Posted on 07/08/2011 11:20:11 AM PDT by NYer
The passage of a same-sex marriage bill in New York, over the objections of the Catholic hierarchy, has led to a storm of criticism of the state's bishops. The most extreme condemnation comes from a July 5 editorial in the National Catholic Reporter (NCR).
The Catholic hierarchy, says NCR, "has lost most of its credibility with the wider culture on matters of sexuality and personal morality, just as it has lost its authority within the Catholic community on the same issues." The bishops are guilty of engaging in everything from "wholesale excommunications" to "open warfare" with dissidents.
The popular "out-of-touch" criticism of the bishops on gay marriage rests on two faulty assumptions: (a) there is a divide between the bishops and the faithful on this issue, and (b) the bishops should take their cues from the laity.
To begin with, there is a profound difference between the views of practicing Catholics and nominal ones. There is also a divide between what the public tells a pollster and the results in a ballot box. In the 31 states where the voters were given the opportunity to decide on gay marriage, many of the polls going into the election showed that the supporters would carry the day. The final tally was 31-0 against gay marriage. New Yorkers were denied a ballot initiative. Moreover, a Siena College poll taken just before the vote in the legislature showed only a minority of Catholics in favor of this idea.
More important, the bishops have a different charge: they are obligated to do what is morally right. But if NCR wants the bishops to follow the laity, is it prepared to have the hierarchy junk its rejection of the death penalty? After all, two-thirds of Catholics want those guilty of a capital offense to be fried, so why not the bishops? Will NCR now campaign for the death penalty, lecturing the bishops to get in line with the rank-and-file? Its hypocrisy is stunning.
How does the NCR get to retain the term “Catholic”?
Ping!
I suppose the same way the “Old Catholic Church” gets to use it. The word ‘catholic’ is not copyrighted.
If only the Catholic hierarchy were more “hip”, they’d be more popular.
“In the 31 states where the voters were given the opportunity to decide on gay marriage, many of the polls going into the election showed that the supporters would carry the day. The final tally was 31-0 against gay marriage.”
If NY had a popular vote, I’m not sure it would be repealed. It would be very, very close in my opinion. I bet well within the margin of error on most polls. If NY has any chance of repealing it by popular vote, the longer it takes to get such a process in NY the less chance of repeal, probably.
And a pro-marriage amendment failed once in Arizona, it then passed a few years later.
Freegards thanks for all the pings
The word “Catholic” get used all the time, in fact just about every religious organization has some faction that professes to be part of it yet is about supporting homosexuals and transgendered who are profess membership of that affiliation. But behind the use of catholic, there is the fact that people didn’t bother with seeking another, alternative church when that option is available. Unitarian, MCC, and Much of the Episcopal Church, which is similar for the most part, I would presume to Catholicism, could all be options for those who think Catholicism is not accepting enough for them, at least they have the 1st Amendment right to do so, anyways.
As a profoundly anti-Catholic publication, while NCR can get away with its criticisms of the church, and calling itself Catholic, the church in turn not only owes them nothing, but should treat them as “anathema”.
That is, by agreement among bishops, priests should freely say that NCR is “inimical to Catholicism, heterodoxical or heretical”, and while not forbidden, Catholics should refrain from reading it or supporting it in any way.
This means no statements, interviews, or to permit its staff to photograph, record, or have official contact with the church.
There is no way the NCR should be allowed to call itself “Catholic” unchallenged.
Unfortunately the word “Catholic” can’t be copyrighted. This means that theoretically, the “Atheist Times” could call itself the “Catholic Atheist Times.”
So the actions of the bishops would be much like consumer protection.
“They say they’re Catholic, but they’re not, so please do not support them, or give them money, or interviews, access, or permit them entry to the church with recording devices. While there is no penalty for not following these instructions, know that it lessens a Catholic to support those who hate and want to deceive Catholics.”
I know. That’s why the Rockefeller Foundation and Planned Parenthood could fund something called “Catholics for a Free Choice,” which depicted itself throughout Latin America as a Catholic organization.
I think some of the people involved in that actually were excommunicated, although it got little publicity and in any case none of them were really practicing Catholics to begin with, so they certainly didn’t care.
We need major public excommunications of any of these people who claim to be Catholic. We can’t stop them from using the name, but we can make it clear that it’s not “official,” so to speak.
Good. If you’re not being criticized by the Gaystapo, you’re doing something wrong.
If the Bishops have lost credibility, it's because they HAVEN'T been doing their jobs educating the faithful in what the Church teaches about sexuality. They've been wishy-washy about it for years, and as a result, louder voices in opposition to Church teaching have told Catholics that the Church isn't really serious, and that they can do their own thing, and won't be committing sin, doing so. Since that appealed to people who wanted justification for their actions, many Catholics just ignored the and did their own thing.
The bishop of Kansas City is on record some time ago saying that they should cease to use the word “Catholic” to describe themselves. They’re disobedient ... big surprise.
Yes, that’s a good one too. It’s a pity their name is so close to the Natl Catholic Register, which actually IS Catholic!
It makes one long for the imprimatur again. Of course, some of the bishops are so spineless or even disobedient themselves that the NCR would probably get it!
I cannot tell you the source for this, but please believe me when I say it is from people in a position to do something - the reason Rome does not move against the NCR is because they read it and they get much information from it, it is like reading the other side’s email.
Heh. I doubt they'd move against it anyway, because it's not an official teaching ministry of the Church. It's not a college theology department, or a Diocesan committee. It's simply a newspaper, though with SOME influence on the liberal Catholics.
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