Quick Hits: Francis & Biden; Episcopal self-control; and…Words

By Dr. Jeff Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | Jan 14, 2025 | In Quick Hits

Years ago we developed a commentary category on CatholicCulture.org called “Quick Hits”, the goal being to make a series of rapid-fire points about the news, without belaboring those points. We haven’t used this category as often lately, but the last ten days have offered too many opportunities to resist. Consider:

Pope Francis and Joe BIden:

Many excellent Catholics have resolved to stop calling negative attention to Pope Francis (or to stop saying negative things about him). That’s admirable, but it isn’t possible to adopt that position totally and still assume responsibility for disseminating Catholic news, which requires either implicit or explicit judgments if that task is to contribute to the development and strengthening of an informed Faith. Such things as the Pope’s elevation of Cardinal McElroy as the new Archbishop of Washington send significant signals that informed Catholics must interpret if they are to read the signs of the times.

Moreover, the fact that President Biden can simultaneously honor Pope Francis with the Medal of Freedom and award Citizens Medals to pro-abortion, pro-gay activists suggests very strongly that Pope Francis has not placed much emphasis on his own pastoral responsibility to the faithful in relationship to high-ranking politicians who claim to be Catholic. One recalls the famous meeting with the Pope after which Biden told the press that Francis had assured him he was a “good Catholic”.

That may be doubtful evidence, but there is no evidence at all of any rebuke for the good of the American President’s soul or for the souls of those Catholics who support him.

Bishops and a sense of perspective:

Good bishops tend to their own flocks by ensuring that Catholic teaching and Catholic practice are both held to the highest possible standards of fidelity to Jesus Christ. They don’t fly off on tangents unrelated to their responsibilities and their expertise, especially not to jump onto the various bandwagons that are always passing by. Therefore, it was seriously ill-considered when Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio denounced President-elect Donald Trump as a “tyrant”—which rather dramatically diminishes the concept and the evil of “tyranny”.

Indeed, it might be wiser to condemn the tyranny of California’s requirement that foster parents affirm transgenderism or, as Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki of Poznan did, the tyranny represented by a bill introduced in Poland to outlaw confession for children.

Getting the wrong idea:

All of these points boil down to how we avoid getting the wrong idea about present reality, for it really is true that if we cannot read the signs of the times (Mt 16:3), we are doomed. For example, it sounds good that Catholic representation has grown in Congress until you realize that the majority of “Catholic” members of Congress are Democrats, the party that has led the political rejection of Catholic morality in matters of life, death, and human sexuality—that is, in those matters which are most essential to social health.

Similarly, it is very nice to hear Cardinal Parolin’s claim that the China accord is “beginning to bear some fruit”, until you realize that all the evidence contradicts that claim. The policy is working about as well as the very soft “Ostpolitik” policy toward Communism pursued by Pius XII, John XXIII and Paul VI. For good reason, Pope John Paul II, who had first-hand experience under Communist rule, decided to change course—a decision which was quickly blessed with success.

And the abuse of language:

Sometimes we get tangled up by a faulty use of language. For example, Pope Francis has frequently condemned “proselytism” as if it is very common among contemporary Catholics (which is odd in view of the overwhelming modern emphasis on the benefits of abandoning the Christian Faith). But here is a news story that reveals the real nature of proselytism: Some young Haitians are converting to Islam for money, bishop says.

Recently, our news has also featured a related story: Moscow Patriarch, in Christmas message, condemns those who take up ‘arms against Orthodoxy’. For Patriarch Kirill, of course, this is a defense of a territorial Russian Orthodoxy against those who would prefer to be Orthodox without the territorialist political emphasis. But we Catholics tend to abuse the term “orthodoxy” as well, a term which too many Catholic leaders seem to think undermines more important matters such as good fellowship and kind feelings.

Yet “orthodoxy”, based on its Greek roots, simply means true teaching or right opinion. Genuine orthodoxy cannot undermine the mind in seeking personal union with the One who is not only the Life but the Way and the Truth. We cannot figure out God for ourselves; He must reveal Himself. For this reason, orthodoxy, based on Revelation, is essential, and the truth is always the same regardless of either cultural habits or political territory.

It’s a good lesson: Grounding in truth is as essential to interpreting the news as it is to every other aspect of our lives.

Jeffrey Mirus holds a Ph.D. in intellectual history from Princeton University. A co-founder of Christendom College, he also pioneered Catholic Internet services. He is the founder of Trinity Communications and CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.

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