AmericanPapist Comments
Different times, different circumstances for this outbreak of what our hero Mark Shea calls "Episcopal Spine Alert." It might be just as simple as who currently serves as chief shepherd of our nation's capital. Archbishop Wuerl is a renowned writer and pastor. He had to take tough stands while in Pittsburgh, particularly the summertime '05 ordination of wymynpriests. So it was no stretch to hear him jump into the fray over the embarrassing remarks of Speaker Pelosi and Senator Biden. Cardinal McCarrick, his predecessor......well, let's say he had too great a commitment to "nuance." Which only confused Senator Kerry in 2004--- and the faithful.
If memory serves, Abp. Chaput led the charge. From a certain perspective, it appears that holding the Democratic convention provided the auspicious occasion for the Archbishop of the Diocese in which Speaker Pelosi was operating (as a convention official) to wade into the fray, even though she is not a member of his Archdiocese.
From that perspective, H.E. Chaput provided, on the one hand, cover for bishops around the country who have hoped for the opportunity to show some "Episcopal spine" while, on the other hand, goading other, more reluctant bishops (who have had myriad opportunities to speak toward this and related topics) into action.
From another perspective, we see the fruit of Benedict XVI's pastoral visit to our shores. The example he provided in his address to the bishops after vespers, in his address to other Christian leaders and his address to non-Christian religious leaders, and his direct address of episcopal and presbyteral sin in the abuse of minors are all bearing fruit.
These are only two of the catalysts. I'm sure more careful observers have noticed or catalogued a plethora of others.
James D.: I wonder if an additional four years of distance from the sex abuse scandal hasn't helped the bishops regain an authoritative voice. Here again, as you point out, Pope Benedict's conduct during his visit to America may have aided the bishops, inasmuch as he demonstrated that acknowledgement of the scandal does not preclude one from proclaiming, and defending, the Truth.
Thanks for posting the Kerry quote. For my part, I really don't care what brought (some) of the bishops to the courage of their convictions but I'm glad they found some spine.
Now, if only Catholics would STOP voting for people who are "personally opposed but blah blah blah" maybe this country could turn the Culture of Death around without having to fight another civil war over it.
Great post!God is great! Blessed be God.May the Sacred Heart of JESUS, in the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised,adored and loved with grateful affection at every moment in all the tabernacles of the world even to the end of time. Amen.
I don't think Pelosi's comments changed anything, they just represented the first time the bishops actually collectively stepped up to the plate to fight back. The Kerry election in '04 showed a contrast in approaches. On the one hand, you had the McCarrick's, Levada's, Maida's, and Mahoney's, who chose to remain on the sidelines. On the other hand, Archbishop Burke and Chaput and some others indicated that this approach was unacceptable. In the last four years there have been numerous episcopal appointments and the balance seems to be tipping toward the Chaput's and away from the McCarrick's. By the time Pelosi made her comments, all the pieces were in place and instead of one or two bishops responding, you had 27 as well as the USCCB.
A welcome response in deed.
"I don't think Pelosi's comments changed anything, they just represented the first time the bishops actually collectively stepped up to the plate to fight back."
I can't remember any American Catholic politician making a public claim on abortion quite as egregious as Pelosi's -- essentially relegating the Church's stance to the last 50 years, suggesting that prior to that it was a free-for-all, implying that her thinking was in any way Augustinian. That's going further than the previous "personally opposed but" rhetoric we've been putting up with for decades.
I signed the thank-you note to Archbishop Chaput. I wish there were more we could do to thank our shepherds for the last two and a half weeks and encourage them to keep it up.
gb: I suspect Catholics who vote for people who are "personally opposed but blah blah blah" are themselves "personally opposed but blah blah blah." Be glad the Church is not a democracy.
The very simple way I have put it many times: It is as if God heard Speaker Pelosi and from Heaven reached down and grabbed the Bishops by the shoulders, shook them, and said "Wake up, it's time to go to work!" Thanks Be to God!
The sleeping giant is no longer!! What I am sure is amazing to these politicians is that for SO long they have been able to say what they want about the Catholic Faith and never be challenged, that now I am sure they have been totally surprised by the Bishops response. And rightly so. Who do these politicians think they are, stating "moral truths" under their interpretations. I hope the Biden/Pelossi/Kerry/Kennedy crowd are now rethinking what it really means to be Catholic and a politician. We cannot live two lives. Paraphrasing from St JoseMaria Escriva: we need to have Unity of Life. Live what we believe, believe what we live. To do otherwise is to live a lie.
PS: We need to be thanking our Bishops, sending them letters, cards, emails, showing them our support for their brave response and also so that they know that we are supporting them 100%!!!! A thankyou to the editorial columns might not hurt either.
crazylikeknoxes: The years of distance probably haven't hurt, but I think "Boethius" has a point of equal weight. The years of distance weren't necessary for bishops like H.E. Bruskewitz who haven't, to my knowledge, needed any temporal distance to regain any of their moral authority.
Unlike Mr. Greydanus (SDG) or yourself, however, my experience of these things doesn't extend back more than about 8 or 9 years, when I first started my (slow) return to the Church.
I think there are much more profound reasons why the bishops are more outspoken this time than what I'm about to suggest, but I wonder if there is any connection to the fact that this time around there is no sitting president running.
It's an open game this year, so by calling out Biden, the bishops are not defending a sitting president who also happens to be running.
I'm very pleased with these developments. Anything that has our bishops speakling out and being leaders is a wonderful thing in my opinion. Truth needs to be spoken, openly and loudly. I just wish that a Bishop would actually go on a limb and dicuss not only why abortion is bad for the baby and the mother, but bad for society as whole, and how tolerance for it has brought down morals all over (well, I suppose Abp. Chaput kinda did that).
Now if only I get could get my roommate to listen to the bishops. He's Catholic, but when I mentioned that several bishops spoke out against Biden he said, and I quote, "So, some bishops spoke out against Medjugorje!" So sad. He's very devout, but swollowed the Medjugorje kool-aid completely.
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