When churches head left

TownHall.com ^ | Monday, October 11, 2004 | by John Leo

[NCSteve]

I'm not sure what you would have read from my post that would make you think I am anti-Catholic. On the contrary, one of the things I said was that I hope Cardinal Biffi or one of his group becomes the next Pope.

That being said, the church bureaucracy is the most notable problem I have with the Catholic Church. I am well aware that Vatican 2 sought to alleviate some of that. However, I also feel that Vatican 2 was too much, too soon. From an outsiders point of view pre-Vatican 2, I saw a church organization with the most devoted and devout followers on Earth. Within a few short years of its acceptance and adoption, I saw that organization become almost apostate. My Catholic friends stopped observing Lent. They stopped going to confession. The church started to entertain all sorts of questionable and vaguely heretical ideas within its ranks. I have heard preists and Catholic theologians say that Satan is not real and that the gospels are largely allegorical with my own ears. In the last few years, I hear the church has essentially cut most of the nuns loose, telling them to go find jobs, turning over its schools to secular employment. American and some European priests are sanctioning homosexual unions without fear of excommunication. The Church has entered a huge debate over whether or not to offer communion to people who they would have excommunicated or at least declared as anathema fifty years ago.

I'm a cause and effect kind of guy. I see the Catholic Church from before Vatican 2, I see it after Vatican 2. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

Admittedly, I am not conversant with the details of Vatican 2 and I know nothing of the Humanae Vitae, which I suppose some would blame for the decline of Catholicism rather than Vatican 2. But I do know that there is a movement within the church to slow or even stop the progress of Vatican 2 and from the outside, that seems to me to be a good thing. From what I read, Cardinal Biffi is the leading proponent of that movement and now Tax-chick has introduced me to Cardinal Arinze who also seems to work in the vein. I can say I admire both of these men a great deal and think either of them would make a fine Pope.

[Tax-chick]

As I said ... NCSteve is Protestant, not anti-Catholic. There's a difference :-).

Both Vatican 2 and Humanae Vitae (a post-Vatican 2 document), reaffirmed Catholic doctrines and beliefs which we believe have been consistent since the time of the Twelve Apostles. (I know Protestants have a different take on this, but the current context is Catholic ...) Therefore, the idea that either the Council or the the publication of HV caused the current problems in the Church is very tenuous, in my opinion.

Reduced to the basics, the problems are caused by people who don't believe in God. Why are there so many of these people in the Church now? The loosening of bureaucratic control post-Vat2 certainly has something to do with why non-Catholics and even non-Christians are holding positions of authority in the Church, you're right about that.

I've met the priests and theologians who reject the Resurrection, and those who say the Gospels are fiction, too. I feel the time is right (when dear JP2 goes to his reward) for a Pope who will take what the current Pope has done with inspired apostolic teaching, and back it up with apostolic discipline. There will always be sinners in the Church, because all human beings are sinners, but we shouldn't have people teaching error and getting a pass.

[Tax-chick]

p.s. Cardinal Biffi seems like an upstanding gent, too. There are plenty of others, particularly in Asia and South America. The most impressive American bishops are too junior to be involved, at this point.

[walden]

"And what would old Screwtape tell Wormwood was Satan's number one achievement?"

Convincing most of the world that he doesn't exist, of course.

[NCSteve]

On the lighter side, I might have to take issue with Cardinal Arinze's characterization of Protestants as Calvinists. No offense to Calvinists, but I could be a Catholic before I could be a Calvinist.

More accurately he could have characterized us as Lutherans, but that's not quite right either. At least he didn't call us Baptists.

[Tax-chick]

:-) Some Protestants are Calvinist, and some are Baptist ... and some "Catholics" are atheists. It can be very confusing!