As you know, there are three basic issues in the recent public debate. The first is empirical: does the current legislation permit the funding of abortion beyond the restrictions imposed by the Hyde amendment, that testimony to a faithful Catholic politician from Illinois that has been the firewall keeping public money out of funding almost all abortions and out of insurance plans that fund abortion? What we have is legislation that, by vote, first in the Senate and then confirmed in the House, explicitly removed the Hyde amendment restrictions from this federal law. Lay people who carefully analyzed the contents of the legislation as it was being torturously crafted freed us, the bishops, to make the necessary moral judgments. Some have protested that the legislation is complicated and we therefore shouldn’t pretend to judge it. If you will excuse my saying so, this implies either that no one can understand or judge complicated pieces of legislation, in which case it is immoral to act until sufficient clarity is obtained, or it is to say that only bishops are too dense to understand complicated pieces of legislation! In fact, developments since the passage of the legislation have settled the empirical issue: our analysis of what the law itself says was correct, and our moral judgments are secure and correct. Throughout this public debate, the bishops kept the moral and intellectual integrity of the faith intact, and I thank in your name those who helped us in exercising our obligations as moral teachers in the Church.
The second issue is ecclesiological: who speaks for the Catholic Church? We bishops have no illusions about our speaking for everyone who considers himself or herself Catholic; but that is not our job. We speak for the apostolic faith, and those who hold it gather round. We must listen to the sensus fidei, the sense of the faith itself in the lives of our people, but this is different from intellectual trends and public opinion. The faith has its own warrants in Scripture and tradition, and we consult them and listen to the apostolic voices of those who have gone before us as carefully as we must listen to those whom the Lord has given us to govern on our watch, in our day, as they strive to work out their salvation in the midst of contemporary challenges. The bishops in apostolic communion and in union with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome, speak for the Church in matters of faith and in moral issues and the laws surrounding them. All the rest is opinion, often well-considered and important opinion that deserves a careful and respectful hearing, but still opinion.
The third issue is practical: how should faithful Catholics approach political issues that are also moral?
I thought this was interesting:-
[blockquote]The bishops in apostolic communion and in union with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome, speak for the Church in matters of faith and in moral issues and the laws surrounding them. All the rest is opinion, often well-considered and important opinion that deserves a careful and respectful hearing, but still opinion.[/blockquote]
Bearing in mind some recent action to muzzle a Capuchin priest from Cardinal Levada, brought to mind our voluble and independent-minded bishops who are off to Rome. Bishop Broadhurst in particular has enjoyed complete freedom to say exactly what he likes, whenever he likes, a freedom he takes full advantage of. When the dust has settled, I wonder if he will find the same freedom doing the Vatican Rag as he does on the Lambeth Walk?
To answer your question, he won’t have that same freedom if he publicly undermines any infallible teaching of the Church. If he stays within the bounds of Catholic orthodoxy, he won’t be encumbered in any way.
#2 Thanks – and I suppose a priori he will have to accept that some teaching of the Church is infallible. He is certainly ‘orthodox’, but he comes from the Oxford Movement tradition in our church which was founded upon stretching the limits of what was then considered Anglican orthodoxy, and in doing so was influential in changing that orthodoxy.
No doubt if he keeps his nose clean he won’t be encumbered in any way; I just wonder how easy he and his friends will find that in reality.
All Christians in the USA, who see themselves as part of the Great Tradition, owe Francis Cardinal George their gratitude for his leadership of the USCCB these past three years. Finally, the US bishops as a conference have begun to speak out clearly and convincingly on the culture of Life issues and have actually exercised their teaching and governing authority to correct errant theological opinions. In the not to distant future all Christians of the Great Tradition may well find themselves more and more marginalized in our society and it will be a great comfort to have an institution like the Catholic Church as a bulwark against the gathering storm.
I know from Catholic friends that Cardinal George is a full participant to provide cover for those who are part of the lavender priesthood in the Catholic church, he’s provided cover for a seminary in Illinois that is over run by those who demand the erosion of tenets of the Catholic church, as well as the pedophile scandal. Last I spoke with her, she was very nervous about the upcoming vote for the leadership of the USCCB, as one of George’s cronies was involved with the sex scandal cover up.
Don’t worry, ++Dolan is now the USCCB president! That last comment seems perilously close to gossip, to me.
Mari, you forgot to report that Cardinal George has also been providing cover for the hapless Cubs. How else could so many fans continue to support the Cubs unless the blue organization was getting cover from the Chancery.
This is not a joking matter, Phil Swain.
There ARE ‘lavender’ priests and their sympathizers in the RC (as well as the CoE which has ‘gay’ priests with full spousal benefits for their SS partners). The 5 AngloCat Bishops going to Rome are not going into a pristine org. and they jolly well know it. They have tolerated openly ‘gay’ priests for a long while, and covertly gay bishops, they just cannot tolerate ordination of women and women bishops.
The RC has tolerated their ‘gay’ priests… just not as openly as in the CoE and TEC. With the RC, cleaning house and breaking fellowship has not been a viable option. In the past, they just kept sweeping their problem priests and bishops under the family rug. Nowadays, errant clergy, such as Bishop Lahey who was caught dealing child porn, will have to deal with the civil authorities.
Problem is, in the UK and some other countries, the civil authorities are more likely to arrest people who believe and stand up for Biblical truth. Psychologists and legislators are being ‘lobbied’ (hounded/incessantly harrassed) by the sickos to lower the age of consent and recognize childrens ‘sexual rights’. Agencies are allowing children to be adopted by homosex couples. (See Isaiah 59:14-15) Child sex trafficking, internet porn, abortion and drugs are big businesses, run by exceedingly ruthless lawless people.
Sin is sin, whether or not it is legalized by an ungodly government or blessed by ungodly shepherds. Sin never a static containable isolated condition, but a malignant, highly invasive, metastasizing condition and is usually or eventually accompanied by addictions and compulsion. Sin affects (enters, attacks, infects and destroys individuals, organizations and nations) the whole being, spirit, soul and body. Michael Bauman, PhD has an excellent chapter on sin in his online book, The Creed. (http://www.michaelbauman.com/creedch11.htm) Well worth the time…in fact the whole book is excellent.
Hopefully the RC Cardinals, meeting to discuss their sexual abuse problems this week, will have the courage to make good Biblical decisions and be an example to the CoE and TEC. We (individuals or institutions) never are healed from sins we do not own, confess and repent.
St. Nikao, I agree with you. I was attempting to poke fun at the unfair and unfounded accusation by Mari that Cardinal George has provided “cover” for lavender priests and heretical teaching at the archdiocesan seminary. The Archdiocese of Chicago certainly has issues,but Cardinal George’s leadership isn’t one of them.
Phil Swain, I hope and pray you’re right. (Is Cardinal George related to Timothy and Robert George?)
We have seen what sick shepherds do to the flock…they leave or scatter. The RC is closing churches and schools because many people no longer trust them. TEC and other churches that have blind sick unbelieving leaders with ungodly agendas are losing members and selling off buildings, closing seminaries.