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Confessions of a Catholic Seminarian
Notes from the Journey
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Wednesday, October 23, 2002

I really liked this, from this website here:

...The Dallas convention totally ignored the camel that paraded through the hall when Scott Appleby, the Notre Dame sociologist said that the bad faith of American bishops began in 1968. For it was in 1968 that Pope Paul VI announced his long-awaited decision about Catholic teaching on contraception, and surprised many by giving many reasons against the popular practice.

Immediately, a host of theologians, clergy, and lay people publicly dissented. Then, more afraid of being called "conservative" than of being faithful to Catholic teaching, the bishops looked the other way. They refused to exercise their teaching authority. They allowed dissent (more exactly, rebellion) to grow unchecked. ...

Everything the bishops did in Dallas showed how fearful they still are of being thought conservative. That is why they refused even to touch the one issue that John Paul II had told them is central: fidelity to the whole of Catholic teaching on married love and sexuality. That would have meant antagonizing the secular, liberal press. That would have meant preaching Catholic doctrine straight. The bishops didn't want to touch that task.

They refused by voice vote a motion to study the role of dissent in the present scandalous developments. They were afraid to probe that deep, neuralgic nerve.

Even the choice of two liberals to speak for Catholic laywomen and men displayed the bishops' remarkable fear of being thought conservative. In that respect, the bishops still don't get it.

The bishops need to understand that what we Catholics love and respect is the Catholic faith, not them. If they lack courage to speak up for the faith, what are they good for except to be thrown out and trodden upon, salt without savor?

I don't know about you, but I hear more and more people saying that they should throw out the whole bench, and get a new team. A few exceptions aside, this one doesn't seem to be completely serious.

But my advice is, give them a little more time. And pray that the one or two clear leaders among them will step forward, for the good of the Church. Enough of Avignon. It's time to take the Church back to Rome.

� Michael Novak, the George F. Jewett scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Mr. Novak is the author, most recently, of On Two Wings: Humble Faith and Common Sense at the American Founding.


Well, a dear friend of the family passed away unexpectedly the other day, at the ripe old age of 44. God bless her, and keep her safe.

I'll sign back on soon.
posted by David Greenleaf at Wednesday, October 23, 2002
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