What to Do with
Dissenting Catholic Schools?
It’s no secret that there are a number of Catholic
institutions – schools, hospitals, charities – that have some problem with
being Catholic. They’re often happy to
have the name, prestige and money that come from Church support, but they want
nothing to do with actually operating by Catholic principles.
This is why Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix is one of my
heroes. When St. Joseph’s Hospital and
Medical Center in Phoenix’s ethics committee approved an abortion and persisted
in defending that decision, which clearly violated the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services,
Bishop Olmsted severed the hospital’s ties with the Church and declared that it
can no longer be considered a Catholic facility.
The problem is far worse in Catholic education. Professors in Catholic higher education,
particularly theology professors, are supposed to receive a mandatum, an assurance that they are
teaching in accord with Catholic religious and moral teaching. However, especially since the “Land O’ Lakes
Statement” in 1967, at which many Catholic institutions of higher education
declared academic freedom as an excuse to ignore Church teaching, the mandatum requirement is often ignored.
In many cases, Catholic universities refuse to disclose which
theology professors have received the mandatum
from their bishop, leaving parents and students completely in the dark
regarding the authenticity of the “Catholic education” for which they are
spending tens of thousands of dollars, or more.
(Note: The Cardinal
Newman Society produces great information about which universities (and
even high schools) are authentically Catholic.
More on that later in the week.)
My natural inclination would be to do what Bishop Olmsted did
at St. Joseph’s. If it is impossible to
completely clean house, then cut the ties between the university and the Church. No more masquerading as Catholic, and
violating the Second Commandment in doing so; no more deceiving Catholic
families that place their trust in these schools.
But I heard an interesting opinion on the other side, most
notably argued by Catholic writer Phil Lawler.
He suggests that we should not sever the relationship between Church and
dissident school because as long as the Church still has the school, there is
hope for reform and renewal. If we can
return these schools to their Catholic heritage, they can be a force for
cultural change. If we cut ties, they
become secular wastelands.
It is an interesting point that caused me to rethink my
position and give the issue more consideration.
However, while I still see the merits in the argument, I have personally
returned to my original opinion.
A look at the news this past year gives indication as to
why. Barack Obama has launched an attack
on religious freedom, specifically aimed at the Church. As the bishops have fought for our liberties,
and millions of Catholics have stood up to be heard, we have been fed
statistics meant to make the issue seem like a non-issue, and make the bishops
look like a bunch of stodgy men totally out of touch with everyday Catholics.
We are told how many Catholics use contraception or disagree
with Church teaching on the issue. We
hear that abortion and sterilization are not major issues for most
Catholics. And we are treated to
statements from dissenting “theologians” that seem to support those “facts.”
As Catholics, we are not taken seriously in the United States
– not by the government, not by our fellow Christians, not by unbelievers, not
even by ourselves. We have blended
in. We vote like everyone else, we live
like everyone else, and we sin like everyone else. “Catholic” is a box we check on demographic
surveys, but it is not considered a characteristic that can predict who we
really are.
This has to change. We
are members of the Body of Christ; we are His bride; we have been blessed with
His Faith. And we have become a
joke.
I heard (faithful) Catholic professor Michael Barber
encourage a group of people not to feel hopeless about our culture because 2,000
years ago the Roman Empire was mired in the Culture of Death more than the United
States is now, and it was transformed by the Catholic Church. He made a good point, but in the first few Christian
centuries, the Church spoke with one voice.
It still does, as far as her teachings go, but we now have a cacophony
of dissenting voices drowning out the Lord, whereas the earliest Catholics
literally died to be faithful.
That is why I think the pretenders need to go. There are certainly wonderful professors,
priests and administrators at all these schools, but it is the theology
professor who expends his energy undermining Humanae Vitae that makes the HHS mandate possible. It is the school president who schedules
pro-homosexual marriage plays that is leading the charge to redefine
marriage. It is the Catholic authors who
knowingly attack the Church’s position on human life that have the blood of
millions on their hands.
If we want to be relevant, we don’t have to be bigger; we
have to be consistent. If Catholic
schools don’t want to be Catholic, let them go.
When we stand together for something, for Christ, then we will be able
to make a difference. Until then, there
is no “Catholic voice” in the United States.
It’s just noise. At least that’s
my opinion.
Thank God for our courageous bishops who have not backed down
in the face of this most urgent threat.
And as always, my position about cutting loose non-Catholic Catholic
schools is a matter of responding to the sin, not judging the sinner. Regardless of what one thinks we should do
about dissenting universities, the one thing we can all agree on is that we
must pray for them.
God of truth, convert the hearts of
dissenting theologians, give clarity to the minds of Catholics who refuse to
listen to the teaching You have given Your Church, turn all Catholic
institutions into lights that can lead our culture back to You, and convert my
own stubborn heart so that I might never contradict the Truth I believe with my
life. Amen.
