The Benedictine abbey of Notre Dame de Belloc has been nestled in the hills of Southern France’s Basque region for more than 100 years. The countryside could not be more picturesque: rolling green hills dotted white with grazing sheep, needed to produce the abbey’s famous cheese, and snow-capped Pyrenees in the distance.
Mass in the abbey crypt is a sublime experience, as the austere modern chapel offers deeply resonant acoustics for the voices of the monks, whether they sing Gregorian chant or French or Basque-language polyphony.
But the abbey’s apparent serenity masks another dimension: solidarity with the Basque people. More than once French police have raided the abbey to search for evidence of collaboration with the Basque separatist movement, ETA.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
At Odds Among Ourselves
The spat between Congressman Patrick Kennedy and Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin began over healthcare reform, but quickly spilled onto other issues. Taken together, these “other issues” reflect much about the splintered state of American Catholicism. Even a simple listing reveals how deeply divided we have become:
The Abortion Issue. During my recent visits church visits in France, not a single Catholic (whether lay or clergy) could understand why American Catholics are at odds. The Notre Dame graduation, the disputes over politicians receiving Communion, the question of healthcare reform funding -- these seem peculiarly "American" problems. I explained that, since Roe V. Wade, many Catholics (and most bishops) equate "anti-abortion” with commitment to the total legal prohibition of abortion, and equated any other position with "pro-abortion.” This at least clarified the controversies for them, even though prohibition is a non-issue for French Catholics.
The Communion Issue. Some Bishops like Raymond Burke (former Archbishop of St. Louis) claim canon law is so clear they have no choice but to exclude catholic politicians from communion if they fail to tow the official line on abortion: "The Church's law is very clear…The person who persists publicly in grave sin is to be denied Holy Communion, and it [Canon Law] doesn't say that the bishop shall decide this. It's an absolute."
But other bishops believe just the opposite, such as Washington, DC Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh, who said: "That's the new way now to make your point…We never - the Church just didn't use Communion this way. It wasn't a part of the way we do things, and it wasn't a way we convinced Catholic politicians to appropriate the faith and live it and apply it; the challenge has always been to convince people.'' On the other hand, sanctioning Catholics tends to alienate them, he said. “I stand with the great majority of American bishops and bishops around the world in saying this canon [law] was never intended to be used this way." Wuerl also said that he thought "we've been making progress" in conveying the pro-life message to the Democratic Party, but "There was just a setback with the distraction of Communion."
No one should be surprised if rank and file Catholics become divided when even Bishops cannot agree on such aggressive measures.
The "Scandal" Issue. Clearly many Catholics were "scandalized" by Obama’s degree at Notre Dame, while others are equally "scandalized" by bishops moving to exclude politicians from Communion. But in Catholic tradition, "scandal" does not mean to offend or shock. It means to leave others into evil-doing.
Obviously, sex abuse by clergy is gravely scandalous, and the malfeasance of Bishops responsible for such clergy even more so, since it had led millions to doubt the moral integrity of the Catholic Church. Among this scandal’s victims are other bishops, like Bishop Tobin, who present themselves as moral arbiters to a Catholic public that no longer trusts them or the institutional authority they represent. Patrick Kennedy inevitably gets the benefit of the doubt because of the hierarchy’s self-inflicted credibility gap.
The Catholic Identity Issue. When Bishop Tobin wrote to Kennedy, "I’m not sure whether or not you fulfill the basic requirements of being a Catholic," he opened a particularly messy can of worms. Of course, all baptized Catholics are members of Christ's body. Of course, some people are better Catholics than others. Of course, Catholic parishes lack the clear-cut "membership" requirements of some Protestant churches. So, of course, every Catholic parish includes multiple degrees of membership. In my experience, very few parishioners perform all their duties and accept all Church teachings. As a matter of actual fact, "being a Catholic" means many things
These issues all point to one thing: we American Catholics are at odds among ourselves across a wide array of questions. I see no upside here, since I am convinced we are driving away millions of young adults (in their 20s, 30s, and 40s) who see a Church too preoccupied with internal conflicts to focus on its true mission of proclaiming Good News and practicing Love.
American Catholics desperately seek (or at least need) a leader who can unify us -- someone with a hopeful message, a constructive strategy, and an inclusive manner. Is there a candidate among our Bishops? Among our clergy? Among our laity?
Time will tell--but time is not on our side.
The Abortion Issue. During my recent visits church visits in France, not a single Catholic (whether lay or clergy) could understand why American Catholics are at odds. The Notre Dame graduation, the disputes over politicians receiving Communion, the question of healthcare reform funding -- these seem peculiarly "American" problems. I explained that, since Roe V. Wade, many Catholics (and most bishops) equate "anti-abortion” with commitment to the total legal prohibition of abortion, and equated any other position with "pro-abortion.” This at least clarified the controversies for them, even though prohibition is a non-issue for French Catholics.
The Communion Issue. Some Bishops like Raymond Burke (former Archbishop of St. Louis) claim canon law is so clear they have no choice but to exclude catholic politicians from communion if they fail to tow the official line on abortion: "The Church's law is very clear…The person who persists publicly in grave sin is to be denied Holy Communion, and it [Canon Law] doesn't say that the bishop shall decide this. It's an absolute."
But other bishops believe just the opposite, such as Washington, DC Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh, who said: "That's the new way now to make your point…We never - the Church just didn't use Communion this way. It wasn't a part of the way we do things, and it wasn't a way we convinced Catholic politicians to appropriate the faith and live it and apply it; the challenge has always been to convince people.'' On the other hand, sanctioning Catholics tends to alienate them, he said. “I stand with the great majority of American bishops and bishops around the world in saying this canon [law] was never intended to be used this way." Wuerl also said that he thought "we've been making progress" in conveying the pro-life message to the Democratic Party, but "There was just a setback with the distraction of Communion."
No one should be surprised if rank and file Catholics become divided when even Bishops cannot agree on such aggressive measures.
The "Scandal" Issue. Clearly many Catholics were "scandalized" by Obama’s degree at Notre Dame, while others are equally "scandalized" by bishops moving to exclude politicians from Communion. But in Catholic tradition, "scandal" does not mean to offend or shock. It means to leave others into evil-doing.
Obviously, sex abuse by clergy is gravely scandalous, and the malfeasance of Bishops responsible for such clergy even more so, since it had led millions to doubt the moral integrity of the Catholic Church. Among this scandal’s victims are other bishops, like Bishop Tobin, who present themselves as moral arbiters to a Catholic public that no longer trusts them or the institutional authority they represent. Patrick Kennedy inevitably gets the benefit of the doubt because of the hierarchy’s self-inflicted credibility gap.
The Catholic Identity Issue. When Bishop Tobin wrote to Kennedy, "I’m not sure whether or not you fulfill the basic requirements of being a Catholic," he opened a particularly messy can of worms. Of course, all baptized Catholics are members of Christ's body. Of course, some people are better Catholics than others. Of course, Catholic parishes lack the clear-cut "membership" requirements of some Protestant churches. So, of course, every Catholic parish includes multiple degrees of membership. In my experience, very few parishioners perform all their duties and accept all Church teachings. As a matter of actual fact, "being a Catholic" means many things
These issues all point to one thing: we American Catholics are at odds among ourselves across a wide array of questions. I see no upside here, since I am convinced we are driving away millions of young adults (in their 20s, 30s, and 40s) who see a Church too preoccupied with internal conflicts to focus on its true mission of proclaiming Good News and practicing Love.
American Catholics desperately seek (or at least need) a leader who can unify us -- someone with a hopeful message, a constructive strategy, and an inclusive manner. Is there a candidate among our Bishops? Among our clergy? Among our laity?
Time will tell--but time is not on our side.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
On Pilgrimage
Lurking behind Thanksgiving’s obvious message of gratitude for God’s blessings is another theme: pilgrimage.
The gratitude of our Pilgrim Fathers and Mothers rose from this fact: they WERE pilgrims, following a journey along a path to an unfamiliar destination, a place where survival itself would be at risk.
During my recent trip to France’s southwest, I visited Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, where, since the 12th century, pilgrims from three different starting points have converged at the foot of the Pyrenees to rest one last time before beginning the daunting trek over the mountains into Spain and their eventual destination at San Diego de Compostella.
The amazing thing: after more than 8 centuries the number of pilgrims keeps growing. Each year brings a new record.
Until recently participants could obtain a record of their pilgrimage by registering their reason for going. Some said religion, others said spirituality, others sport, others leisure—and some said all of the above!
It fascinates me that all these reasons motivate people to go on pilgrimage, even though they could well motivate other activities instead. Why is it that pilgrimage draws people? Why is the pilgrim experience so popular?
We should not forget how many forms pilgrimage takes, and how diverse their destinations. There is Lourdes as well as Compostella. There is the Holy Land and Mecca (even if arriving by air is unlike walking from Paris to Spain). There is the “Path to Jerusalem,” the labyrinth in the cathedral at Chartres where one follows a stone path in the floor to arrive at a center that symbolizes Jerusalem itself.
And then there are historical pilgrimages. The Plymouth Pilgrims, for example, set a precedent for every wave of immigrants that followed, including those who today trek the line of land from South America up through Mexico into the promised land of the American southwest.
They arrive, like their Plymouth forebears, without permission or papers. And like them, they hope and pray the natives will offer the kind of welcome that leads to a shared bounty for which all might give thanks to God.
The gratitude of our Pilgrim Fathers and Mothers rose from this fact: they WERE pilgrims, following a journey along a path to an unfamiliar destination, a place where survival itself would be at risk.
During my recent trip to France’s southwest, I visited Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, where, since the 12th century, pilgrims from three different starting points have converged at the foot of the Pyrenees to rest one last time before beginning the daunting trek over the mountains into Spain and their eventual destination at San Diego de Compostella.
The amazing thing: after more than 8 centuries the number of pilgrims keeps growing. Each year brings a new record.
Until recently participants could obtain a record of their pilgrimage by registering their reason for going. Some said religion, others said spirituality, others sport, others leisure—and some said all of the above!
It fascinates me that all these reasons motivate people to go on pilgrimage, even though they could well motivate other activities instead. Why is it that pilgrimage draws people? Why is the pilgrim experience so popular?
We should not forget how many forms pilgrimage takes, and how diverse their destinations. There is Lourdes as well as Compostella. There is the Holy Land and Mecca (even if arriving by air is unlike walking from Paris to Spain). There is the “Path to Jerusalem,” the labyrinth in the cathedral at Chartres where one follows a stone path in the floor to arrive at a center that symbolizes Jerusalem itself.
And then there are historical pilgrimages. The Plymouth Pilgrims, for example, set a precedent for every wave of immigrants that followed, including those who today trek the line of land from South America up through Mexico into the promised land of the American southwest.
They arrive, like their Plymouth forebears, without permission or papers. And like them, they hope and pray the natives will offer the kind of welcome that leads to a shared bounty for which all might give thanks to God.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Balancing Act
SEQUEL TO #271: While conducting a staff retreat last week I realized my earlier comments on Spirituality and Religion were incomplete. It’s true these terms mark a gap between my generation and younger Catholics, but they also mark a gap between us and my parents’ (or grandparents’) generation.
It’s common among my children’s peers to show interest in spirituality without religion. The big questions—What does life mean? What are we doing here? Where is my life going?—have not disappeared, but many younger adults who pose these big questions have no confidence in the Church’s capacity to help answer them.
But I had forgotten the opposite extreme: my childhood experience of Catholicism before Vatican II (1962-1965), when too many Catholics practiced religion without spirituality—that is, they went through the motions, they obeyed all the rules, but without much attention to the inner life where the big questions arise. Such people belonged to Church, but did not pose or wrestle with the big questions.
If spirituality is about the inner life and religion is about belonging, perhaps the next generation focuses too little on belonging, while the generation before mine focused too much on belonging.
The lucky fate of my generation was to witness the way Vatican II struck a happy medium by rejecting not only religion as an end in itself, but also spiritual journeys pursued by isolated indivuals unaided by a community of faith.
Unhappily, this balancing act dominated Catholic life for only one generation. Is it possible Catholicism has swung from one extreme (hollow, empty relgiosity) to another (isolated spirituality) in a mere 50 years?
It’s common among my children’s peers to show interest in spirituality without religion. The big questions—What does life mean? What are we doing here? Where is my life going?—have not disappeared, but many younger adults who pose these big questions have no confidence in the Church’s capacity to help answer them.
But I had forgotten the opposite extreme: my childhood experience of Catholicism before Vatican II (1962-1965), when too many Catholics practiced religion without spirituality—that is, they went through the motions, they obeyed all the rules, but without much attention to the inner life where the big questions arise. Such people belonged to Church, but did not pose or wrestle with the big questions.
If spirituality is about the inner life and religion is about belonging, perhaps the next generation focuses too little on belonging, while the generation before mine focused too much on belonging.
The lucky fate of my generation was to witness the way Vatican II struck a happy medium by rejecting not only religion as an end in itself, but also spiritual journeys pursued by isolated indivuals unaided by a community of faith.
Unhappily, this balancing act dominated Catholic life for only one generation. Is it possible Catholicism has swung from one extreme (hollow, empty relgiosity) to another (isolated spirituality) in a mere 50 years?
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