The better part of valour

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Nov 25, 2003

In his November Public Square essay, Fr. Neuhaus relates the following account of the notorious Interfaith Amity Brunch which allowed bishops a close-up view of orthodox Catholics:

In the September meeting, several participants pressed the bishops on why they do not address the scandal of prominent Catholics, notably politicians, who publicly and persistently oppose the Church's teaching on abortion and yet, to all appearances, remain in untroubled communion with the Church. A bishop responded by citing an instance in which another bishop publicly criticized such a politician, thus winning sympathy for him and he won the election. A prominent business leader who was at the meeting and is active in politics told me, "My heart sank as I listened to him. Here was a bishop telling us that speaking the truth is politically counterproductive, so he will not speak the truth. His job is to be a teacher and shepherd of the flock, damn it, not to be a political tactician. Let him do his job and we'll take care of the politics. That's our job as lay people."

Well put. Of course we're all convinced that the bishops really want the anti-family candidates to lose.

Aren't we?