Isn’t it ironic that I find pretty much everything written at CNN’s “Belief blog” unbelievable?
Steven Prothero, a Religion Professor at Boston University, in dealing with the question of possible sainthood for Dorothy Day wonders whether Catholics can abide a saint who’s had an abortion.
Of course the answer is that last I checked most of the saints had a few sins. (Saint Augustine call your office) Prothero’s question is similar to asking whether sinners can become saints. Duh.
Prothero finally says that Day can become a saint but comes at the answer from an odd perspective. He concludes that abortion’s not really a big deal and Dorothy Day can become a saint because polling indicates the public is split over abortion. Because, you know, sainthood is decided by polling.
Day’s case raises a parallel question. Can you be a saint if you have committed the original sin of contemporary Catholicism?
My money says yes.
Partly that is because of the Christian teaching of forgiveness. But mostly it is because of the tendency of Catholics to diverge from the official party line on questions such as homosexuality, birth control and abortion.
According to a June survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, most American Catholics (54%) think that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. More than two-thirds of them (68%) believe you can be a good Catholic even if you disagree with your church’s opposition to abortion. And when it comes to the question of whether abortion is a sin, white American Catholics are evenly divided.
Of course, rank-and-file Catholics do not decide who is declared a saint. But they decide who will be revered as one. And in this case, I believe, they will forgive Day’s sin in part because, in their heart of hearts, many of them don’t consider it all that much of a sin in the first place.
The cause for Day’s sainthood won’t be swayed by polling. It won’t be based on Prothero’s opinion. It’ll be about a miracle from her intercession.
After reading this I’ll have a hard time taking anything written by Prothero seriously again. For that to change would truly be a miracle.
July 8, 2011 at 5:25 pm
"And when it comes to the question of whether abortion is a sin, white American Catholics are evenly divided."
That's the most depressing thing I've read in a long time.
July 8, 2011 at 5:45 pm
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July 8, 2011 at 5:47 pm
Phil Lawler at Catholic Culture also comments on this: http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otn.cfm?id=817
He comes to much the same conclusions you do, but with more elaboration. One quote that cracked me up from link- "No, Professor Prothero. Abortion is not the “original sin” of contemporary Catholicism. The original sin of contemporary Catholicism is…Original Sin."
IMO, the point of the CNN commentary is to create a wedge within Catholic society, inserting right and left labels where none belong. Unfortunately, this tactic seems to work pretty well.
I have to admit, at times I have a hard time moving beyond the stereotypical political divisions. With Dorothy Day, it wasn't the abortion that had me worried (we all sin), but her association with communism and her avid following from those still sympathetic with communism. I would like to read more on her. She does seem quite compelling.
July 8, 2011 at 6:02 pm
Polling? I had no idea we could vote. If that's the case, I may just have a chance!
…Will this be in American Idol format?
July 8, 2011 at 6:21 pm
Every saint has a past and every sinner a future. But after that encounter with Lord, most saints would rather die than fall back into sin. No saint who was formerly a sinner ever preached "Sin hard but believe even harder." All of them unanimously would not sin if they can turn back time.
Steven seems to have a different view and basically canonizes cafeteria Catholicism in the person of Day. That is a horse of a different color, I think. It is not about a sinner like Magdalene who had a total conversion, a metanoia or change of heart (mind). This is about someone who is not fully converted and he says that it's OK and would canonize her anyway. He needs to pray more to understand what it means to become a man of God, to love God above self – without limits, without measure. So, killing one's child in abortion is really not even in the same ballpark of loving God.
July 8, 2011 at 7:51 pm
There is nothing more sickening, particularly in someone talking about holiness, than treating all Day's repentance, struggles to reform, good works of reparation, and making a new life through Christ, as if it had the exact same value as if she had been committed to slaughtering truckloads of babies all her life and dying unrepentant.
Dorothy Day was pretty blessed sure that her baby's murder "mattered", and some of her holiness came from knowing and repenting that. How dare this so-called professor, who in fact knows and professes nothing, demean her baby's blood and Christ's this way?
July 8, 2011 at 8:00 pm
The idea that half of American Catholics believe that abortion is not a sin is an indictment on our system of catechesis, the homilies of Priests from the pulpits and the US Bishops!
July 8, 2011 at 11:44 pm
I agree with Rick. I would also add that every Saint who knew of and repented for their sins knew the value of suffering and penance for their sins. Look at how redemptive suffering worked in the lives of the Saints. For their reformation, and for ours.
July 8, 2011 at 11:56 pm
That is one of the most ignorant articles I have ever read, not yours, Matt, I'm talking about Prothero. What a waste of writing. I like Dorothy Day and I've read some of her works. Her journey to Catholicism was rough but she got there and repented of her sins. It's not like she became Catholic and then had an abortion…. She converted later in life. I look forward to hearing about miracles performed by her.
Oh, and don't take to heart what numbers people post. It's not like he cited a reference.
July 9, 2011 at 2:34 am
I'm so embarrassed this came from my alma mater yet not surprised.
July 9, 2011 at 5:04 am
I've known many women who reverted or converted after they experienced the pain and shame of abortion. No woman experiences abortion without the knowledge that she is killing a child. Maybe that will be the patronage of a St. Dorothy Day.
July 9, 2011 at 5:43 am
I, too got the impression that Steven Protero wanted to relativise an abortion in a saint. "Well, the saints are doing it(abortion) so it must be OK" and he is teaching at Boston college. With the Jesuits teaching that the newly begotten child in the womb has not got a soul and this idiot teaching that its OK to have an abortion, our constitutional posterity does not stand a chance.
Mary De Voe
July 9, 2011 at 1:51 pm
Anon/Mary – just a clarification, Prothero teaches at Boston Univ. not BC.
July 9, 2011 at 2:12 pm
God is a Merciful, Forgiving and Loving God. Even how BIG or GRAVE the sin of a person; but once he/she asks for forgiveness and AMEND his/her life and live according to the will and love of God, he/she could live a HOLY life. Thus, a sinner could be a SAINT, after all… Do not underestimate the LOVE of God for those who asks for His forgiveness.
This is the reason why CHRIST came to this world to save us from our sins, whatever kind of sin… That is also the reason why CHRIST established His CHURCH upon the apostles to continue his SAVING LOVE… The CHURCH is the SACRAMENT of CHRIST's SAVING LOVE… ONLY in His CHurch…
July 9, 2011 at 5:26 pm
Well, Day herself was pretty distraught over her abortion and certainly did not consider it to be "no big deal." Geesh. The statistics on the number of Catholics supporting abortion is disgusting and disturbing.
July 9, 2011 at 6:15 pm
If St. Paul could become an Apostle after murdering St. Stephen, why not?
Elaine
July 10, 2011 at 8:17 am
In fairness, I've met a few right-wing conservatives who have told me that the notion of a saint who had an abortion and championed what they perceive as liberal causes (like social justice) in the 1930s is evidence that "there is a scandal in the Church and Satan is trying to destroy us." Honestly, over at John Corapi's new site I saw one person plead for him to return to the Church so he could stop Dorothy Day's canonization!
July 10, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Agree with Mary De Voe. The article is about why abortion is great and it uses Dorothy Day as headline and smokescreen. There is no presentation of the Catholic view or really why Dorothy Day felt called to be obedient to the Church without denying the struggle or difficulties in the process. It is an apologia and justification for "Catholic" persons and entities to celebrate and worship abortion freely without having to be called out in charity by fellows in the community as to why we always should err on the side of life, if we profess faith in God and the Church. Then the media wonders why Catholics turn to numerous other sources for news and opinion…Maybe it is because they deceive, openly and without shame.
July 10, 2011 at 2:02 pm
This guy's centerpiece and the raison d'etre for the article, even as he cites famous Catholics in the process of pretense to discuss sainthood is his statistic that most Catholics like abortion. One doesn't need to read anything else he has to say and that should have been his headline, lede and text, signed, sealed, delivered. That he dressed it up disguised as about Dorothy Day is deceitful. It really isn't about her or about Catholic sainthood or about whether she ought to be a saint at all. He wants to proclaim that since so many "Catholics" poll that they like abortion that other "Catholic" leaders, institutions, structures ought to indulge more and more.
The sad thing is this gentleman who is not a Catholic and seems to be first and foremost a skeptic, an unbeliever, one who does not at all love the Church or even feel compelled as an ethical journalist to reveal the authentic and accurate teaching on a particular matter, his article will be adopted and celebrated by "Catholic" leaders as being oh so relevant and justify them in the scandal they give and they will see nothing wrong with that at all.
As we all know human rights are not always best decided by votes, regimes, dictators, or moneyed powerhouses. And as we all know full well (since we are intellectually honest but cnn cannot be) polls and votes are not always what they seem. He does not at all flesh out the poll he cites isn't that curious, anyone else notice that or shall journalists just get a pass on integrity and credibility? What do the numbers REALLY say? Let's talk about that. If you try and post that at CNN by the way you will be "moderated" which is to say you will be censored because they apparently fear that you will divest faith in the almighty journalist who dictates that you must worship abortion, or else.
July 10, 2011 at 3:45 pm
There is forgiveness and repentance in our faith. There are many examples such as Augustine, who are penitents. There are many saints who have done horrible things in their life – Bartolo Longo was a priest in a satanic cult, for instance. In the current Corapi scandal,one hopes he will repent also. This is a disturbing scandal and seems to be dividing the faithful. There are a couple good articles by Deacon Dan Gannon on http://www.catholicurrent.com/#/, which give a pastoral approach and hope that a greater good may come from all this.