July 2012
Sometimes a priest will be scolded that his talks are too political. I am never quite sure what that means.
Sure, I would love to talk about how everything is beautiful in its own way and how the Bible tells us all how to get rich and how Jesus loves us no matter what and there are no implications for our lives and no consequences in this world that flow from anything we believe. Sure I would like to just be quiet and talk about how wonderful heaven is, but then I might have to act and speak as if our life and our faith are totally unconnected—totally unrelated.
But I cannot believe that. I cannot talk like that because every day there is something new that happens in the world or in the city that needs a Catholic analysis—that cries out for a Catholic response.
Cannot separate faith and life
And so we priests have to talk about these things. We have no choice—unless, of course, we don’t think that our faith has anything to do with the way we live our lives.
Certainly a priest ought not publicly endorse any particular candidate because the priest—by his endorsement is—in a certain sense—guaranteeing the goodness and virtue and promises of that candidate. And that would be very unwise.
But I think it is legitimate for a priest to give a negative assessment of an individual politician. He might be able to point out to his people that from his reading of Catholic moral theology—and that is what a priest does for a living, it would actually be wrong to vote for a certain candidate precisely because that candidate’s positions are so obviously immoral—that to promote him is to promote that which is immoral.
The Nazis told us to be quiet, too
Would it have been wrong for a priest—or bishop—in Germany in the 1930’s to tell his people that it would be immoral to support Adolph Hitler? Certainly there were those priests and bishops who saw the darkening horizon and tried to alert their people. And just as certainly the Nazis told those priests and bishops to be quiet and not get involved in politics. But would it have been moral to say nothing? Are there not times when the church needs to say something about politics and politicians?
We know clearly from common church teaching that there are certain positions that a candidate may take that immediately disqualify him from our vote. Would anyone quibble with a Bishop who said we may not vote for a candidate who wants to persecute Jews? Or re-enslave Africans? So why would anyone even hesitate to condemn a politician and refuse to vote for him if he supports killing babies in the womb? I think we can agree that the church needs to say whatever needs to be said—even if what we preach does not coincide with that which is popular and we are then accused of meddling in politics.
That of course is what is happening now. The Church is constantly being accused of playing politics—of taking sides—simply because the Church is publicly expounding traditional Catholic morality on some of the moral evils that the politicians have decided to embrace and promote. And the politicians do not like the Church having any kind of a say in these matters—because they have decided that they are the supreme authority. They have decided that vast areas of our personal lives—are now under their control. Issues of family life and the education of our children, the relationship of men and women, husbands and wives—how we deal with each other day to day are now the concerns of the state.
Church’s duty to teach morals
So even though Catholics and their priests have preached for two thousand years that abortion is the murder of an innocent baby—once the government and politicians get involved—the Church is told to be quiet.
The Church can preach explicitly and implicitly since Saint Paul about the immorality of homosexual activity and the impossibility of same gender marriage—but let some petty politician or venal political party get involved with this issue in its platform planks and campaign promises then the Church is told to shut up.
The Church can mold and form and shape society for two millennia about the nature of love and the sacredness of life—and what families need and how fathers and mothers should be and-what are and are not sacraments—but once the politicians start talking about it the Church is told to be silent.
“Church, be quiet!”
They say: “We are the ones who are talking about human life and marriage now. We are the ones who will determine what is right and wrong for people, and for society and for adults and for children. We will tell families how they may live and what they may do. We have taken over the conversation. This is our issue — our discussion, our concern. Church, be quiet! Or you will be meddling in politics!” How sad that even regular Catholic people start to accept that it is the government that teaches our families how to live and what is right or wrong for them. Regular Catholic people—the ones who go to work everyday watch television all night and even go to church on Sunday are beginning to believe that it is the state that will explain to us what is moral or immoral—not the Church—not Jesus—not even human tradition—but the State.
Apparently they are not able to understand that the Church must do her duty and teach and reprove and correct a society that is going mad without the Church—without Christ.
If the Church does not do Her duty, she will be faced with a severer judge than some petty alderman.
Moral teacher for the good of society
The Church—specifically the Catholic Church and in the Person of the Infallible Pope and with the help of the bishops and priests and fathers and mothers and grandmothers and grandfathers—and to the exclusion of any input from any politician—has the authority from God to teach what we must believe or do in order to be saved. Ultimately, we are trying to ensure that Catholic moral teaching is enacted into law for the good of the whole country—for the good of little unborn babies who have a right to life and for the good of husbands and wives who have a right to their family. Faith and morals is what the Church is about—and that by Divine command.
Therefore if the law says you can defraud the worker—or cheat the poor—or hurt the immigrant or injure children or wage unjust war or take innocent life or pervert the meaning of love—then it is the church’s obligation by means of the Pope and Bishops and priests and the people—to condemn that law publicly as immoral, invalid and not worthy of our respect or adherence.
That stance may involve us in what they call politics, but it is really just the Church looking out for her people—for Jesus’ people—the ones He loves. And that is not politics but motherly love—of Holy Mother Church.