Actuality and Potential

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As a fervent Christian and loyal Roman Catholic, it pains me to see the Church becoming progressively less relevant, to its members and to the world, precisely at a very dangerous crossroad in human history.  If the Church does not unite within itself, if the Church does not restore a vital connection with Judaism and with Protestantism, and if the Church does not actively assist in the restoration of Islam to true Muslims and from the amoral and despotic gang hiding behind a cloak of “fundamentalism”, what has already been called World War IV will begin very shortly (World War lll having been the Cold War).   The current massive invasion of Europe by Muslims who have little or no intent to assimilate into their new surroundings is setting the stage.  And the asinine decision of England, as I understand it, to allow them to rule themselves under Sharia Law only accelerates the process.  This would be like allowing Muslims in the United States to hold slaves (including their women) in contravention of American Law.  In my opinion, the only entity with the moral and organizational power to turn this around is the Catholic Church…in unison with its hereditary brothers in Judaism and Protestantism. 

But we have a series of problems in the Catholic Church.  The Church is divided within itself, within the Laity and within the hierarchy.  Its teachings give the appearance of having no rank-order…merely uniform proscriptions from any deviation.  Its methods of meaningful communication with its Laity – the Body of the Church – are weak and sometimes non-existent.  This dilutes the effectiveness of its communication with and influence upon societal legislative and judicial powers, which respond only to the voice of its electorate when that voice is loud enough. 

The following are some support for these observations, all based upon recent reports from various sources including Zenit, the Catholic League’s Catalyst, the National Catholic Reporter, Commonweal, the Four County Catholic (Diocese of Norwich, Ct.) and America magazine.

·        This is the Year of the Priest, the embodiment of our religious practices.  And yet, the priests seem to be given short shrift and too little support within the hierarchy.  It is they who have the most direct contact with the Laity as they consecrate and offer the living Christ to their people on a daily basis.  The hierarchy of Bishops and higher personages should emphasize their priesthood, instead of being mired with administrative duties that should be delegated to appropriate members of the Laity, and instead of being preoccupied with personal advancement. 

·        The Church promulgates many teachings, some ancient, some not so old, and some corrected after painful and belabored re-evaluation.  Are they all of equal weight?  Or should there be a rank-order, beginning with Christ, the Living God, with the Trinity, with the Immaculate Conception, with the Pope as the Vicar of Christ on Earth, with the Nicene Creed, with the Ten Commandments…and continuing with the total prohibition of Abortion, with the support of Marriage as founded by Christ as the one chalice for child creation and child rearing. 

·        And then there are issues like contraception even within the context of a committed married relationship (no jurisdiction, in my opinion), homosexuality and civil unions, infertility treatments that do not destroy a fertilized ovum…even the questions of married priests and women in the priesthood.  Are all of these of equal moral and Magesterial weight?  Do they need to be, in order to preserve the integrity of the Roman Catholic Church as against the real actuality of some of them seriously undermining support for that Church…within and without it?

·        What about the battles between theological academicians and fundamentalists…all of them Roman Catholics, whose interactions can sometimes only be charitably called “bilious”?

·        We need unity within the Church, within its hierarchy – priesthood, between them and the Laity, too often ignored or intimidated into silence or departure, and between the Church and our Hebrew and Protestant brothers. 

This is the only Judeo-Christian way.  As importantly, it is the only way Justice, Morality and Reason can be brought to bear with true and holy Muslims as against the very dangerous pretenders to Islam in their midst. 

“IS ANYBODY THERE?  DOES ANYBODY CARE?”

GS