I have long observed that many if not most Catholics are more passionate about their politics than their faith. This goes for both sides of the political spectrum and for moderates too. I will not say that I am immune from the tendency either. It’s just so much easier to speak of the faith when it conforms to something in our political mindset or worldview, and it’s so easy to doubt it if it offends against it.
Instead of being the light by which we see all things, the Faith tends to get “tucked under” our worldview and political view, our careers and preferences. The world should be seen through faith. The world should be on trial by the Word of God and the teachings of the Church. But as it usually happens, the Church, and the Scriptures end up being on trial instead. In this situation Faith is not the priority, politics and the world are. In any conflict between the two, guess what usually has to give way?
Some examples and stories:
1. Abortion– The most common and perhaps most egregious example is the horrible scourge of abortion. Too many Catholics allow their politics to trump what they know is the consistent teaching of their Faith and the Church. It is a horrible thing too when we consider that 70 million Catholics in agreement on this issue would be hard to ignore politically. If even 10% showed up in Washington for the Pro-life March that would be 7 million people on the Mall and no media bias could ignore that many people. As it is we are woefully divided and the usual cause of this is politics. Most people of any political persuasion know Abortion is indefensible. But they line up on the issue more on political than moral reasoning. Saying that they merely want to stay out of people’s personal affairs does not add up since EVERY law or legal limit inserts itself into people’s personal affairs. The question is what should the limits be or not be and that gets back to politics. It is a sad truth that many Americans allow politics to over-ride the most crucial moral decision of the day. The Church teaching against abortion is not Republican, it is Catholic.
2. A Story– As a priest in Washington DC I am called on numerous occasions to meet with members of the DC City Council and also on fewer occasions, with Federal officials. Most recently I was meeting with a certain City official over the issue of recognizing so-called Same-sex “Marriage.” I explained to him why the Church opposed such a change in the Law. I remember well what he said to me and though the quote is not exact it’s pretty close, “Father, I know what your Church teaches. But I am a politician, I was not born yesterday and I have read the polls. Almost half of your people don’t agree with your teachings about homosexuality. You claim to speak for them but you don’t speak for at least half, and I think, more than half. Don’t tell me how your people are going to vote. I already know how they are going to vote. You don’t represent most of them and surely not the votes I count on to win.” I guess I could have gone on to distinguish between the beliefs and voting patterns of Church-going vs. non-Church- going Catholics but that would merely have led to the fact that we rather pathetically can count on only 30% of Catholics to even come to Church, let alone vote with us. Truth was he DID know his business and he can count votes better than I can. How different would this scenario have been if Catholics were Catholics first before anything else and did vote based on their faith and what the Church teaches about marriage rather than other things such as the wallet or politcal party or personal views? Had that been the case he probably would have asked to me with me and other clergy.
3. What party is the Catholic Church?– Neither of course. But depending on what is in the news you can count on labels being applied. If the issue is abortion, embryonic stem cell research, or homosexual “marriage” detractors will say the Church and bishops are “in bed” with the Republicans. But if the issue is immigration reform, capital punishment, concerns about war, or care for the poor, then they’re all “just a bunch of Democrats.”
Now I hear the objections even now that go something like: “Abortion is doctrinal, Capital Punishment is not. True enough. But it is only solemn and doctrinal things that should claim our loyalties? What if the Pope and Bishops as our teachers and leaders are asking us to stand together on an important issue in the battle against the culture of death?…an issue that affects our credibility (rightly or wrongly) with the world on the matter of abortion? Even if there are proper distinctions to be made, what if the Pope and bishops have determined that, as a pastoral strategy, we ought to oppose the State taking life under either of these circumstances? Does that have any bearing on the issue? And if not, why not? I am aware that some would not attribute their disagreement here to politics at all but rather are clinging to distinction that the Church does not absolutely forbid capital punishment. But is absolute forbiddance the only source of our unity? Is it not enough that the Catechism, recent Popes and the Bishops see the need for recourse to capital punishment as practically non existent (cf CCC # 2267). Scripture does ascribe the right of capital punishment to the State. But the Church, through her leaders, has asked the State to have little or no recourse to this right. What if our stance on capital punishment was not rooted in liberalism but in Catholicism? And what if we stood together with the Church on this issue out of respect for what our legitimate teachers and leaders have asked us to do as a prudential rather than a doctrinal matter? Not as democrats, but as Catholics.
And as regards immigration. I can almost guarantee you that even Bishop’s who are predictably conservative on many issues aren’t going to line up with a strong law and order approach to this issue. There are Catholic and Biblical principles which call us to welcome the stranger and the foreigner. Legality is an important issue as well but it is complicated. Many who are currently here illegally came here legally and their status expired and the process of legalization is bewildering. Not all illegal immigrants have flagrantly violated the law in coming here. Hence, while upholding a respect for law the instinct of the Church is also to attend to the humanity of the problem which is often complex. The Catholic position on this will not be (cannot be) strict, law and order, enforcement. The posture for a Catholic ought to be, why does the Church teach in this manner and why are the Bishops as teachers of the faith taking this position? The reasons are Catholic not Democratic.
4. A story– Some few ago when I was pastor of St. Thomas More Parish I joshed with the congregation there, who, by the way, love me exceedingly more that I deserved. But I said, in jest but not without some truth: “When I preached against abortion some said, ‘He is a Republican.’ When I spoke against Capital Punishment some here said, ‘He is a Democrat.’ When I said, Gay marriage is wrong and that Children should not be given condoms some said, ‘See, he is a Republican!’ Then I preached along with the Pope and Bishops expressing concern about going to War in Iraq so quickly, and when we raised millions to build a new Recreation Center for the kids of Southeast, some said, ‘He is a Democrat!’ And all this time I just thought I was a Catholic Christian. “
Well, I may have stirred up a hornet’s nest here. But true Catholicism is radical. It cannot be tamed by any political party or mindset. True Catholicism will comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. As it was with Christ, most every one will have reason to hate it, and some will come to love the faith as it is and the Church as she is. In the end we are to be those who are “simply Catholic.” Every other party affiliation, membership, alliance, or connection must yield to the Faith and be judged by it. No worldly thought should ever trump the Faith which God has revealed through the Church. And, even in some matters that are prudential in nature, our alliance to the Church founded by Jesus Christ ought to win the day when it comes giving the benefit of any doubt.
You will surely want to add some distinctions, and a few “yes-buts.” That’s what comments are for. But be careful not to distinguish the main point to death which is that in the end we should be simply, plainly and essentially Catholic.
In this video, Cardinal George and the Chicago Archdiocese are making a similar point very creatively:
You are so right! And great video too! The Church has no political party affiliation. The Bride is betrothed to Christ the King. However, the yoke that is easy and the burden that is light are not automatic gifts we receive at baptism but more, attitudes and dispositions of the whole person that have to be cultivated in time and space. At baptism we are buried in Christ death -the planting of the seed if you will- and while we patiently receive the Word of God and the grace of the sacraments, the transformation into other Christ is a slow process and needs to be renewed daily, guided by the Holy Spirit, until it germinates and we find ourselves playing our part in Christian history. And how or when does the reward come? By experience the joy and anticipation of the resurrection here on earth in union with Christ.
Now in the more practical, social issues: How are we going to help Catholics vote Catholic? For my part I can tell you that I have not seen ONE Catholic (or one who supports Christ’s teachings) politician running for office in my life time. That is why the single opportunities to give witness to my faith are so important: the March for Life, voting to oppose the redefinition of Marriage (people did not get that chance in the District), support peaceful resolutions to conflict, support those seeking employment to feed their families, etc. I think all Catholics have to receive education on these issues so we can exercise detachment from a particular political party in difficult “Media covered” moments in time. EDUCATION IN THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST AND OPPORTUNITIES TO ACT ON THEM WITH FAITH IS A PRIORITY. Education also nurtures our life in Christ. Pope Benedict in his visit to the United States spoke about the importance of the Family and our responsibility to support it. If we take the Family as our big umbrella or guiding priority, we will build a lot of consensus in our big, beautiful and courageous nation. We will punch hypocrisy and selfishness in the stomach. When we make the protection and nurturing of the family our source of UNITY and FIDELITY to Christ’s and the Holy Spirit our inspiration and strength we will be better able to educate all Catholics to make their option for Christ and from there, to vote Catholic. We will also give witness to our brethren in other Christian traditions.
If we don’t unite we not only stop advancing Christ’s Kingdom, we could wither as a civilization.
Yes, you are right, the actual act of voting can sometimes be murky. A cert Pol. can be right on certain matters and wrong on others. We need to do more than vote, we need to be active in issue oriented influence of the political order as well.
Without more, I would say/agree that the politicization of the faith is the single greatest failing of the Catholic Church in the United States.
Yes, the devil surely works to divide us here.
Amen. Our is a faith that existed before the modern nation state and will persist well beyond the present political issues and dividing lines of the day. We should be active, but ever mindful that politics is subordinate to faith.
Amen again!
I agree that it is unfortunate that “many if not most Catholics are more passionate about their politics than their faith.”
I think that it is better to say that “we should form our conscientious according to the faith.” Saying that we should be simply Catholic is too broad a stroke to paint. We are Catholic for many reasons other than to solve political problems. We are Catholic so that we are part of the church of Christ. We are Catholic to save our souls and those of others.
A well formed Catholic conscience tells us that voting or supporting a pro-abort candidate amounts to material cooperation in the pro-abort’s grave sin. One commits a grave sin by these actions unless one has a proportionate reason of avoiding an even graver evil. Issues which deal with “how” are not proportionate reasons in this case. A Catholic may think that Democrats or Republicans have better methods in helping the poor, immigrants, and murders, while protecting the common good. But because these are issues of methods, Catholics cannot possibly justify the supporting of a pro-abort because they think one method is better that the other. Anyone who brings up these methods in a discussion about the grave sin of unjustified material cooperation of supporting a pro-abort candidate is clouding the real issue. They are scandalizing the little ones. Their conscious are not really formed according to the Catholic Faith. Hopefully they are just ignorant Catholics. And for this reason though some are sincere Catholics, they are certainly not simply Catholic.
Fair enough Father. Thanks for your contribution and distinctions
I can be simply Catholic and conservative. Demographically speaking, that politician is saying that homosexuality is the direction the country is headed in? Maybe in D.C.,San Francisco and other leftist metropolitan areas. I personally think the USCCB has become the United socialist clown colleg of bishops. They can be so understanding and empathetic to abuse in the church but the rest of us are supposed to act zombie like to what ever they cry from the bully pulpit. Separation of church and state was devised to protect the citizens against what they were escaping in Europe. Now there’s a real great society going on over their right now. I feel Christ was a spiritually rational reasonable individual not a radical and He wasn’t encouraging his followers to incite illegal activity against governments. That all took place after His death and resurrection. I’m for immigration reform but that doesn’t mean dissent or rolling over and letting the immigrants dictate what that reform should be. To disrutp the demographics of a society in a radical way leads to all kinds of social problems. That would be a grave and mortal sin in itself. Look at Hitler, Mao Zedong, the Bolshevic revolution, French revolution, Cambodia and Vietnam when the compassionate leaders moved in and took over. That is why Arizona has taken the legal and proper steps and received support of far more U.S. citizens than the present adiminstration or the church would have us believe. Guys like Cardinal Mahoney and Archbishop Chaput sometimes act like they should be carrying a majic wand and wearing a fairy suit. That’s why we have separation of church and state. I don’t at all agree with the pope’s notion of some one global economic government. That’s tyanny and socialism pure and simple. I don’t think we want to go backwards in history but maybe the Vatican would. I’m willing to stop at pre Vatican II. Buried deep in this institutionalized bureaucracy called the Catholic Church remains the simple teachings and understanding of Christ’s message. It doesn’t require a telephone book version of The New Catholic Catechism we go waving around and reciting like the Marxist manefesto. It’s a simple message that comes from the heart and it doesn’t make utopian promises for heaven on earth or state that we redistribute the wealth and all reach the same potential in order to be fair. If that were the case, we would never of had the coming of Christ and we’d all be condemned in hell. The Church does much good for what it lacks in foresight. I have grown up in a solid Catholic environment with close relative in the clergy, religious orders and worked in the health profession in Catholic hospitals. Their great people and all don’t agree politically or in policy.
Well Robert I think your arguments might have deserved some attention had you avoided personal attacks like “Clown colleg (sic) of Bishops” “majic (sic) wands” and fairy suits, calling the Catechism a telephone book and referring to quoting from it as “waving around and reciting like the Marxist manefesto (sic)” As such you merely identify yourself with dissenters and are not true to your pen name “lifelongcatholic” but more than imply that you left the Church some time ago. Somehow you claim the ability to be able to discover the true church buried as you say under the Catholic Church. You of course are free to found your own eccelsial communion but I prefer to stay in the Church founded by Jesus, not Robert.
There is surely room for debate in the Church about some of the matters which you wrote but you do not present yourself as a candidate for serious discussion with comments like these.
I don’t at all agree with the pope’s notion of some one global economic government. That’s tyanny and socialism pure and simple.
I will grant you that that is how Caritas in Veritate has been reported by the MSM and discussed by political advocates, I will even grant you that certain sections of CiV are not as clear and unambiguous as we typically would expect from Pope Benedict / Cardinal Ratzinger, but if one reads the body of his writings and homilies, etc. as a whole, it is clear that that is NOT what he has in mind. Rather, he is mainly speaking to and of non-governmental civil society and the person.
And the “one global economic government” that he advocates, to the extent that he does so, is not some worldly body, but Jesus Christ. That is, the truths that Jesus Christ came to testify about, which are the truths — the only truths — that set us free, it is these that should govern and inform our economic and political and social decisions and actions, namely, love one another in truth, caritas in veritate.
I was expecting your response and willing to accept such rebuttle. We will just have to disagree when it comes to The Church’s position concerning issues as this. I’ll hit confession on Saturday.
Re: the political Catholic
This really frustrates me to no end, the extent to which politics and ideology informs a person’s Catholicism, rather than their Catholic faith informing their politics and ideology. And, sadly, I do agree that certain segments of the Church have been adversed affected by this, such as, it seems that too many social justice ministries have been hijacked by those with a political agenda (among the most extreme of these have been the liberation theology movement).
But just as there is the political Catholic of the left, there is also the political Catholic of the right. They are two sides of the same coin, actually having more in common with each other, despite being political enemies, than they do with everyday, just plain Catholics. Like those on the left, such political Catholics on the right have been known to denigrate the bishops and even the popes. And whenever you have discussions with them about the faith, it invariably revolves around some public policy matter.
Me? I was a poli-sci major and the legal profession is by its very nature adversarial. I’ve been in involved in political/public policy disputes since high school. Frankly, I’m tired of politics.
I was a poli-sci major and am also employed in the legal profession. But I must confess I grew tired of it (and dropped the major) before I made it out of college.
I am probably a horrible person for doing this, but at work and family gatherings I LOVE to start debates on religion and politics and then quietly walk away. I pretty much start these debates for my own entertainment and just to laugh at how serious and opinionated people get. My nickname at work is “Trouble” for this very reason, though I get along with my coworkers very well and most find it funny how much I’m laughing at how opinionated they are.
What I’ve learned from Catholicism in regards to afflicting the comfortable….if it offends me, or makes me think, maybe I need to reevaluate my life and what I’m doing. If it offends me, or makes me feel guilty, then that’s a sign to me that maybe I shouldn’t do it anymore. I’ve noticed this effect with some politicians: some who were very pro-choice are now suddenly not so sure on their views after spending a little quality time with us Catholics and not being able to properly defend their views on abortion.
One thing I do hate is when people get on the Pope and the Bishops for not doing enough to help us or the afflicted. True, maybe some Bishops and Cardinals don’t do everything they can. But my point is that they are human and they are each only one person. Every place you work there will be politics. There will be people who don’t get along, people who are lazy, people who think that they can play God, and of course the good people who work and try to keep everybody happy. In hospital life, you’ve got all of the above and even more drama. The way I see the Pope, the Bishops, and the Cardinals (and most higher-up people) is that they are people too – they just have jobs/vocations with a lot of power. And even with the power of the job, they are still humans like you and me. They can’t control everything, and the Pope can’t change everything nor make everyone happy. If they get into the mindset that they are like God and aren’t humble, that’s where they and anyone else who acts that way can get into a lot of trouble.
Good day greetings Msgr. Pope, a very nice topic indeed and I am asking myself why God said to me to call for a Divine government and gave me a task way back 1992 to run for president in our country. And being obedient to His call, the last candidacy that I have done was this year election which will happen on May 10. I told the comelec body that I came in the name of my faith which is the catholic faith and in the name of Parish Renewal Experience Movement (to educate the people of catholic faith both catholic and non-catholic – i wanted to educate them of the faith that God has revealed to me and to let the non-catholic to stop judging our Mother Mary and other conflicting ideologies) and lastly to be of service to the Basic Ecclesial Community (this service is united to the teachings and works of both the church and state and the only difference is learning and doing that in following Christ teachings we as catholic faithful must always remain holy in thoughts, words and deeds. I want to get away with the traditional politics existing in our country. Although I was not approved by the comelec commissioners and called me again as a nuissance candidate – it does’nt matter to me. What matters – I was able to tell the world of the things that is in my heart, things that was revealed to me and the joy that God never leaved me all the way because He showed His power through mother nature – the act of God that ordinary people cannot do of which I can pray for in the name of the Lord. As i said before – words that I have revealed will always be confirmed by natural wonders like earthquake, volcano eruptions, rains and the last that God will show is the rainbow in circle formation. When I have witnessed this sign from heaven I will know that the catholic people will raise their hands in prayers, praising and giving thanks to the Lord for His mercy and love for the people who are faithful to Him. I am not a politician, i am simply catholic who is obedient to what the Lord has told me to do. I will not vote because I cannot see a qualified politician who can do and practice God’s words and teachings, one who knows how to love and fear God, one who loves his country and his countrymen and willing to sacrifice himself for the good of his people. God bless us all.
Thank you for this, Monsignor. For me, the most valuable passage was this: “Now I hear the objections even now that go something like: ‘Abortion is doctrinal, Capital Punishment is not.’ True enough. But it is only solemn and doctrinal things that should claim our loyalties? What if the Pope and Bishops as our teachers and leaders are asking us to stand together on an important issue in the battle against the culture of death?…an issue that affects our credibility (rightly or wrongly) with the world on the matter of abortion? Even if there are proper distinctions to be made, what if the Pope and bishops have determined that, as a pastoral strategy, we ought to oppose the State taking life under either of these circumstances? Does that have any bearing on the issue? And if not, why not? I am aware that some would not attribute their disagreement here to politics at all but rather are clinging to distinction that the Church does not absolutely forbid capital punishment. But is absolute forbiddance the only source of our unity? Is it not enough that the Catechism, recent Popes and the Bishops see the need for recourse to capital punishment as practically non existent (cf CCC # 2267). Scripture does ascribe the right of capital punishment to the State. But the Church, through her leaders, has asked the State to have little or no recourse to this right. What if our stance on capital punishment was not rooted in liberalism but in Catholicism? And what if we stood together with the Church on this issue out of respect for what our legitimate teachers and leaders have asked us to do as a prudential rather than a doctrinal matter? Not as democrats, but as Catholics.”
To me, this hits the nail on the head. It may be true that we are not obligated in faith to oppose capital punishment, but surely we are obligated by humility to acknowledge the possibility that Popes John Paul II (of blessed memory) and Benedict XVI have a point, given that both men were not only the Vicar of Christ but probably better moral theologians than the average blogger.
My only suggestion is that you add torture to the list of issues on which right-leaning Catholics tend to dissent from the teachings of the Church. Marc Thiessen should not be able to go on EWTN and proclaim (without being challenged) the virtues of an action that the Second Vatican Council and several Popes condemned as intrinsically evil.
I’m surprised no one brought this up (nor wondered why Pelosi was speaking at a Catholic Community conference)
Pelosi Urges Catholic Church to Play ‘Major Role’ in Immigration Overhaul
FOXNews.com
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday urged Catholic leaders to “instruct” their parishioners to support immigration reforms, saying clerics should “play a very major role” in supporting Democratic policies.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday urged Catholic leaders to “instruct” their parishioners to support immigration reforms, saying clerics should “play a very major role” in supporting Democratic policies.
“The cardinals, the archbishops, the bishops that come to me and say, ‘We want you to pass immigration reform,’ and I said, ‘I want you to speak about it from the pulpit. I want you to instruct your’ — whatever the communication is,” said Pelosi, who is Catholic, speaking at the Nation’s Catholic Community conference sponsored by Trinity Washington University and the National Catholic Reporter.
“The people, some (who) oppose immigration reform, are sitting in those pews, and you have to tell them that this is a manifestation of our living the gospels,” she said.
While it’s not unusual for clergy to speak about politics from the pulpit, it is uncommon for a lawmaker to openly encourage them to preach a specific policy.
Asked for clarification, a Pelosi spokesman issued the statement: “From health care to energy security to immigration reform, the speaker believes the faith community has played and will continue to play a critical role in our national debate.”
Pelosi said the church “has an important role to play” in teaching about dignity and respect, and “as a practical matter” it’s not possible to tell 12 million illegal immigrants to “go back to wherever you came from or go to jail.”
After Arizona passed a controversial immigration law, with Gov. Jan Brewer saying she was forced to act because Congress hasn’t, Washington has been at a loss on how to proceed on new federal policies that could put millions of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship. Lawmakers on both sides admit that passing a bill during this election year is highly unlikely.
The Arizona law, which is slated to take effect July 29, makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally. It directs police to question people about their immigration status when they may be in the country illegally and when they already are the subject of police contact.
In other remarks at the Catholic briefing, Pelosi said she prays for her colleagues all the time, Democrats and Republicans alike.
“It’s a beautiful thing to listen to different points of view. From a religious perspective we come from a similar Catholic background but sometimes we have to come to a different conclusion about how we translate that into public policy,” she said.
I remember when I first heard the term “gay marriage,” I thought it was nuts, pure and simple. “When,” I said, “Could your local parish priest perform these deals? Ever!”
Well, between 800 and 1050 AD maybe. That’s when the Church performed them. I’ve seen the ceremony texts. There are two facts of note:
1. They usually invoke the blessing of St Serge and St. Bacchus, a pair of married (no quotation marks needed) Roman soldiers. Now, while everyone blows a gasket, note you can’t take the “St.” away from before their names. Gay or not, they were executed for the faith. That means they were martyrs, even if they had flew in from the planet Xircon. St. Bacchus died first by being clubbed to death. St. Serge was beheaded, which makes me think he was a Roman citizen while St. Bacchus was not. They were a popular saint pair. Until the society suppressed their cult.
2. There was one gesture in the ceremonies I think man-woman marriages could adapt. The gospel would be open on the altar. The younger partner would put his right hand palm-down on the text. The older partner would put his hand on the younger’s hand. To me, that’s a good image of what married life is.
3. Remember that marriage has not always had the same societal attitudes. St. Augustine had a son (Deodatus or Godsend) with his common-law wife. The union was permitted by the Church at the time.
I also noticed a mention of Anne Rice, who went from dime novels to not reading the Church well at all. Even though there will be more gaskets blown by this comment, the Catholic Church is not anti-gay. Never was, never will be. To me, it’s like when my college (Bowdoin) went coed in the early 1970s. Everyone told me the new women students were cold snobs. My reaction: “They are?” No woman student I knew was. It depends on how you cut your population sample, I guess.
In 2000, some Catholic (official or unofficial, I forget), listed the 100 most significant American Catholics. In the list were Dr. Tom Dooley and Cardinal Spellman. No anti-gay organization would list these two that way.
Why? Well, Dooley was gay. Worse, he liked boys. (He was open about it, too.) I know little about Cardinal Spellman, since he was a bit before my time. I do know his nickname was “Killy,” and he enjoyed the frequent company of chorus boys.
In many ways, overall, I think this days, having the Catholic Church pontificate about sexual morality in the US is like attending a lecture, “Ted Bundy’s Dating Tips.”
Frank McEvoy
PS Bonus question: What was the sin of Sodom? (Careful: what did Jesus and Ezechiel say it was? Your going to decide between what Jesus, Ezechiel, and the “Reverend” Pat Roberson, the pastor of the First Church of Christ Meal Ticket, say.)
Sorry, I made a mistake: Spellman’s nickname was “Kitty.”
Here is a fascinating contribution to this debate – former Anglican Bishop of Oxford discusses the role of faith in politics: http://fivebooks.com/interviews/lord-richard-harries-on-faith
N Pelosi has had to wind up being one of the most liberal political figures within the actual region. It’s hard for myself in order to believe just how folks can easily reelect her in his or her perfect thoughts.