You’ve got to love how all the time, especially now seemingly, opponents of the Church bring up polls that say Catholic women heart contraception by a massive majority. Ergo, the Church should change its “policy.”
They bring up polls as if the shifting whims of uninvolved nominal Catholics changes something. Here’s what they don’t understand. Truth doesn’t change. God’s word trumps popular opinion, as Archbishop Jerome G. Hanus recently said, according to EWTN:
“According to Jesus’ words, a leader in the manner of Peter must be solid as a rock, he cannot be fickle, he cannot change with the winds of popularity, he must subject himself to God’s word,” the archbishop said at St. Peter’s tomb on March 7…
Archbishop Hanus preached about Matthew 16:18, in which Christ proclaimed “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church.” He noted how “Jesus assigns the leadership responsibility to Peter only after Peter proclaims his faith in Jesus,” adding that “any leader must begin service by professing faith in Jesus.”
He also said that the way Peter “did not choose to be a leader” is still the way leadership is given in the Church today. It still comes as “a gift, a call from Christ.”
In terms of the papacy, “what Jesus entrusted to Peter is entrusted to the successors of Peter – the bishops of Rome – and in our day to Pope Benedict XVI,” he explained. This is because since the days of the early Church “someone had to decide” on matters of faith and morals.
“According to the meaning of today’s Gospel, that responsibility of ultimate decision was given by Jesus to Peter and his successors.”
This is why Christians, and particularly Catholics, have always “understood that Peter’s leadership role in the Church is so essential, it is an essential component of the Church,” he said.
This may come as a shock to all the theologians filling so many theology departments at Catholic colleges everywhere. But quoting polls at bishops like they’re assemblyman is beside the point and shows a drastic misunderstanding of the faith.
I would prefer that more Catholics stood with Church teaching. But inevitably what we hear when we hear of a disconnect between Catholics and Church teaching is that the bishops need to reconnect with regular ordinary Catholics. But in truth, it means that regular Catholics must reconnect with the Church.
March 8, 2012 at 8:45 pm
82% of readers will like this post.
Good post!
March 8, 2012 at 9:44 pm
What is sad is that the constant thread of arrogance throughout history is the false belief that all of this is new and that the current generation is more enlightened than before. It's not new. It's the same old sin. This generation isn't more intelligent or more enlightened. History, and so evil, repeats itself over and over and over again.
March 9, 2012 at 12:09 am
So true, especially the last sentence. How funny would it be if the administration started yapping on about that?: "Catholics need to start listening to their leaders!" Oh wait, they do say that, when it's something about social justice that they like. Consistency isn't their strong suit.
March 9, 2012 at 1:51 am
We need to coin the heresy that compromises the faith because of polls.
1. Pollution.
2. Pollicsm. (policed by polls)
3. Polar Disorder.
4. Pew-verty. (having less collections because the pews are empty.)
March 9, 2012 at 8:57 am
Christopher Manion of The Wanderer on Ron Pauls "Catholic Problem".
http://www.lewrockwell.com/manion/manion98.1.html
March 9, 2012 at 2:47 pm
The Guttmacher (sp?) Institute's 98% number is bunk in the first place. They did the research, not an outside consultant they paid, but they themselves. They are not a research organization- they are an advocacy organization. It like believing Coke when Coke says it tastes better than Pepsi; but this 98% statistic has been used so widely and unrefuted that even those of us who are big fans of Benedict XVI start to believe it.
I know you didnt actually cite the 98% number, but that is inevitably what goes into people's heads when the statistics are mentioned.
Nice post; St. Peter Rocks!
March 9, 2012 at 3:25 pm
The "fact" that many Catholics are in error regarding contraception does not make it necessary to change Church teaching. At one time, a majority of Bishops embraced the Arian heresy, yet the doctrines of our creed prevailed.
March 10, 2012 at 5:10 pm
It must be repeated once again that the number most likely and what I had hear a few years ago was 50% who follow the teaching and 50% who do not, because it seems the most reasonable rate. If it were actually 98% than were are the large numbers of priestly and other vocations coming from lately? You simply have to question everything you read or hear if it comes from a secular new source anymore
March 11, 2012 at 11:59 pm
What do you mean "anymore", anonymous?
People who think "military intelligence" is an oxymoron should consider "journalistic integrity".