Apologizing for hard truths

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Nov 02, 2022

OK, Bishop Ray Browne, I give up. What is the Christian position on abortion? On homosexual acts?

The Bishop of Kerry issued a public apology after a priest, celebrating Mass in his diocese, condemned abortion, said that homosexual acts are mortally sinful, and added that that the distribution of free contraceptives is “promoting promiscuity” and that it is “lunatic” to encourage children to question their sexual identity. “The views expressed do not represent the Christian position,” the bishop said.

They don’t? You may question whether Father Sean Sheehy delivered the message effectively. You may question whether he should have devoted a homily at Sunday Mass to such controversial topics. But the thoughts he expressed do reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Speaking about “the promotion of sex between two men and two women,” the controversial homilist said: “That is sinful; that is mortal sin.” Fact-check that statement against the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2357. There is no conflict.

So what does Bishop Browne offer as an alternative? “The Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a Gospel of love and ever proclaims the dignity of every human person.” Well, yes. And yet—forgive me—I fail to see how that statement contradicts the statements by Father Sheehy. Pope St. John Paul II explained, in Evangelium Vitae, how a respect for human dignity requires firm opposition to abortion, and requires defending the integrity of the marital act.

Bishop Browne, in his apology (for what?), cites the Book of Wisdom and the Beatitudes. Good. He does not cite the Epistle to the Romans, nor the Ten Commandments. (“Thou shalt not kill.”) These, too, are ancient and authoritative expressions of “the Christian position.”

Father Sheehy (who is officially retired) now reports that the bishop has removed him from the list of priests who fill in when regular pastors are unavailable, apparently because of the “deep upset and hurt” he caused with his homily. But he is not backing down; he told a radio audience that “what I said cannot be disproven by any honest-to-God Christian or Catholic teaching.” And he’s right.

“You have a responsibility to call people to an awareness of the fact that sin is destructive, sin is detrimental, and sin will lead us to hell,” Father Sheehy said in the homily that caused all this trouble. Anyone who wishes to proclaim the dignity of every human person—which Bishop Browne describes as the “fundamental Christian teaching”—should feel the moral obligation to dissuade people from taking such destructive actions.

In fact, let’s take that logic a step further. If a parish priest goes month after month, year after year, without ever warning his people against the dangers of deadly sin, isn’t he guilty of betraying the fundamental truths of faith, and endangering the souls of his congregation? Please, Lord, show me the bishop who will apologize for what his priests don’t say.