I am consistently struck at how often other religions feel the need to talk about what the Catholic Church is up to. Hell, not just other religions, but everybody, hyperbollically speaking. There is no public institution under such intense and critical scrutiny as the Catholic Church. The Church cannot issue a document, cannot make a public pronouncement, without the world media explaining what everyone thinks is wrong with that decision. It’s not the Catholic Church is the only worldwide Christian body. We don’t see this much attention devoted to the action of the World Council of Churches, which represents most mainline protestants, to the Anglican Communion (unless the discussion is about how Bad Conservatives are disrupting it), or even of other protestant heavyweights like Rick Warren unless he’s somehow involved in the political process.
No, such opprobrium is reserved for the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Nobody cares what the Methodists say or how the SBC resolves its internal dislocations and disputes, but when the Pope rescinds the excommunications of four wayward bishops, we find out that this undoes decades of ecumenical work, is some sort of violence against Jews and Judaism, instead of the Church trying to stop a bad situation from simply getting further out of hand. People seem to think that this reconciliation is an endorsement of Holocaust denial — how soon they forget the actions both John Paul and/or Benedict took toward memorializing the dead and condemning the crime.
By “welcoming an open holocaust denier into the Catholic Church without any recantation on his part, the Vatican has made a mockery of John Paul II’s moving and impressive repudiation and condemnation of anti-Semitism,” he said.
This is the same sort of person who frets that, in the 1962 Easter prayers, there’s one that the Jews might be converted, and thinks that this violates some imaginary decision to stop sharing the Gospel with Jews. It’s amazing.
Let’s look at some of the comments to this CNN story, shall we?
- What next, returning to the burning of witches and heretics? That church is so out of touch and out of date it is becoming a laughing stalk and it just keeps sliding backwards.
- Once more this re-enforces my decision to leave the Catholic Church.
This also explains why there are so many catholic churches closing throughout Canada and the rest of the world.What value is there to a prayer recited in a language that is not understood by the person praying?
Denying the Holocaust never happened confirms the shameful role Pope Pius X played during WW II.
It is just a question of time when all the citizens of this planet will question the relevancy of religion.
- Please understand that it is not only JEWS who are offended by the Pope’s actions! Anyone who denies the well-evidenced factual truth of the holocaust
is either mentally deficient or willfully ignorant, and it offends me, a Christian, very deeply that such a person has been found worthy to occupy an important position within the church.
For the life of me, I simply do not understand. Why, I must wonder, do people who place so little stock in Catholicism get so up in arms about everything we say? Why do the same people who say “Why do we care what the little man in the white beanie has to say?” spend so much time condemning what he has to say? Could it be they recognize the Church to be the enemy of their actions, and reflexively recoil?
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January 26, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Michael
I love your blog, and I do see what you’re getting at here, but I wonder if you may have missed the bigger point.
Other Christians (and followers of non-Christian religions) have a pretty serious stake in the interpretation of Vatican II, which is the real issue between Rome and the SSPX. The Council did more in a few years to improve ecumenical relations than the five centuries that preceded it — or, sadly, the decades that have followed. And cordial relations with other religions altogether, especially the Jews, were virtually impossible in the pre-Conciliar world. Nobody — or almost nobody — wants to go back to those days.
That doesn’t excuse the rude tone of the comments you quote, nor the widespread rush to judgment by people who don’t grasp the theological or canonical issues. But it does explain and, I think, justify the interest of non-Catholics in Church affairs.
I realize it may all seem like a prurient interest in your neighbor’s household. But when your neighbor has the biggest house on the block — so big that it controls real estate values and blocks traffic when the gate is shut — your interest is legitimate. Lousy metaphor, but I hope it makes the point.
January 26, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Colm
Michael, I don’t understand your point about the ‘interpretation of Vatican 2′ and what Brian Visaggio posted. Imo, Brian was merely saying that he doesn’t understand why this move to reincoporate 4 bishops and a few tens of thousands of Christian-Catholics into the greater Church represents a step away from the Church’s ecumenical mission of total Christian reunification to people who aren’t really interested in the Church or that mission anyway.
Brian, I think the furor has to do with the controversial and stupid beliefs apparently held by B. Williamson and, I stress this, out of petty jealousy.
January 28, 2009 at 9:16 pm
toastisyummy
Brian,
I think the focus of criticism of the Catholic Church “comes with the territory” as they say. As you are undoubtedly aware, Catholics comprise over 1 billion of the world’s population–making them a sizable religious and political force. Compare this with Methodism (not a small sect!) which has less than 10 percent the number of adherents.
I’m inclined to agree that the rudeness of the comments isn’t justified by any means, but with so much influence over the word, it’s no surprise the Church gets as much flak as it does.
Cheers
toast