Surprise: OWH Advancing Progressive Catholic Agenda

(CHRISM NEWS/ CHRIS POTRATZ) Today the Omaha World Herald published an article entitled, "Some Midlands Catholics see victory for openness on church's approach to divorce, gays" written by local Catholic journalist Michael O'Connor.

In essence, Mr. O'Connor has delivered us a piece of journalism stating the obvious – that progressive leaning Catholics are hoping for greater acceptance of divorce and homosexuality. More importantly, though, he has asserted his own personal bias toward these issues.

This would of course be completely legitimate, if Mr. O'Connor's story was explicitly editorial in nature. It is not, however, and what we have instead is Mr. O'Connor tactfully using selected sources to promote his own agenda in the form of an objective news story.

The information pulled directly from the OWH article will appear below in italicized font.

Relief swept over Joanna Lindberg.

The Omaha Catholic had just read the remarkably welcoming language about divorced couples and homosexuals in a preliminary Vatican report on family life.

Some conservative Catholics called the report a betrayal, and the final version dialed back some of the inclusive language. But Lindberg and other reform-minded church members remained optimistic.

“It made me hopeful about the future of the church,” Lindberg said. “I’m weary (with) the church’s stand.”

Pay close attention to the wording used by O'Connor as he described the dichotomy going on here: "Conservatives" versus "reform-minded Catholics."

What Mr. O'Connor is attempting to do here is some journalistic sleight of hand. Catholics who welcome changes to established Church doctrine are "reform-minded" – a noble way of thinking, no doubt. Who can argue with such a friendly sounding title?

Mr. O'Connor, I hate to break it to you, but Conservative Catholics are also reformers. We seek to move away from the well-documented declines in church attendance, vocations to the priesthood and religious orders, and liturgical abuse. We too are reform-minded – it is just a matter of perspective. For the low-information readers consuming Mr. O'Connor's writing today, however, the association has been set. Conservative = Stuffy/ Liberal = Reform-Minded. Who comes out on top?

Experts say the two-week synod on family life that concluded last month in Rome was significant in opening debate among bishops on some of the most controversial issues facing the church. The discussion among clergy and laity will continue through next fall’s meeting at the Vatican, when final proposals will be made.

Mr. O'Connor is right in the sentence above, as he nails the two words which most appropriately describe the recent synod: significant and controversial.

Eileen Burke-Sullivan, a theologian and vice provost for mission and ministry at Creighton University, said an important focus during the next year will be how to make reforms by changing the church’s pastoral practices and policies while leaving doctrine untouched.

“The purpose of policy is to apply (church) law in the most merciful way,” Burke-Sullivan said. “Policy is supposed to be compassionate, not a burden.”

Ms. Burke-Sullivan, in one fell swoop, has attempted to knock down the entire history of the Catholic Church's beautiful and unrivaled approach to the nature of human suffering. Policy is supposed to be compassionate and not a burden? Since when? Since when have the precepts of the Church – frankly – not been burdensome? It's true, adhering to the very word of God is difficult. The real challenge is being able to see the compassion within and throughout the burden.

A good example, she said, is church doctrine that holds that marriage is a union between a man, a woman and God — a bond that civil divorce cannot undo. That’s why the church requires an annulment, which can be a complicated and lengthy process.

Here, Ms. Burke-Sullivan leads with solid truth and then slides in some proper liberal buzzwords. Namely, that an annulment is complicated and lengthy. Just as a common sense rule – can we not all essentially agree that events in life which are complicated and lengthy tend to build us up and give us greater character, if nothing else? Another item comes to mind which is likewise complicated and lengthy: a marriage. Why should dissolving it be any simpler?

The church also could develop new pastoral practices toward gays. Official church teaching holds that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered.” While that language might not be erased, the church could develop new ways of understanding human relationships.

I assume I am not the only one just holding my breath in uncontrollable excitement as I await these "new" ways of understanding "human relationships." Scripture and tradition are crystal clear – human beings, as a matter of fact, are all disordered. We are all sinners, and we all fall short.

We all have plenty of internal motivations which one could reasonably call "intrinsically disordered." Why, then, are we seeking to give this one very small subsection of society the free pass? The winds of political change, that is why.

Kristy Nabhan-Warren, associate professor of religious studies at the University of Iowa, said the Second Vatican Council provides a powerful example of how the church can be made more relevant and compassionate without changing doctrine.

Convened in 1962 by Pope John XXIII, now a saint, the council instituted major reforms, such as allowing the Mass to be celebrated in vernacular languages rather than in Latin to bring the church and the Gospel closer to the people.

This is quite honestly the most obvious tell for Mr. O'Connor's agenda, in what is presented to the readers as "man-on-the street" style reporting. Mr. O'Connor must have known who he was asking here – and he got exactly the response he desired. Ms. Nabhan-Warren in the department of religious studies at the University of Iowa – You mean to tell me she has a liberal perspective? Preposterous.

As someone who earned both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in a liberal arts program, I can only confirm what most of you already know – religious studies programs are not, in fact, religious.

They, too, have been usurped by Marxist critical theorists who have systematically dismantled the profession into nothing more than a chance to spread atheism and liberalism to the young, fresh minds entering any state university.

Ms. Nabhan-Warren's comments (which reflect common understanding) illustrate this point. She is attempting to say that the Vatican II Council made the church more relevant and compassionate. Now, I am not in opposition to the Vatican II Council. I am, however, contesting that it made the Church "more" relevant and compassionate.

The Catholic Church, from the start, has been an integral part of Western civilization. Was this not "relevant" enough? The Church, from the start, has been the sanctuary for saint and sinner alike – feeding the poor and nourishing us with the Sacraments. Not to mention producing the most venerable of saints. Was this, too, not "compassionate" enough?

Mr. O'Connor is trying to present the idea that a Catholic Church which is not counter-cultural and fails to stand against modern society is, in fact, the most relevant and compassionate. At the very least, he is affirming that Liberal policies are more relevant and compassionate through the use of his sources.

Sister Aline Paris, a theology professor at the College of St. Mary, said there are other parallels between Vatican II and the family synod.

Not only did Vatican II tackle important issues of that time and welcome open debate, it crystallized the divisions between traditionalist and progressive Catholics that still exist today — and were exposed in the recent synod.

Indeed.

Some Catholics believe the recent synod was a victory for openness. They hope Francis during the next year will build consensus for a more tolerant approach toward people in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, divorced Catholics and others who feel left out by the church.

Again, Mr. O'Connor's use of words here: "openness, tolerant approach, feels left out." I must ask – did the many saints throughout the centuries prior to modernity simply have no sin to battle? No, they did, and they overcame that sin to become great saints. In our McDonald's world of quick fixes we now want to be saints without the cross – a task made much easier when we play the semantics game of not calling sin what it is. Articles such as Mr. O'Connor's beg the question: Why do liberal Catholics choose to remain attached to such an apparently oppressive entity?

Creighton University’s decision recently to offer health benefits to same-sex spouses of employees began with the pope’s new tone toward the LGBT community, said the school’s president, the Rev. Timothy Lannon. He said that the new policy does not mean the university condones same-sex marriages but that it was important for the school to give colleagues legally married to same-sex spouses in other states the same benefits afforded opposite-sex couples.

I do not even feel the need to give this statement any credit or analysis, as Archbishop George Lucas has already tackled this with more wisdom and tact than I will ever hope to have. Essentially, as the Bishop stated: Yes, it does condone same sex marriage whether you think it does or not.

#opinion