Freewheeling "Pluralism," Still OK In Milwaukee?
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Recently appointed Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee may have been surprised to read in his inherited newspaper, The Catholic Herald, that "the hierarchy is not found in the Gospels or in Christian tradition, but the sexual abuse flows from the hierarchy — [it has been] worsened because it has been dealt with in a hierarchical fashion." This bit of paltering is courtesy of Eugene Kennedy at the national Call to Action conference in Milwaukee November 1-3, reported on at length in The Catholic Herald, November 7 issue.
Assuming Kennedy is correctly quoted by the paper's staffer Candy Czernicki, the gentleman must have forgotten he was at one time raised to clerical status at the laying on of hands by a bishop (a state of life he later forsook), which is fairly good evidence that there is a Christian tradition of there being strata of power and authority in the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes Vatican II (Lumen Gentium, n. 4) in saying, "So that she can fulfill her mission, the Holy Spirit 'bestows upon [the Church] varied hierarchic and charismatic gifts, and in this way directs her'" (n. 768). The Catechism again quotes Lumen Gentium to teach that the Church is a "society structured with hierarchical organs and the Mystical Body of Christ" (n. 771).
Kennedy also in dismissing the idea of a Church hierarchy has to ignore the New Testament evidence that Christ chose some to teach and preach; one among them to possess the keys of His Kingdom; still others to be fed by these as the multitude was fed in the desert place. By insisting Catholics have "been forced into structures with higher or lower places, Kennedy in effect is criticizing Christ Himself for inviting His followers to obey those who have sat on the chair of Moses, and for giving those He chose the power to bind and loose both on earth and in Heaven.
Reporter Czernicki described Call to Action as a "Catholic reform group," which of course it is not; it actually is a revisionist group, attempting to shift priestly authority and power to the laity.
This idea of a sort of egalitarian Church was advanced there in Milwaukee by Fr. Thomas Boyle, O.P., who suggested clericalism came about in the time of Constantine when "clerics were the only people who knew how to read, and thus were treated as having great power. Getting rid of that notion will require 'massive surgery'."
Fr. Boyle surely knows that Mark recorded , "And He [Jesus] appointed the Twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them forth to preach. To them He gave power to cure sicknesses and to cast out devils" (Mark 3:14-15). Luke puts down Christ's promise to His Apostles: " . . . Wait here in the city [Jerusalem] until you are clothed with power from on high." These words were immediately after He had said to them, "And I send forth upon you the promise of my Father." John remembered the words of Christ in a priestly prayer, saying, "Even as thou hast sent me into the world, so I also sent them into the world."
It is certain Jesus was sent having power to teach, sanctify, rule; so it cannot be denied He was conferring such power and authority upon those He chooses to send into the world. It had nothing to do with being able to read or write. What Fr. Boyle wants excised by "massive surgery" is a central fact of Christ's establishment of a people, some of whom are commissioned to preach with the same authority with which Christ Himself preached, and others having the vocation to hear and accept what is preached.
Another Call to Action preacher was James Carroll, described by The Catholic Herald reporter as a former Paulist priest. His message was that the Holy Spirit endows all believers, but "not through the hierarchy," thus making the Church "pluralistic," by which the ex-priest seems to mean as of many beliefs and "manifestations of pluralism" as "freedom of conscience" dictates.
That is as close to Protestantism as can be suggested, except of course even Protestantism insists on a binding authority for the Bible. The Call to Actionists want each person to be for himself (oops, and herself) the only authority. Each one then will bind and loose, rather than the Apostles delegated by Christ to exercise such power and authority.
Thomas C. Fox, publisher of The National Catholic Reporter, gave the audience "tidings of great joy. The hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church is not united. Asian bishops and theologians are leading the revolution." He attributes what he calls an "authority meltdown" crisis to publication of Humanae Vitae, which rejected the study commission's recommendation that contraception be allowed.
Somehow or other Fox placed the sexual abuse crisis in the context of the crisis over not accepting birth control by Pope Paul VI, according to reporter Czernicki. This is a far stretch of logic indeed, and proves just how anxious Call to Action types are to discredit the "Church" rejection of contraception.
Actually, homosexual sex shares one evil at least with contraceptive sex — both are practiced apart from and contrary to the possibility of fruitfulness. Both abuse the proper purpose of sex, which is primarily procreation. Both attempt to seize the physical pleasure of sexual use without the selfless acceptance of children that makes sexual indulgence virtuous. To be consistent, those believing in contraception should also be accepting of homosexual practice, which is the central vice in the present abuse scandal. Don't, however, expect the Call to Action "pluralists" to acknowledge that reality.
Finally it should be noted that publisher Fox rejoices in a dying Catholic Church: "I ask why should we be surprised that our church is dying; because death is such a part of the paschal mystery." He betrays his real reason for applauding this — namely, that he feels the Catholic Church isn't needed anymore. He says, "our spirituality has grown beyond the structure of this church of ours."
Fox here is simply echoing the old idea of Wycliffe. The same odor of Wycliffe Lollardism that the host in The Canterbury Tales detected emanating from the Parson have been overwhelming in the Milwaukee Call to Action sessions. Part of that smell, by the way, is self-righteousness.
It is disturbing that an official Catholic newspaper published by an archbishop would give so much attention to views expressed at a Call to Action convention. Adding to the impropriety of this is the fact that there was not rebuttal or critical treatment in the same issue of The Catholic Herald. That was to be expected when Archbishop Rembert Weakland headed the Milwaukee Archdiocese, making him The Catholic Herald publisher. Archbishop Weakland's tolerance for "pluralism" extended far and wide, stopping only at orthodox views of un-updated faithful.
Will such freewheeling expressions of "pluralism" as reported from Call to Action be continued under the present publisher, Archbishop Dolan? If so, surely he will see an obligation that the faithful not be deceived into accepting them as genuinely Catholic. If not, then orthodoxy will continue to be an unloved stepchild in Milwaukee, as it was under the former archbishop, for whom freedom of conscience meant encouragement of every sort of criticism of orthodoxy, but little concern or even respect for orthodox rebuttal.
© 2002 The Wanderer Printing Co.
This item 4608 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org
