding concordant (still in effect today) giving the Nazi party political control over the Catholic Church. At the same time it possibly gave rise to several controversial but known Catholic Nazi sympathizers or collaborators such as the founder of Opus Dei,  St. Josemaría Escrivá, and Croatia’s  Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac. During October 3, 1998 Pope John Paul II took steps to beatify Stepinac by declaring that the cardinal had indeed been martyred.  Four years later, also during the month of October, Escrivá was canonized by Pope John Paul II. During 2011 Benedict stopped to pray at the tomb of this controversial figure.  Misplaced Nazi sympathies may also have been responsible for the secret establishment known as the ‘Rat Line’ through which several high placed members of the  Catholic clergy became active collaborators, as early as December 1944,  to aid the escape of wanted Nazi war criminals to several neutral countries. We will possibly never know where Pius XII sympathies laid during these difficult times.  Without that knowledge efforts to cannonize Pius XII will simply remain contraversial. 
More importantly is it not time we learned from our mistakes or sins rather than keeping them hidden?

For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity - Proverbs 24-16 

 

 

The Church admits its mistakes

'The pedophilia scandals oblige us to take a journey of transformation.'—Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini



Carlo Maria Martini, SJ
(15 February 1927 - 31 August 2012)

Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, 85, died Friday and his interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera was published the next day. In the interview, Martini urged the church to enact radical changes. He lambasted the church for being “tired as our culture has aged and is at least 200 years behind.  Our churches are big and empty while our rituals and our cassocks are pompous. So why doesn't it rouse itself? Is it afraid?".

Martini also emphasized that “The Church must admit its mistakes and begin a radical change, starting from the pope and the bishops. The pedophilia scandals oblige us to take a journey of transformation."

Once the archbishop of Milan, the Cardinal had been tipped as a possible future pope. During his time leading the largest diocese in Europe, he was outspoken and often critical in his remarks and writings about the church. Martini retired in 2002, suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

His criticism of the church covered a wide area and frequently came into direct conflict with  church governance and its doctrine.

For example he called for greater collegiality in the governance of the Church and urged continued reflection on the structure and exercise of ecclesiastical authority. He demonstrated a desire for further theological enquiry on issues relating to human sexuality and the role of women in the Church. He expressed support for the ordination of female deacons.

In a September 2004 message to a symposium on the Holy Land and interreligious dialogue, the cardinal wrote that Christians who visit Jerusalem should suspend judgment on the political situation there and simply pray for both sides. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict had become so complicated and painful that even an expert would have trouble sorting it out, he said.

In a November 2004 speech at Rome's Gregorian University, he told Catholics they could not understand their faith unless they understood the Jewish faith practiced by Jesus and his disciples.

 

In March 2007 he openly criticised the attitude of the Church authorities, while speaking at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem to a congregation of over 1,300 visitors, he remarked that "The Church does not give orders." Martini stated that "It is necessary to listen to others, and when speaking to use terms that they understand."

In his book Credere e conoscere, published shortly before his death, Martini set out his disagreement with the Catholic teaching against homosexual civil unions. “I disagree with the positions of those in the Church, that take issue with civil unions”, he wrote. “It is not bad, instead of casual sex between men, that two people have a certain stability” and that the “state could recognize them.” Although he stated his belief that "the homosexual couple, as such, can never be totally equated to a marriage" he also said that he could understand (although not necessarily approve) of gay pride parades when they support the need for self-affirmation.

The cardinal also said the reformed liturgy that came out of the Second Vatican Council marked "a real step forward" in nourishing Catholics "with the word of God, offered in a much more abundant way than before," with a much larger selection of Scripture readings.

In 2007, in a letter to an Italian newspaper, Cardinal Martini expressed qualified support for a patient’s right to die, urging the Vatican to honor the requests of terminally ill patients who ask “in all lucidity” for life-prolonging treatments to be withdrawn.

In a 2008 book-length interview titled "Nighttime Conversations in Jerusalem," Cardinal Martini said Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical "Humanae Vitae" ("Of Human Life"), which taught that artificial birth control was morally wrong, led many Catholics to distance themselves from the church and from listening to and being challenged by the Catholic vision of human sexuality.

To think I had never before heard about this incredibly courageous individual before?       

College of Cardinals and Vatican II

Cardinal Collins receives red hat

The College of Cardinals, a group of approximately 120 members (as we know them today) has a relatively short history in the Roman Catholic Church.  As part of the ecclesiastical reforms of the eleventh century, the bishops and priests who were cardinals gained increased significance and became a collegial body under Pope Nicholas II.  

The College of Cardinals has become increasingly influential in the church.  Pope John Paul II expanded their role by calling on them – and not the Synod of Bishops – for advice and counsel on certain key issues, like church finances and the child abuse crisis.  More importantly it is this group that holds the exclusive and political right to elect the next pope. 

At Vatican II the decline of monarchy and the democratic ethos prompted the rediscovery of a traditional Christian conviction: every member of the church is fundamentally equal in dignity, destiny and rights.  Vatican II reclaimed this truth and wanted to infuse the church’s life and thinking.  So the Council re-framed the roles of the Pope, bishops and priests from superiority to service.  This concept remains most vigorously opposed by the present hierarchy.  Pope Benedict XVI refuses to recognize that it is the laity, the most numerous body of the church and rightfully recognized by Vatican II as the ‘People of God’, have an equal role to play in the spiritual and political direction of the church. In that sense the Catholic hierarchy including The College of Cardinals therefore usurps the right of the laity to take part in the church’s future.

Cardinal's Oath

I [name and surname], Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, promise and swear to be faithful henceforth and forever, while I live, to Christ and his Gospel, being constantly obedient to the Holy Roman Apostolic Church, to Blessed Peter in the person of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI, and of his canonically elected Successors; to maintain communion with the Catholic Church always, in word and deed; not to reveal to any one what is confided to me in secret, nor to divulge what may bring harm or dishonor to Holy Church; to carry out with great diligence and faithfulness those tasks to which I am called by my service to the Church, in accord with the norms of the law.
So help me Almighty God.

[Translation by Zenit.]

The recent display of opulence at the Vatican surrounding the election of 22 new Cardinals flies in the face of world wide poverty and the promise to uphold the 'preferential option for the poor'.  

Anyone who thinks that the church’s hierarchy is simply a body that exists primarily to benefit the people it serves relinquishes their most important role and responsibility as Christians to serve the world community in the manner portrayed by Jesus Christ .  Under Canon Law all Catholics are called to share in this responsibility as follows:

•     All Catholics have the right to follow their informed consciences in all matters (Canon 748,1).

• Officers of the church have the right to teach on all matters both of private and public morality only after wide consultation with the faithful prior to the formulation (C.212,C747,C749,C752,C774.1).

• All Catholics have the right to engage in any activity that does not infringe on the rights of others: e.g. they have the right to freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of association (C.212,C.215,C.223)

• All Catholics have the right of access to all information possessed by Church authorities concerning the former's spiritual and temporal welfare, provided such access does not infringe on the rights of others (C.218,C.221,C.223,C.1287).

• All Catholics have the right in a voice in all decisions that affect hem including the choosing of their leaders. All Catholics have the right to have their leaders accountable to them. (C492,C.1287).
• All Catholics have the right to form voluntary associations to pursue Catholic aims, including the right to worship together, such associations have the right to decide on their own rules of governance (C.215, C.299,C.300,C.305,C.309).

·       All Catholics have the right to express publicly their dissent in regard to decisions made by church authorities (C212,C.218,C.753).

• All Catholics have the right while being mindful of Gospel norms to follow whatever paths will enhance their life in Christ; that is their self-realization as unique human beings created by God. They also have the right to guidance that will foster authentic human living both on a personal level and in relation to their communities and the world (C.213).

• All Catholics regardless of race, age, nationality or sex and sexual orientation, state of life or social position have the right to receive all the sacraments for which they are adequately prepared (C.213, C.843).
• All Catholics have the right to have church office holders foster a sense of community. (C.369).

     Since the College of Cardinals and Bishops must swear an oath of fidelity and obedience to the Pope and his Successors its political implications cannot be avoided.  The ever increasing tension between those who want to hold on to Tradition as it existed before Vatican II and those of the ‘Sensus Fidelium’ who visualize and desire a community  that moves and speaks to their struggles and concerns in the present.  This tension is being escalated by a hierarchy that is simply built on power and control.

Competing Catholic Catechisms

There have been several official Roman Catholic Catechisms since the Council of Trent. It will surprise some readers that these have not always agreed on every aspect of Catholic belief or faith –perhaps none more so as it affects the question of homosexuality.

‘A New Catechism – Catholic Faith for Adults', The Seabury Press, New York, NY., (1973) ISBN 0-8164-1070-4 Nihil Obstat: Leo J. Steady, Censor Librorum. Imprimatur +Robert F. Joyce, Bishop of Burlington, September 1969. In the years following its issue, this Catechism was the only comprehensive book of its kind within the Church.

A New Catechism better known as the ‘Dutch Catechism’ was the first post-Vatican II Catholic catechism. It was commissioned and authorized by the Catholic hierarchy of the Netherlands and went through various publishers after reaching the North American market.

The above publication was the popular Catechism for Roman Catholics during the sixties and seventies. My wife and I originally received our (1967) copy from the Church upon completion of Interfaith classes in Toronto. Today Catholics are perhaps more familiar with the 1983 version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church from the CCCB.

The 1973 edition in comparison to the current Catechism is more user friendly; completely devoid of the 'top down' legalistic format and archaic language associated with the current 1983 edition from Rome.

The 1973 edition is still valid and legitimate for many practicing Catholics and available along with the Baltimore Catechism. In fact, the current 1983 edition reads: “This catechism is not intended to replace the local catechisms, duly approved by the ecclesiastical authorities, the diocesan Bishops and the Episcopal Conferences, especially if they have been approved by the Apostolic See.”

HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE CATECHISMS

Catechism of the Catholic Church (1983) There are several inherent problems with the 1983 issue

The popular Catholic understanding that “Scripture presents homosexual acts as sinful . . . . contradicts the 1973 edition which holds:"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 . . . .The very sharp strictures of Scripture on homosexual practices (Gen. 1; Rom. 1) must be read in their context.”

Actually the Bible has no adequate treatment on homosexuality. There is no evidence to suggest that any biblical author had even a vague notion that homosexuality could be a lifelong disposition.

Official Catholic statements frequently used to support the unchanging traditions of the Church are usually preceded with the statement “tradition has always declared . . .’ clearly contradict the views held about homosexuality in these contradicting catechisms.

Additionally, it is well known that perhaps as many as one-third of Catholic priest are homosexual. It is most likely that many of them are sexually active.

The 1983 Catechism declares “homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity” and as intrinsically disordered”. These highly volatile statements are frequently used by some people to condemn homosexuals in general. Such language can be found among fundamentalist to promote an atmosphere of physical and emotional hatred even death. Its victims are denigrated as less, unwanted or  evil – resulting in much emotional suffering and sometimes lead to suicide. Efforts to compromise these damaging statements by announcing that Catholics must “love the person and hate the sin” appear meaningless and devoid of a Christ-like attitude of compassion.

Most practicing Catholics do not possess a copy of a Catholic Catechism. Exposure to current teachings on homosexuality is extremely limited due to the controversial nature as well of lack of understanding by members of the clergy on the subject.

Neither The Catechism of The Council of Trent (1566) nor the Baltimore Catechism (the de facto standard Catholic school text in the North America from 1885 to the late 1960s) include any specific reference to homosexuality.

On Natural Law

Arguments that homosexuality contravenes ‘Natural Law’ must be tempered by the primacy of ‘Freedom of Conscience'. According to the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, we discover the natural law in the depths of our conscience. The natural law is written in the human heart by God. “To obey it is the very dignity of the human person; according to it the human person will be judged” (n. 16; see also the Declaration on Religious Freedom, nn. 2, 3, 14).

These comparisons reveal the depths and gulf that currently exists between some Roman Catholic teachings since Vatican II. Many priests are emotionally and physically exhausted by these contentious issues. Vatican II, like it or not – either it happened or none of the previous twenty-one councils did not take place either.

To suppress sexuality, regardless of gender preferences, inevitably results in different forms of abuse. We need to address the issue of homosexuality and human sexuality (chastity) in an honest and Christ like manner – not in the vindictive and often confusing language emanating from Rome.

Many people may not approve of blatant outward expressions of homosexuality, parades, etc.  after years of persecution perhaps we would do the same thing.

Marriage, Homosexuality, Contraception

We need to dispel the Catholic understanding that the act of Homosexuality is a sin because it goes against the totality that the marital act requires.

The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World no longer insisted that the primary purpose of the marital act was about begetting children. The central focus of this document is now on the love between the two spouses, through their life in Jesus Christ. Church teaching on the marital state requires spousal acceptance of each other's failures and faults and the recognition that the "call to holiness in marriage" is one that requires a process of spiritual growth and conversion that can last throughout life.
The Catholic Church has reached a stage of intense crisis as far as authority in matters of human sexuality. Its credibility is weak. The official statements of the Church still hand down the black-and-white prescriptions of the past with hardly any reference to advances in the human sciences or even to the latest findings in scriptural, dogmatic and moral theology.



Finally, to quote Fr. Thomas Bokenkotter, author of Dynamic Cathlicism, “Homosexuals who seek to fulfill their sexual needs in the context of a stable, loving relationship are not acting immorally. Their decision of conscience should be respected by the Church and they should be welcomed to the Eucharistic table.”




On Contraception

Pope Paul's message was that it is immoral for a married couple to have sex merely to express mutual love, that they must also preserve the possibility of procreation. His logical mistake was to claim that the hapless rhythm method of birth control (periodic abstinence) could be approved because it retained an intrinsic link to procreation -- when, in fact, both partners were seeking to avoid procreation.

A few theologians pointed out Paul's errors publicly and incurred the wrath of the church. Charles Curran, for example, who led a group of protesting theologians, was forbidden to continue teaching moral theology at Catholic University.

For those who sensed the specter of 'Catholic Conservatism' or those  opposed to the work of Vatican II;  the following article from Time Magazine, December 1, 1967 might be of interest.

"Catechism in Dutch

Some Roman Catholic prelates have done all they could to discourage U.S. circulation of the Dutch catechism (TIME, Aug. 18, 1967), a lively, undogmatic compendium of doctrine that reflects the most recent radical insights of theologians and scripture scholars. First the Roman Curia ordered a thorough study of the Dutch original to make sure that it contained no errors. Then Bishop Robert F. Joyce of Burlington, Vt., withdrew his imprimatur (permission to publish) from the American edition, and Holland's Bernard Jan Cardinal Alfrink complained that the book was going to press with an unauthorized use of his original imprimatur. Finally, Los Angeles' crusty James Francis Cardinal Mclntyre banned it from the church-run bookstore in his archdiocese. The stores operated by Boston's Daughters of St. Paul also refused to display it.

Nonetheless, the Dutch catechism has become one of the year's religious bestsellers. Herder & Herder, publisher of the American edition, reports that its first printing of 75,000 copies was sold out in three weeks. Although the National Conference of Catholic Bishops this month decided that the catechism should not be used in parochial schools, some Catholic colleges have ordered it for their religion courses. What was written for the Dutch is apparently destined to instruct the world. In The Netherlands, where the catechism has sold more than 400,000 copies so far, its publishers report that ten new translations will go to press in 1968".

Note:  I have been unable to discover the precise reason why the Vatican prelates tried unsuccessfully to ban the publication of the New Catholic Catechism.  If anyone knows I would appreciate  the exact reasoning behind it. It may not have had anything to do with the question of homosexuality.