All you need to know to diagnose the state of the Catholic Church in America today is that Pope Benedict XVI — who has a knack for ticking off both Muslims and Jews — spent a recent week wandering the Middle East, yet Catholics here barely noticed. They were too busy fighting over Barack Obama’s appearance as commencement speaker at Notre Dame or arguing about the fate of a popular Miami priest known as “Father Oprah,” who was caught on camera sharing a seaside embrace with his girlfriend.
Is this what Catholicism in America has come to? Bickering about whether Notre Dame is really Catholic, or whether a priest can make out on the beach with his gal pal? Well, yes. And that should come as no surprise.
Since the emergence of Catholicism in the 19th century as a counterweight to the United States’ reigning Protestant culture, American Catholics have struggled to balance their desire to assimilate into society with the fear of losing their faith in the nation’s melting pot. These new controversies show that, in the Catholic saga, assimilation is winning.
Protestants are in the same boat.
Be aware: this is libcat spin. If you like that sort of thing, enjoy yourself.
The money phrase:
This priority on unity is the principle that most American Catholics still live by,
Sound familiar? It’s not that much different than “Schism is worse than heresy”, is it!
It’s Notre Dame and Mr. Cutie who represent cultural assimilation. That significant numbers of Catholics have objected to those two factors obviously concerns the writer, who, one suspects, actually believes that his ideology is the wave of the future.Unfortunately, he misses two things: the people leaving are his sort. The rising youth actually believe the Faith. His sort are aging and dying off and the Mass goers (i.e. the practicing Catholics) aren’t his sort at all.
Defending the faith is not trivial. Without the age of internet, and instant news feeds, it would have probably been weeks before we even knew that Pope Benedict was GOING to the Holy Land.
In the meantime, we (generic “we”) have to live in our world, and strive for holiness where we are. Thus the Catholics who stood up against the administration of Notre Dame were justified in so doing, without any conflict with the Holy Father’s visit.
Jim Elliott <>< Florida
Honestly this author is making a lot of assumptions that are false. For one thing there are not two branches of Catholicism, a liberal branch and an orthodox branch. Where in the liberal branch you get to pick and choose the doctrine of the month and stand fast against the Vatican bullies. The proper name for liberal Catholic (liberal in matters of doctrine not in politics) is heterodox and as such they put themselves outside of the Church. There is only one Catholic faith (not talking about the different Rites here) no matters how the momos such as this author and others spin it. And that faith is pretty dang clear on what dogmas are binding upon the faithful.
And if you continue to delude yourself and try to delude others by saying you are Catholic but support abortion or are Catholic and support gay marriage or are Catholic and think the Pope is just another local Bishop you are at best a misguided ignorant innocent and at worst a lying traitor dedicated to destroying the Church.
If you disagree with Catholic doctrine but still believe in the essentials of Christianity such as the Trinity, you need to be honest and find the nearest Protestant church which teaches a doctrine you agree with. Or since a lot of these so called liberal Catholics find any orthodox exression of Christian doctrine too stifling, find an inclusive church or sacred circle or self actualization seminar and have at it. Cause honestly the whole idea of worshipping some distant Creator just really cramps one’s whole aspect of one’s place in the universe.
The lack of maturity of faith amongst so many Catholics these days is a shame and a sin. All those Bishops, priests, catechists and other lay Catholics who tried so hard to be relevant to the culture in the years following the Second Vatican Council will be spending some extra time in Purgatory. The good news is the damage can be mitigated. It will mean a smaller Church and it will mean being seen as a thorn in the culture’s side and at times even an outright enemy. But hey Christ never promised easy and popular.
Thank goodness for the Paula Loughlin’s of this world!
CBH, rather thank the Grace of God, which has allowed me and so many other to see the error and pain of our sins and be restored to Him under His mercy for Christ’s sake.
Paula, I caught that as soon as I sent it. Yes, thanks be to God.