Posted on 11/27/2006 3:45:02 PM PST by Joseph DeMaistre
On May 24, 2005, just one month after becoming a member of Opus Dei, Robert Finn was installed as the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph. A diocese that includes 130,000 Catholics residing in 27 countries of northwest Missouri, KC-St. Joe has long been known as a bastion of Catholic progressiveness. It is as if he were sent there to turn back the clock.
Finn has turned out to be an advocate of unquestioning allegiance to Vatican hierarchy. Typical of many politically active Opus Dei members he falsely miscasts the value pluralist aspects so fundamental to American democracy society as "nihilism" and "moral relativism." More ominously, he sees his flock not as much as living as citizens in America democracy, but as part of "a kingdom." Unfortunately, the archbishop does not seem to accept that most American Catholics believe that in this life democracy rules and that the kingdom is for the next.
Within a year of his installation, Archbishop Finn unceremoniously fired the diocese's chancellor, a layman of 21 years of service in the diocese, along with his vice chancellor, whom the National Catholic Reporter described as "...a religious woman stationed in the diocese for nearly 40 years and the chief of pastoral planning for the diocese since 1990." Both were replaced with a single priest chancellor.(i)
Finn's personal political views have also come to predominate various diocesan decisions and pronouncements. Biological issues now take precedence over long-standing concerns such as distributive justice. As Dennis Coday reported in the National Catholic Reporter, A Respect Life Office was established to handle pro-life issues and battle stem-cell research. The effect of this decision was immediately felt in the recent battle over the Missouri's Amendment 2 stem cell ballot initiative which narrowly prevailed on November 7, 2006.
In his march backwards he has elevated the role of The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. This society of priests celebrates Mass in Latin exclusively in its traditional as promulgated before the Vatican II aggiornomento reforms. The Institute has as its stated aim the defense and propagation of Magisterium in all areas of human life, both private and social. Such an attitude is a clear rebuke to Vatican II's reform doctrine as defined in Dignitatis Humanae which declared that while the Church still viewed itself as the vessel of "the truth," it wisely concluded that individuals must be free to seek the truth without coercion.
He is not tolerant of dissent and personally censors articles that appear in diocesan publications. To that end, he has ordered the editor of the diocesan newspaper to immediately cease publishing columns by the progressive Notre Dame theologian Fr. Richard McBrien. He also announced that he would review all page one stories, opinion pieces, columns and editorials before publication. This behavior is consistent with Opus Dei's own internal practice of discouraging free thought through censorship. The lay group maintains a list of "forbidden" books, it does not want its members to read. It is a list that includes Enlightenment writers such as Locke, Rousseau and Voltaire.
Such policy is indicative of a distrust of reason. And nowhere is this played out in archbishop's universe than in the ongoing debate between the Jesuits and Opus Dei.
As I pointed out in the last installment of this series, the Jesuits generally believe that faith and reason can be reconciled. They are also more tolerant of dissent. Such attitudes are the antithesis of many on the Catholic Right. Dennis Coday noted in his NCR piece, "the diocesan-sponsored master's program, administered for eight years by the Aquinas Institute of Theology, a Dominican school affiliated with Jesuit-run St. Louis University, was transferred to the Institute for Pastoral Theology at Florida-based Ave Maria University. Ave Maria is being developed by former Domino's Pizza magnate, Thomas Monaghan who has funded a host of conservative Catholic efforts." (ii)
Right in the middle of the American Heartland reigns a leader of the Catholic Church who fears reasoned dissent. This fear of new ideas, and of difference, discussion and debate, speaks volumes of his disdain for liberal democracy as it has been practiced here for over two hundred and thirty years.
As a May 12, 2006 NCR editorial duly noted
"Such things cannot be exercised by fiat; people can't be made to become a faithful community by controlling them. The qualities of true leadership and authority accrue to those who have a deep empathy for the people they serve; who understand in profoundly human ways their hopes and aspirations as a people of God; who place compassion above the need to dominate; and who understand that relationships, not rules or rubrics or even revered devotions, are the essential thread of the fabric of a community living out the Gospel."
As with so much of its reporting on this disruptive prince of the Church, NCR has hit the nail squarely on the head.
But whether it is fighting embryonic stem cell research in a pluralistic society or taking on dissenting Catholics or Jesuits who can reconcile faith and reason Archbishop Finn's real enemy is modernity. And for Finn and those of similar thought modernity is synonymous with Liberalism--the very concept they disproportionately blame for alienation, excess commercialism and apostasy. It is an argument that has been made by royalist reactionaries since Joseph DeMaistre. In many ways it is a scream of protest against a changing world.
But the archbishop's scream is misplaced. It is only directed at those who understand that change inevitable, but wish to make it more humane. Unfortunately, the Archbishop Robert Finns of the word choose to ignore the truer agents of societal decay and apostasy--an increasingly orthodox faith that becomes more elitist, harsh and out of touch. And why? Simply because that leadership would rather consult with the likes of wealthy men such as Tom Monaghan and William Simon Jr. instead of people who might be their employees.
It is elitism at its worst. Beyond that, it is religious philosophy that seems quite out of step with its Founder's intentions. After all, didn't He make those on the margins the focus of His ministry?
Notes: (i) May 12, 2006, "Extreme makeover: the diocese" (ii) Ibid.
There's no such thing as a Liberal "Catholic," only a Liberal who doesn't have the courage to admit their not Catholic.
Maybe, we can start cleaning house and re-Catholicizing the Catholic faithful after 40 years of bad catechisis, exemplified by pseudo-Catholics like Mr. Cocozelli.
Would that all our American dioceses could have such bishops.
I'm here in the Eparchy of Passaic, and our bishop is a closet homo by all accounts, not to mention that he has defied Canon Law to stay in office past his 75th B'day. His clergy hates him because he's not orthodox.
Have you read about how Catholics voted as a group in the last two elections?
I hope everyone here had a good Feast of Christ the Committee Chairman.
It's called the poor education of the Catholic faithful. Liberal Catholics are de facto excommunicated under Catholic Canon Law because they believe in the heresies of abortion, homosexuality, etc.
Saying you're a Catholic and being one are two different things.
Alex, considering you're not a Catholic, I don't expect you to understand.
The article would obtain a little more credibility if the author showed actual familiar with things Catholic.
In that Kansas City - St. Joseph is a diocese and not an archdiocese, the proper title for its ordinary is Bishop Finn, not Archbishop Finn.
It's surprising, as well, that anyone would complain when a Christian clergyman of any denomination would say of his flock that they are first and foremost subjects of "a kingdom." LOL. Yeah, the Kingdom of God. This guy Jesus told us about it.
* chuckle *
"As Dennis Coday reported in the National Catholic Reporter, A Respect Life Office was established to handle pro-life issues and battle stem-cell research."
Oh my! The scandal of it! A Catholic bishop who believes in the Catholic Church's teaching concerning life issues, and who ACTUALLY DOES SOMETHING ABOUT IT IN HIS DIOCESE!! The horror. The horror.
What will he do next?? Encourage people to PRAY THE ROSARY???
"To that end, he has ordered the editor of the diocesan newspaper to immediately cease publishing columns by the progressive Notre Dame theologian Fr. Richard McBrien."
That's just terrible! Banning a heretic from conveying his heresies in the local Catholic newspaper (Maybe the local MSM paper might want to pick the column up? No??)!!
And it really would be nice if the author could refer to his target here as Bishop Finn.
Boy, if that's not a false dichomomy I've never seen one! Excactly what is this "democracy" that he names? Democracy in our country is equality under the law and the choosing of representives by the electorate. But the "law" must be judged on its merits and not blindly accepted as some overarching good. This is especially true since it is the domain of an elite who try to twist it to their purposes and do not hesitate to defame the words of Christ and his church.
Bishop Finn sounds great! God bless him and send us more like him.
Why should he give McBrien a forum? I doubt that McBrien would invite him to speak to his classes at Notre Dame? IAC, McBrien is a lightweight. I once saw him on the same split screen with Father Neuhaus. McBrien was literally shaking as Neuhaus punctured all his assertions --I won't dignify what he said as argument. What a phoney.
Dear RobbyS,
"Why should he give McBrien a forum?"
Because heretics have feelings too??
LOL!
sitetest
At that time, when Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Lo, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."Ominous indeed.
Our bishop gave a very good homily on this yesterday. In the course of it, he reminded us that every time you write a check, you acknowledge the Kingship of Christ - that is, a check has to be dated, and you are dating it from the start of the reign of Christ the King, just as the Romans used to date their events from the years of the beginning of the term or reign of their various rulers.
He said he absolutely refuses to use CE and BCE (Common Era and Before Common Era, the PC way of dealing with BC and AD).
Unfortunately for this author, he is either a liar or too lazy fo check his facts. In a long interview, Bishop Finn specifically stated that he was not a member of Opus Dei but was a cooperator -
Those who wish to help Opus Dei without being members may become Cooperators. The cooperators of Opus Dei are men and women – Catholics and non-Catholics – who are not incorporated into the Opus Dei Prelature, but who collaborate with the faithful of the Prelature in the various educational, charitable and cultural activities.
http://www.opusdei.org.uk/art.php?p=10879
Bishop Finn made it clear that he does not wear a surplice or go in for any discipline type activities. To say he is a member is not right.
It's cilice (pronounced "sillus"). A surplice is the lace overgarment often worn by altar boys or choir members over a cassock, and inflicts no pain whatsoever (or so I've been told).
I think he would join if he weren't a Bishop though.
catholicfundamentalism.com puts forward the view that God has the ability to program in three dimensions, and that He programmed everything in less than a week. Fundies don't like it, because it teaches that The Church is supreme, and modern Catholics don't like it because it teaches that The Church is, well, The Church.
He sounds like a good one, from everything I've heard. Deo gratias!
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If you want on (or off) this Catholic and Pro-Life ping list, let me know!
Cocozelli nauseates me. He is a master of spin. I think I am going to forward Finn a copy of my diocese' newsletter and let him go at it. ;)
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