Let's examine this paragraph by paragraph
Archbishop Chaput, no doubt, makes for an impressive figure. Like a few other bishops, he does a good bit of travelling, giving conferences at invitation, writing books, and putting himself, his name, and his ideas out there. It reminds me a little bit of the days in the last papacy when Cardinal Arinze was everywhere, it seemed. Running for pope? That would be my inner cynic channeling there.
Out of the starting gate we have this theme of something amiss. PSST Archbishop Chaput is just a Archbishop he can't "run" for Pope. You have to be a Cardinal for that. Oh as to Cardinal Arinze he sort of has a important job. I guess he thinks he has more of a job than just appearing in the pretty robes for the tourists at the Vatican and actually should ges out and see the worldwide Church he helps governs. A radical idea. Ahh but he must have been running for something. Spoiler here but the rest of Catholic Sensibility thoughts in this post seem to involve the same depressing cynical analysis
As I read a summary of his remarks at a Detroit seminary, I feel for the guy. I really do. He’s tapped into the frustration of many pastors and lay ministers in parishes: how do you motivate a laity with issues other than your own passions? The world is heading into a depression and people are naturally concerned about issues in a selfish sort of way. Many of us are also concerned in a more selfless way for spouses and children who depend on us, not to mention people a lot more needy than us.
Again I am tad confused here. Are not many of his passions the passions or should be the passions of the Catholic laity. As I mentioned in this blogs comments section he took a ton of abuse and arrows over immigration reform as we went from Parish to Parish trying to get Catholics to look at this in the correct limelight. It should not be forgotten that Tom Tancredo is practically his neighbor and thus this was not a easy task. Chaput is not just about abortion.
Many priests and colleagues question their own effectiveness at one time or another. I know I have done so. While I and others may occasionally grumble at apathy in the pews, the healthy among us don’t point the finger for long. Why not? There are a few reasons.
Foremost, I distrust the blame game. It’s a cheap way of unshouldering one’s own faults and failings. It’s exactly the way modern culture works. Archbishop Chaput is adopting one of the prime values he so eagerly (and rightly!) criticizes.
November showed us that 40 years of American Catholic complacency and poor formation are bearing exactly the fruit we should have expected. Or to put it more discreetly, the November elections confirmed a trend, rather than created a new moment, in American culture.
Complacency? I uncovered a stack of 1973 bulletins and worship aids from my new parish. From the very outset of Roe v Wade, Catholic parishioners, residents and students both, were aware and reaching out as a result of that SCOTUS decision.
The blame Game? Is Chaput to be blamed for telling his flock how it is or the Church at large. It is not 1973 either. The state of Catholic education of the faithful pretty much went into a downward spiral since 1973. Not sure how Catholic material from getting close to 40 years ago is exactly relevant.
I wouldn’t mind meeting Archbishop Chaput. He seems so sure he is on the right track. How does he know. How does he really know?
Looking back over the past decade or two, I see bishops bickering openly over differing approaches to the pro-life effort. The bickering wasn’t mutual; it was mostly one-sided, really. It would have been better for Cardinal Law and his cronies to just shut up and let the Common Ground initiative take its course. By not shushing, they reveal that their agenda isn’t necessarily an end to abortion, but to convince others and insist that the right way is their way.
Is this blogger really saying that Chaput has not championed a comprehensive approach to the abortion battle?
Over and over again the more outspoken American bishops get press and appear to non-believers and many believers as petty egoists. They rescind invitations. They fire who they can. They suggest others lose livelihoods. They focus on what they’ve picked up from Republican politics: put the other person out of a job. The political pro-life movement has gone so far off the rails, it’s no wonder nobody on the Left takes it seriously. Instead of touting the genius of Catholic outreach, especially to women and infants in need, the public face of the Church is bishops stamping their feet, throwing a tantrum, and occasionally getting serious egg on their face by clergy mismanagement.
Funny, but that’s what a lot of lay people say about the bishops. And there’s less than three-hundred of them. Is it easier to budge such a smaller number on the life issue of sex abuse and clergy management?
Tough Criticism. No doubt the Apostle Paul would have come under a tongue lashing from this blogger for acting so right and being so outspoken. Thank God Catholic Sensibility was not there when Paul talked to the Corinthians.
Again I am not sure what is going on here. This seems to be a rant about people being fired ( I suppose this is people hired by the Bishops and others) . Plus the boogyman of Republican politics comes in!!! Run for the hills. So Chaput is something akin to a Republican ward boss. I am confused here
I disagree with Archbishop Chaput. 65 million Catholics don’t care about the same things many American bishops care about. Some of us care about frivolous things, like entertainment or sports or socializing with friends. Some of us care deeply about selfless issues that don’t touch on our own lives. Some of us are also passionately and deeply pro-life, but we differ with others in the movement. What do we get for that? Branding as heretics. Oh, and we lose our jobs if the detractors can get to us.
It would be useful if this blogger told us what view of his or hers is labled heretical.
Some of those issues of life, management, leisure, and such are more important that others, but we all make choices. Personally, I think the two major political parties in America don’t really speak to the needs of the nation any longer and should be retired. But I know I can make more of a difference in liturgy and spiritual growth at a university parish than I would in politics. What logic escapes the archbishop’s keen mind is that real life average human beings don’t go on speaking tours and write books and get their names in the Catholic press. We make a difference where we can and where we are. We aren’t complacent because we’re not jostling with the Denver archbishop for speaking gigs.
Ah we return to the this odd theme again. The Bishop speaks at conferences and gets quoted!!! Catholic Sensibility thinks the sensible notion is that Archbishop Chaput is doing this for all selfish reasons. He just wants the honors and be seen as some big guy. I guess Catholic Sensibility was not a big fan of Bishop Fulton Sheen when he had a tv show. Why think the most base and selfish motives? Archbishop Chaput wrote a book and signed a contract to write a book. It seems he made this strange move to go actually talk about his book so people might read it!!! Well that makes sense. By the way a couple of weeks ago the Archbishop gave a stirring address to the Cadets at the Air Force Academy. Shall we criticize that too or shall just pray that Chaput just shuts himself in the Bishops Office and do paperwork.
Catholics in America, at least the many good Catholics who yearn to live their faith honestly and deeply, can easily feel tempted to hopelessness. It becomes very burdensome to watch so many persons who call themselves Catholic compromise their faith and submit their hearts and consciences to the Caesars of our day.
More blame. Catholics in America don’t need to align to any one bishop’s notion of what’s important. The hopelessness I would be far more concerned about is coming from the conservative pro-lifers. After getting politically crushed in the last election cycle, they adopt a criticism-at-all-costs approach. The leadership lies to maximize the money-gathering effort: we’ve already seen pro-life champion Sam Brownback used by a Republican club to generate cash flow. Two months and we’ve yet to see the new president deliver on what the political pro-lifers were telling us was priority number one.
In the above quote the Archbishop talked about "If 65 million Catholics really cared about their faith and cared about what it teaches, neither political party could ignore what we believe about justice for the poor, or the homeless, or immigrants, or the unborn child." Those are not just little notions of one catholic Bishop but the Faith of Holy Mother Church as a whole.
Personally, I’d like to see and hear from other bishops. I’m getting tired of the Chaput, Rigali, Burke club. They lack political and public relations savvy. They insist theirs is the only way, the only hope. They are blind to their own faults and are all too willing to pin the blame on the poor, dumb, apathetic Catholic laity. They were convinced it was a good move to hitch their wagon to the Republican party. Thanks to incompetence, they circled the drain last November. But clearly, the speaking circuit is not lacking for giving out little jobs.
All other Bishops silent? I hear them speaking all the time. After reading all this I just get a sense Catholic Sensibility must know someone that was fired by a Bishop and is really out of sorts over it. Oh and has a bee in their bonnet over Bishops that make speeches and writes books.
When did the Bishop hitch their wagon to the Republican party? For most of my life they have in many ways hitched their wagon to the democrat party.
For a more wide view of Archbishop Chaput's thoughts and speeches (Part of the speaking gig includes things like World Youth Day) see ADDRESSES BY ARCHBISHOP CHARLES CHAPUT
Thanks for the link, James.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, the only qualification to be pope is to be baptized, male, and seven years of age. The cardinals elect the pope, of course, and nearly always it's one of their number. But that's small-t tradition, not law.
Todd