By Massimo Faggioli | United States
Throughout history there have been Church debates -- either locally or with the powers at the Vatican -- that have had far-reaching and long-term consequences on the lived and intellectual history of Catholicism. One of them, for instance, was the "Chinese rites" controversy in the 17thand 18thcenturies. This would influence the way the Church approached Chinese traditions and cultures, as well religious pluralism, right up until at least the dawn of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). We are at a similar juncture in ecclesiology -- i.e. the way we conceive of the Catholic Church. Catholic politicians and abortion.
Take the recent controversy surrounding Catholic politicians in the United States and reception of the Eucharist. It has pitted a "party" within the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) against President Joe Biden and has again revealed that the USCCB is out of step with the pastoral approach of Pope Francis.This situation is worrying for more than just those who are directly involved because the way this issue is played out will have consequences on the future of the Church and its self-understanding.Many US bishops have been urging the USCCB to release a document that would bar -- or at least intimidate -- Catholic politicians who favor the current laws that legalize abortion from receiving Holy Communion at Mass.
This is something that has already affected the liturgical habits of some prominent Catholic politicians, as a US senator revealed in a recent interview with the Jesuit-run magazine, America. At the USCCB summer gathering last June, some 73% of the bishops voted in favor of drafting such a document. The proposal was backed by 168 of the 273 prelates eligible to vote. Only 55 opposed the plan, while another six abstained. (The 160 retired bishops in the conference cannot cast a ballot.)
A document on the Eucharist
After the vote in June, a special commission got busy drafting a document on the Eucharist, which the bishops will vote on this week as they gather in Baltimore for the USCCB's annual "fall meeting". The document does not mention the issue of politicians and Communion. But the character of the discussion that takes place this week and in its aftermath will have an impact on the Church, no matter what the text's final version or whether it is approved by the necessary two-thirds majority.
The bishops have never threatened to deny Communion to conservative politicians who approve of other laws that are in clear contrast with Church, such as the death penalty.William Barr, a Catholic who actively promoted capital punishment as attorney general under Donald Trump, was never subjected to the sort of treatment the bishops are displaying towards Biden and other Democrats. Still, there is no question that the way the United States has gone about legalizing abortion, very differently from the approach most countries in Europe have taken, is highly problematic for Catholic teaching, to say the least. And, certainly, the Church's pastors have a duty to teach on the subject.
No comments:
Post a Comment