Dr. Deal W Hudson: Don't Call Me a Conservative Catholic Anymore

WASHINGTON,DC (Catholic Online) - Labels in politics and religion serve a purpose: There are discernible groups and coalitions within and between the worlds of the Church and government. Words used as labels serve the purpose of enabling us to distinguish between one group and the other.

But I don't want to be called a "Conservative Catholic" anymore. In the last few months, I've read two headlines beginning with the phrase "Conservative Catholic" which contained comments that have effectively made the label, if not meaningless, represent a group of Catholics who are now spreading the virus of an identity crisis.

First, there was a former editor of First Things who broke with Church teaching on homosexuality because of lessons learned from a gay friend who pressured him on the subject.

Then, on Tuesday, there came a story in the Washington Post quoting "Conservative Catholics" who have become critical of Pope Francis. The Holy Father is charged with not being "accurate" in some of his recent interviews with and comments to the media.

Having read and pondered these "controversial" statements, I've defended them -- which is what "Conservative Catholics" used to do -- and I’m prepared to explain all of them.

Take one example: Pope Francis made the comment that every person seeks the Good as he or she "conceives" of it. St. Thomas Aquinas said precisely the same thing.

The will is naturally led by the vision of the Good -- meaning what appears desirable -- towards mental and physical action. That vision of the Good may be wrong, or incomplete, as Pope Francis knows, but that is how the human person operates.

By pointing out that all persons seek the Good as they see it, he is providing all Catholics with the secret of effective evangelism:

"Pope Francis is a Jesuit. That makes him a highly educated and intelligent theologian who knows about one thousand times more about the subjects of the Church, God, faith, and salvation than any of the media.

What's remarkable about this Jesuit Pope, the very first, is that he speaks and acts in the spirit of true evangelism. He's not an enthusiast, a cheerleader, or a screamer. Pope Francis is the embodiment of the New Evangelization that has never gotten off the ground.

Instead of spending our days policing, and fretting over, his statements, I suggest we sit at his feet and learn from him."

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"Deal W. Hudson, Ph.D, is president of the Pennsylvania Catholics Network and former publisher and editor of Crisis Magazine. He is the Senior Correspondent for Church and Culture and a contributing writer for Catholic Online."

Deal W. Hudson

"He served as director of Catholic Outreach for George W. Bush's 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. In 2004, Hudson resigned from the campaign, and shortly thereafter from Crisis,[9] when accusations of sexual misconduct leading to his surrender of tenure at Fordham came to light.[10"

"The scandal resurfaced in 2008, when Hudson was a prominent Catholic supporter of John McCain's presidential campaign. He was retained, despite the urging of three separate religious groups to have him removed from the McCain campaign.[10] Catholic League president Bill Donohue described efforts to remove Hudson as "vindictive campaigns of personal destruction under the guise of promoting the Catholic cause."[13]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deal_W._Hudson

Encyclicals Have a New Format: The Interview
by Sandro Magister ROME, October 7, 2013
http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350619?eng=y

How to Vote Catholic
by Deal Hudson
http://www.catholicity.com/vote/

Labels in politics and religion serve a purpose: There are discernible groups and coalitions within and between the worlds of the Church and government. Words used as labels serve the purpose of enabling us to distinguish between one group and the other. But I don't want to be called a "Conservative Catholic" anymore. In the last few months, I've read two headlines beginning with the phrase "Conservative Catholic" which contained comments that have effectively made the label, if not meaningless, represent a group of Catholics who are now spreading the virus of an identity crisis.

Deal Hudson ping for later

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