Peter Steinfels, the former editor of Commonweal (’nuff said!) writes in the New York Times that among the biggest losers this election season are the courageous Catholic Bishops who stood up and taught truth.
Anyone constructing a list of the big losers on Tuesday would probably include the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops. Will that fact be candidly addressed when the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops meets next week in Baltimore?
After a presidential campaign in which it was widely perceived that the dominant message from the bishops was that Catholics were morally obliged not to vote for a candidate supporting abortion rights, exit polls show that Catholics voted 52 percent to 45 percent for Senator Barack Obama. That was seven percentage points more than the Catholic vote in 2004 for Senator John Kerry, a fellow Catholic.
Hispanic Catholics, a group the bishops often hail as representing the future of the church in the United States, led the way. Latinos voted 67 percent for Mr. Obama, 16 percentage points more than their vote for Mr. Kerry. Latino Catholics, usually more Democratic than Protestant Latinos, almost certainly voted for the Democratic nominee at an even higher rate.
Exit poll figures for young Catholics are not yet available, but much information indicates that they also voted at high rates for Mr. Obama.
If the bishops sweat a little over these figures next week, the reason won’t be worry about their political prowess but about their pastoral and moral effectiveness. By appearing to tie their moral stance on abortion so closely to a particular political choice, have they in fact undermined their moral persuasiveness on that issue as well as their pastoral effectiveness generally
One can imagine Mr. Steinfels standing outside the Upper Room after the crucifixion mocking “Where is your Messiah now?”
Steinfels misses the point, the Bishops who spoke up are the heroes of this election season and signal a new start for the Catholic episcopacy in the U.S. Sure, the majority of “Catholics” voted for Obama, but the Majority of “Catholics” don’t even go to Church. Among Church going Catholics, it was unfortunately just a slight edge for McCain.
The sad fact is that you do not undo 40+ years of rampant cafeteria Catholicism in one election season. But I am convinced that if the Bishops continue to stand up, to teach, and to ignore nay-sayers like Mr. Steinfels they will eventually make a difference. Mr. Steinfels says if at first you don’t succeed, go liberal.
What Mr. Steinfels doesn’t realize is that this is essentially missionary work. This group of courageous Bishops is merely the first wave into uncatechized territory. They will face criticism (Such as Steinfels NYT piece), ignorance, and superstition suffering martyrdom of different shapes and sizes along the way. But like their missionary brethren of centuries past, the faith will eventually take a foothold. When that happens these brave Bishops will change the world, not the other way around.
I hope this is the lesson that the Bishops take from this election defeat. Round 1 goes to the enemy, but we know how this fight ends. We win.
November 8, 2008 at 2:18 pm
But will the bishops take a stand, or take another 40-year-long vacation? This article isn’t too encouraging.
http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnsblog/bishops_drop_plans_to_talk_politics/
November 8, 2008 at 2:34 pm
And here’s a bit of commentary from Diogenes.
http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otr.cfm?id=4864
November 8, 2008 at 2:58 pm
We need to pray for this man’s soul. It is in grave danger.
November 8, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Please write a thank you note to your or some other Bishop who stood up for the truth these past weeks. Let them know of our prayers. I sent two notes yesterday, maybe two more today!
Thank your Bishop
November 8, 2008 at 4:28 pm
When compulsive talking heads of the moribund Left drag out their impious criticism of fortitude and faith in action,
preferring the comfort and security of their secularized Christianity-lite, it’s good to recall just what we all about —
from our Old Testament forebearers to the martyrs now in places like China, India, Iraq, and Burma, etc. That mass hysteria gripped the nation and seduced a majority of voters into electing a man who thrives on the evil of abortion does
not say much about Mr. Steinfels opinions…except his need for the scarament of Penance. St Paul (Hebbrews 11) best
sums up what we should be about:
24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, denied himself to be the son of Pharao’s daughter; 25 Rather choosing to be afflicted with the people of God, than to have the pleasure of sin for a time,
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasure of the Egyptians. For he looked unto the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the fierceness of the king: for he endured as seeing him that is invisible. 28 By faith he celebrated the pasch, and the shedding of the blood; that he, who destroyed the firstborn, might not touch them. 29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea, as by dry land: which the Egyptians attempting, were swallowed up. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, by the going round them seven days.
31 By faith Rahab the harlot perished not with the unbelievers, receiving the spies with peace. 32 And what shall I yet say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, Barac, Samson, Jephthe, David, Samuel, and the prophets: 33 Who by faith conquered kingdoms, wrought justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, recovered strength from weakness, became valiant in battle, put to flight the armies of foreigners: 35 Women received their dead raised to life again. But others were racked, not accepting deliverance, that they might find a better resurrection.
36 And others had trial of mockeries and stripes, moreover also of bands and prisons. 37 They were stoned, they were cut asunder, they were tempted, they were put to death by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being in want, distressed, afflicted: 38 Of whom the world was not worthy; wandering in deserts, in mountains, and in dens, and in caved of the earth. 39 And all these being approved by the testimony of faith, received not the promise; 40 God providing some better thing for us, that they should not be perfected without us.
November 8, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I have been very proud of our bishops. It was in many cases too little, too late. I pray that when the bishops see such a public demonstration of how Catholics ignore them, and how the Catholic vote may have turned the election for Obama and the culture of death, they will wake up. They lost their crediblity for a reason; they have not always stood firm for morality: maybe now they will try harder. But in any case the Times article is music to my ears. There is, in truth, nothing sweeter than being reviled in the liberal main stream press, however painful it may seem. Well done, Your Excellencies. kit
November 8, 2008 at 6:31 pm
The abortion rate in the U.S. has been on a steady decline and this year reached a 30 year low. If Obama passes FOCA as he has promised, it will be interesting to see what happens to the abortion rate. If the abortion rate goes up, it will be interesting to hear these pro-life Obama advocates explain their positions.
November 8, 2008 at 9:19 pm
I dont want to get into a Vatican II bashing session here, but lets all be real, this experiment has been a joke and millions of Catholics dont even know their faith anymore and think that one faith is as good as another, when it has always been infallibly taught that we are the One True Church, and the church can not err in teachings of faith and morals and one infallibly taught doctrine can not be changed by any council or pope
The 4 marks can not be changed or else we defect as a church and that is not possible so then what is being taught today can not be truly catholic
Here you cant ever get the USCCB or the Pope to come to a concensus to deny our Lord to pro abortion Catholic politicians, so you wonder why 61% or so voted for Obama?
November 9, 2008 at 2:08 am
God bless the bold, faithful bishops. As for the rest… I pray they catch the fire soon. (which “fire” is up to them). Let’s face it – a generation of Catholics have not been well formed in the Faith. Too many Catholics are simply illiterate – they need to learn the Catholic way. If bishops and priests and lay educators focussed efforts on adult formation using the authentic tools of the Faith (Bible, Tradition, Catechism) in a sustained and concerted effort, promoting personal encounter with Jesus and public witness, we might see an increase in Faith. In fact, we are seeing a steady improvement in Catholic literacy where bishops are instituting and encouraging authentic Catholic teaching
and practice.
November 11, 2008 at 2:39 pm
“The right to speak out and teach the nations, which the Church received from God Himself in the person of the Apostles, has been usurped by a mob of obscure journalists and ignorant charlatans.”–St. Anthony Mary Claret