The observable fact is an ambitious political Church and not the Church as a Mystery.
Rrecent headlines increasingly make us aware there are those members of the hierarchy who long for the days of the old world of privilege and exclusion. A view that seems to be at odds with America’s founding ideals. Realists among us might argue that we should hardly be surprised to see religion treated like any other trade, and the bishops acting like CEOs of Corporations instead of Shephard’s of a spiritual flock.
Recently an example of this transpired with the incident involving Rick Majerus giving voice at a recent political rally in suburban St. Louis for Hillary Clinton about being pro-choice on abortion and favoring stem-cell research in the pursuit of aiding those in need. Majerus is a basketball coach at St. Louis University in St. Louis, Mo. He believes to express his view is a matter of freedom of speech. However, Archbishop Raymond Burk believes otherwise.
Can one hold personal views and voice them in public if they run contrary to hierarchal interpretation of a Teaching of the Catholic Church, if Majerus claims to be Catholic. Burk is going as far as asking the Jesuit school to bring sanctions against the coach. Do the rules and regulations of the Church, take priority over the law of love? It is most likely the Jesuit run school will just ignor the Archbishop's request. It is actions like this that has put him at odds with his fellow bishops, they would not appoint him the chair of the Committee on Cannon Law, at the recent Bishops meeting in Baltimore, because of the level of embarrasment he brings to the Church.
The question, I guess, boils down to was Rick criticizing the Catholic Church? Was he even criticizing its leaders? Was he even criticizing the Church’s position? I think the answer to all three questions is of course he was not. He was expressing a personal point of view that was not shared with the Church according to Burke, this from a man who would deny Communion to any who disagree with him publicly. Do Catholics have the right to hold and express personal views of course we do. We do not live a feudal system, where the lord of the tower makes those decisions for us.
This example is but one incident of many where the clerical culture has totally missed the mark. We live a free and democratic society. To be told we cannot exercise freedom of speech is just autocratic nonsense that does not fit the fabric of either Catholic Americans, or more importantly Catholic Social Justice. Not to mention the fact that it flies in the face of freedom of Conscience as expressed by Vatican II.
What happened to the plain and simple Carpenter that we claim to believe in, and follow? Unfortunately for Catholics he is quickly being replaced by the cosmetics of flowing robes, pompous ceremonies, Vatican privilege, and a culture of clericalism that is making the Church an institution to be controlled, and not a mystery of faith to involve us.
During Lent let us pray for a Church leadership that will recognize its sinfulness of arrogance, ask the faith community, and the Lord for forgiveness. When the ashes are placed on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday let's also remember it is about our human frailty, and not our claims to authority and power.
