Being Catholic in the USA in 2009

This column might be considered a primer for anyone considering joining the U.S. Catholic Church of 2009. I limit my comments to the Church in the United States because I can't really profess to know what it's like being Catholic in other countries. I feel pretty confident, however, that despite the notion that the Church is monolithic and unchangeable, the experience of being Catholic varies from country to country.

The good news is there's not much to know about being Catholic for a U.S. Catholic these days. There are really only a couple of things you need to know and follow. Once you have accepted these parameters the rest is actually easy. The bad news, however, may also be that there isn't much to know today about being Catholic in the USA.

Let's face it. The primary piece of information you need to know centers around abortion. In case you hadn't heard, it's bad! Well that really doesn't cover it, does it? If the issue were that abortion were bad I believe you would find almost no one who would not concur with that characterization. To be a good Catholic, however, you need to know and accept that abortion is 'more bad' than anything else one can name. It is worse than the holocaust, worse than all the evils of war, worse than a possible nuclear attack, far worse than the murder of an abortion doctor (which is actually a good thing, because the recent murder permanently closed an abortion clinic). One issue politics should be the norm for all Cathoics, because even if the world goes to hell in a hand basket, it is O.K as long as we address the abortion issue in the terms dictated by the heirarchy.

Like the two great commandments of Jesus in the New Testament, the second criterion for being Catholic is in some ways like the first. Simply put, this criterion is about obedience. If the Pope, Bishop, priest, or your local conservative Catholic newspaper says it, follow it. Do not think, do not deviate, certainly do not voice the slightest hint of disagreement. If you follow these prescriptions you will have fulfilled the whole law. Anything short of that prohibits you from considering yourself a 'real' Catholic.

I wish I could say at this point that I have just written a caricature, a satire, or an exaggeration of what it means to be Catholic, yet I am hard pressed to see wherein I have exaggerated. Don't misunderstand. It is of course true that many pro-life Catholics are as horrified at the recent murder of the abortion doctor in Kansas as anyone else, and it is not my intent to denigrate their heartfelt beliefs in any way. My criticism here is of the heirarchical Church and the way it relates to the laity and the larger community.

It continues to be a sad commentary that the more than 200 year history of the Church has for all practical purposes been reduced to these two items. Certainly the history of the Church has its own dark periods, scandals, etc., but it also has immeasurable riches, true holiness, and ideas that have so much of value to offer the modern world. Catholic Social teaching going back to Pope Leo XIII's great encyclical Rerum Novarum of 1891 sought to elevate the poor and give worth and dignity to every individual. Priests, Nuns, and other religious marched side by side with their African American brothers and sisters in the 1960"s to help guarantee basic justice for African Americans.

In earlier generations the Church accommodated itself to paganism, other religions and cultures, and even totalitarian governments. It grew strong under American democracy and the notion of the separation of Church and State. Now it seems to have forgotten the many lessons it learned during the 20th century about tolerance and operating in a pluralistic society. The reality of the sexual abuse crisis, the failure of leadership by the bishops, and the attempt to exercise discredited leadership by denying communion to politicians or threatening excommunication rather than being exemplary pastors have all conspired to exacerbate a leadership crisis in the U.S. church.

Too many of 'John Paul II's bishops have come to power in the USA exemplifying an authoritarian leadership style. The result can be seen in such recent actions as a total of 60 bishops criticizing Notre Dame for inviting President Obama to speak. Other more supportive bishops remained silent. This continuing movement towards repression and the imposition of a rigid conformity demonstrates how the Church in the United States has become bankrupt and bereft of all that has made it a welcoming beacon for past generations.

Part of the answer needs to come from the people in the pews. We must begin to speak up. We must organize and exert lay leadership. We must demand our Church back. We must challenge patently irresponsible and unjust actions by Bishops. We must refuse to support and follow Bishops who seem to believe that being a pastor means to bully and threaten all who question them.