ARCC SPOT LIGHTs

ARCC Spot LIGHT - No Statue for Galileo

ARCC spot LIGHT (analysis of Church issues by the ARCC Publications Committee, R. Schutzius, ed.)

 

No Statue for Galileo
Mar 15, 2009

Cardinal Ratzinger once described Galileo's trial as "fair and reasonable" and most likely the hierarchy considered it so at the time.  The rub comes, and continues to rub the Vatican the wrong way, because they were seriously wrong and demonstrated their reliance on literal scripture over science by condemning and excommunicating him.

In celebrating the 400th anniversary of Galileo's accomplishments, now Pope Benedict praised Galileo as a man of science and deep faith.  As a sign of rehabilitation of Galileo a statue of him was to be erected in the Vatican gardens (thanks to a generous sponsor).

Poor Galileo, it is not to be so.  It was announce by the Vatican in January that the project would be scrapped and the sponsor was urged to give his money to other science projects.  A statue of Galileo in a garden he frequently visits would remind Pope Benedict of a tragic error.  Not a very pleasant thought to one at the center of the religion-science struggle for truth.  It would also remind him of his cancelled visit to Rome University last year after staff and students accused him of defending the Inquisition's condemnation of Galileo.

Few want constant reminders of past mistakes, but the powerful should, lest they fail to question their decisions and attitudes.  Too bad Pope Benedict will not have a big statue of Galileo to remind him of his, but the way things are going, he doesn't need any more reminders.   Vatican officials will participate in a conference in Florence on the whole Galileo affair in May, gathering for the first time all the key Church institutions since Galileo's condemnation.  Maybe a "Blessed Galileo"? Don't bet on it!

What do you have in your life's garden  to keep you humble?  Married people don't need to ask.   

 

Remembering the Women Sunday Readings   

3/22, 4th Sunday of Lent, - Ester 8:1-8, Exodus 35: 20-29

3/29, 5th Sunday of Lent - Jeremiah 31:15-14

 

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ARCC Spot LIGHT - Forever in Conflict?

ARCC spot LIGHT (analysis of Church issues by the ARCC Publications Committee, R. Schutzius, ed.)

 

Forever in Conflict?  
Apr 15, 2009

 

The world was shocked when we heard the news about the comments of Pope Benedict XVI about the use of condoms not  preventing AIDS, but might even be the opposite.   Taken in a global context, the use of condoms is not going to eliminate AIDS.  So, from one perspective the Pope is right.  However, practically speaking, condoms do offer a medically proven defense against contracting this deadly disease.  The medical profession, AIDS workers, and governments seeking the common good of the community all disagree with the Pope, as does the general consensus of the world population.  

 

Don't expect a Papal retraction anytime soon.  The Church's long-standing opposition to this and other forms of contraception is not going to change even in the face of reality.  Here is yet another ever-present conflict between Catholic teachings and scientific evidence.   The scientific community is just as definitive and dogmatic as is the Pope, but at least science gives way to new and better understanding of reality.  Galileo is the classic example of religious recalcitrance, while science offers but a passing glimpse of reality in the history-book of the universe. 

 

With condoms, again the Church pits a current teaching against what appears to be reality.  Is there no middle ground? Fortunately, a Brazilian bishop did state the common-sense-obvious  -  that it would be wrong for a HIV-positive spouse not to use a condom to protect his/her partner.   The same can be said of any such coupling, sinful or not.  

 

Failure to recognize that we, and the world we live in, are a "work in progress", i.e. not fixed, but growing in our understanding of reality,  leads to these conflicts time and time again.   Fortunately, the definitive declarations from either camp no longer carry the stamp of infallibility anymore but must be tested over time.  This leaves the interim period of our current understanding open to the individual's well-informed conscience.  With a conscience informed by the one important mandate of Christ, "love one another as I have love you", try to be the best "work in progress" you can in your attempt to know, love, and serve God better.  

 

Remembering the Women Sunday Readings   

4/19 Second Sunday of Easter - Mark 16:1-8

4/26 Third Sunday of Easter - Mark 16:9-14

 

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ARCC spot LIGHT: Virtical or Horizonal Spirituality

ARCC spot LIGHT

(analysis of Church issues offered by the ARCC Publications Committee, P. Mathais,  R. Schutzius, ed.)

 

Vertical vs. Horizontal / Fear vs. Love

May 1, 2009

 

The pre-Vatican II model of Catholicism was based on the vertical model of spirituality. We are not allowed to do certain things because we damage our vertical relationship with God above. What effect they have on other people was almost irrelevant.  We are not allowed to have impure thoughts because they were not "holy." That is to say, they damaged our relationship with God. Whether impure thoughts damaged your relationship with the man/woman in question was not very important.  We were not allowed to eat meat on Fridays because the Church (standing in for God) forbade it. What effect that might have on the relationship with a relative having a roast-pork birthday dinner was irrelevant. We are not allowed to attend the services of a "false religion" such as Anglicanism, because that religion was offensive to God. The duty to give comfort to relatives during an Anglican funeral service was not part of the equation.

At Vatican II, or at least in the culture of the Church at the time, it was realized that this vertical model of spirituality was repressive and counterproductive. Now, we are exploring a horizontal spirituality, one in which we relate to God through our love and support of other people - the children of God - whom we honor through loving them. We are searching for a model of love, one in which we see God in the other. 

The Brazilian Bishop who excommunicated the tormented mother of her 12 year old, raped daughter who had an abortion was gripped by the old vertical spirituality - morality is only about relating to God. It has nothing to do with love. The South American bishops who declared that the mother was not excommunicated despite her technical violation of the code were engaged in a horizontal spirituality, which offers mercy and compassion as the greatest gifts of the God of love.  

 

In Toronto at least (and perhaps in many other dioceses), Catholics wanting to marry must wait a year after their application to the priest. The old vertical pre-Vatican II model discouraged a long engagement period so that the couple would not offend God by being impure with one another as part of their God-given love (Vertical spirituality).  Now, the objective is to make sure the couple love one another strongly enough to create a lasting marriage (Horizontal spirituality). A couple who wait a year to marry will almost certainly be "impure" with one another, but obviously the Church doesn't care much any more.  Most married Catholics ignore Paul VI's (and his successors') admonition against the use of birth control. Even though it is against the declared code, most Catholics feel that birth control can enhance their love for one another, which is a greater value than obedience to a blind inflexible vertical rule. 
 
This is the battle that is being waged. On one side, the Church-at-large is groping for a meaningful morality of love of the other, as Jesus taught, while still remaining faithful to pre-Vatican II Catholicism. On the other side is the Pope and some of the hierarchy who are trying to preserve vertical spirituality for two reasons: the first is that if they allow people to make moral judgments outside the code, they will lose power; the second is that they have been cloistered in the old Catholicism for so long they know nothing else.  Vatican II turned the Church's priority back to love for one another over fear of a vengeful God.

 

Remembering the Women Sunday Readings   

5/3 -  4th Sunday of Easter: Acts 17:1-4, 10-12, 22, 30-34

5/10 -5th Sunday of Easter:  Acts 18:1-3, 18-19, 24-26 

 

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ARCC spot LIGHT - Bingo and Fish Fry Bishop

ARCC spot LIGHT (analysis of Church issues offered by the ARCC Publications Committee, J.. Bokel & R. Schutzius, eds.)

 

Bingo and Fish Fry Bishop
Jun 2, 2009

In a bow to populism, Timothy Dolan the new Archbishop of New York, described himself in an interview somewhere between Milwaukee and New York, as a "bingo and fish fry priest".  This would elicit on the part of many Catholics of a certain age certain remembrances of their parish life when both artifacts, one a game of chance and communal socializing mostly among the women, and the other a one night of the month (usually the first Friday) when Mom didn’t have to cook her own version of a meatless meal; both were also modest money-makers for the parish organizations.  Those were, and still are in many places, the days! 

In identifying himself with those cultural high-water marks of the past, the Archbishop seems to be trying to forge a bond between the lofty office he has since assumed and the people. Given that his own history of ministering as a parish priest includes just one year in a tony parish in suburban St. Louis before spending the rest of his priesthood in official capacities in Washington, D.C., Rome, St. Louis, and Milwaukee, one has to be impressed with his Irish canniness in identifying with the common man, even though he is more at home with the power brokers and elites with whom he has broken bread in all those places he has lived and worked.  But the chord is struck; he is a common man, and to prove it he has already scored seats in the owner’s box at Yankee, Giants, and Mets games. 

It is nice to have the common touch exhibited by the powerful; Obama having lunch at a burger joint.  But this is a backward-looking stance, far from the concerns of many Catholics of the moment; one could see this as an obvious ploy.  Bingo and fish frys are a phenomenon from the past, but Catholics are looking for a pastoral Bishop whose common touch recognizes their plight in feeding their families, keeping a job, and having some sense of where the Church is heading.  We are talking about leadership from the Bishop, something far more than the expected ‘position’ on all things related to sexual matters.  What the Church needs, it seems, is someone to offer a vision of the future, to engage the people in that vision through open and honest dialogue, and the courage to accept those things that may be in conflict with one’s own views, and more menacingly, the views of Rome. The bingo and fish fry guy doesn’t fly in these circumstances; he’s already missed the boat to do something of importance and value. 

The people (give them bread and circuses in the Roman times) seem smitten with his Irish charm, especially given the dour disposition of his predecessor Richard Egan.  Even though he might proffer a velvet glove to the Catholic Governor of NY about impending legislation over the rights of gays to marry, he will push only so hard so as not to disturb the bonhomie he has thus far created, and which follows the tradition of worldly Archbishops of the most important Archdiocese in the most important city of the world, as some describe the job: "go along to get along", as a motto.  Fidelity is to Rome and to his old friend, the Pope, not to the people of the Archdiocese; he is not so much a populist that he would forget who put him there.  And when push comes to shove, bingo and fish fry Catholics will look in vain for their Bishop to see their deeper concerns about living a life devoted to the teachings of Jesus.  Blarney sells, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  No more so than in his book called Priests of the Third Millennium in which his talks to his captive audience, students at the North American College in Rome, get to hear recycled stories of his past, and his role models; there is nothing new.  So, why not bingo and fish frys!  As the formula for success in the musical Chicago suggests, “give‘em that old razzle-dazzle”. 

It is a great show, but we are hoping for, and deserving of, more.

Remembering the Women Sunday Readings  

6/7- Most Holy Trinity Sunday, Deuteronomy 32:10-18, 2 Timothy 4:19-22

6/13 - Corpus Christi Sunday,  (no readings offered) 

 

ARCC is a co-sponsor of THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC COUNCIL (ACC)   Please consider joining this effort to bring about much-needed organizational restructuring in the Church

 

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ARCC spot LIGHT - Pope Benedict Calls for Change

Benedict XVI: Church Needs Change of Mentality
Jun 17, 2009

ROME, MAY 28, 2009 (Zenit.org).- "Lay people are not merely the clergy's collaborators, but rather share in the responsibility of the Church's ministry", says Benedict XVI. The Pope called on the laity to become more aware of their role when he inaugurated an ecclesial conference for the Diocese of Rome on "Church Membership and Pastoral Co-responsibility".  "There should be a renewed becoming aware of our being Church and of the pastoral co-responsibility that, in the name of Christ, all of us are called to carry out," the Holy Father said. 

The Pope, in one sense, is absolutely correct on this one!  He recognizes, as we all do, that serious changes are needed in the Church, and even points in the right direction suggesting that we all are co-responsible for the Catholic Christian Community, the Church.   The Pontiff acknowledged that this requires a "change of mentality," especially regarding lay people, shifting from "considering themselves collaborators of the clergy to recognizing themselves truly as 'co-responsible' for the being and action of the Church, favoring the consolidation of a mature and committed laity".  "There is still a tendency to unilaterally identify the Church with the hierarchy, forgetting the common responsibility, the common mission" of all the baptized.

But the "devil is in the detail" (perhaps literally).  "Up to what point is the pastoral responsibility of everyone, especially the laity, recognized and encouraged?" he asks.  We must ask in return, what co-responsible member of a community has no say in choosing its leadership, or how the resources of the community are spent, or can tolerate secrecy, lack of accountability, and no participation in decisions of the community?

ARCC suggests that Pope Benedict must first change his own mentality about the Church.  He means well, but his understanding of co-responsibility is just not real.  He seeks to change our Church mentality back to the pre- Vatican II model when we had responsibilities but no rights.  We call that a monarchy, not a community.   His words remain sounding gongs and tinkling symbols until he changes first. 

Remembering the Women Sunday Readings  

6/21, 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time -2 Kings 4:18-37

6/28, 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 5:21-43

 

ARCC is a co-sponsor of THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC COUNCIL (ACC)   Please consider joining this effort to bring about much-needed organizational restructuring in the Church

 

Feel free to distribute this article without change.  Thank you for support of ARCC.. 

Send comments to  rschutz1@prodigy.net  or  1-877-700-ARCC (2722).

ARCC spot LIGHT (analysis of Church issues offered by the ARCC Publications Committee, R. Schutzius, ed.)

ARCC spot LIGHT - Teachings of the Church

ARCC spot LIGHT (analysis of Church issues offered by the ARCC Publications Committee, R. Schutzius, ed.)

 

Teachings of the Church
July 15, 2009

 

Surely if there ever was a perfect catch-all phrase, it is "teachings-of-the-Church."  It includes everything from defined dogmas, items in the Apostle's Creed, 1752 Canon laws, opinions of the Pope (like steam locomotives are the work of the devil), every one of the 2865 items in the Catechism, to the thoughts of cranky old bishops like Burke and Molino.  It has become a universal cliché of the hierarchy to discourage dissent. Falling into the same catch-all basket of against "The Teachings of the Church" are those who disagree with pre-Vatican II liturgical norms and language, contraception, mandatory celibacy for priests, collective bargaining, just war and torture, women's ordination, slavery, same sex unions, the resurrection of Jesus, the nature of the Trinity, and if God really exists.   Note that some "Teachings of the Church" are slippery, time-bound, and culturally-colored. 

 

At stake here is the power and authority, originating from the community of the Church and appropriated by unelected leaders to set the rules for who is in and who is out.  By voting a certain way, you could be considered "out" according to "The Teachings of the Church."  By not   behaving/believing  according to the bishop's instruction, you are obviously against the Teaching of the Church.  

 

Some (bishops?) believe good teaching is the attempt to influence, even coerce, the faithful into believing what is being taught.  But the criteria for effective teaching involves rather if the teaching makes sense and is received by the faithful.  If you do not accept that all contraception is sinful, or legalizing same-sex unions are wrong, or only men can be ordained, or contributors should have a say in how their money is spent and who should be responsible, or the language of prayer should be strange or contorted, or bishops should tell us how to vote, you are dissenting against "the teachings of the Church."

 

Without careful and intelligent scrutiny, accepting every "teaching of the Church" is similar to checking the box "I agree" to observe every privacy/usage rule for downloading new software/ upgrades.  Study the reasoning behind Church teachings, consult and observe how your Catholic community receives them, and judge for yourself.  Follow your own well-formed conscience, as fallible as it may be. 

 

"Who is going to save the church? Not the bishops, not the priest and religious. It is up to you the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save Her." Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen 

 

Remembering the Women Sunday Readings  

7/19, 16th Sunday, Song of Solomon, 3:1-4

7/26, 17th Sunday, 2 Samuel, 11:1-15

 

ARCC is a co-sponsor of THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC COUNCIL (ACC)   Please consider joining this effort to bring about much-needed organizational restructuring in the Church

 

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Send comments to  rschutz1@prodigy.net  or  1-877-700-ARCC (2722).

ARCC spot LIGHT - Leadership in Reform

ARCC spot LIGHT (analysis of Church issues offered by the ARCC Publications Committee, R. Schutzius, ed.)

 

Catholics Want Law to Govern Church Properties
July 31, 2009

"Amidst increasing clamor among the Catholic laity over the lack of transparency in the management of assets owned by the church, intellectuals from across the country have now begun demanding a law to govern properties owned and managed by the church."  *

Might we all respond, "It is about time"?  ARCC has advocated for accountability and transparency from its beginning 25+ years ago.  Should we not rejoice at this initiative and join the fray?  Should we not muster all the support we can to contact our elected leaders in Washington and urge them to support such legislation?  A recent attempt to do this in the State of Connecticut was quickly squashed by the heavy hand of the hierarchy who called out bus-loads of faithful followers to invade the capital in protest.  Can we stop the confiscation of closed parish properties and ask for openness in how our, and our ancestor's, contributions are being used by the bishops?  Dare we question the dogma of the Catholic Church institution which proscribes in great detail its structure and operation?

 

Sadly, no!  Don't get your hopes up.  This wholesome, brave, and much needed movement is not occurring here.   The spirit of reform and renewal has been taken up by others.  It is happening in India. 

 

More power to our Catholic brothers and sisters in India.  May the Spirit be with you to lead the way!

_________________________________________________________

 

Indo-Asian News Service

Panaji, July 29, 2009

 

*  Amidst increasing clamor among the Catholic laity over the lack of transparency in the management of assets owned by the church, intellectuals from across the country have now begun demanding a law to govern properties owned and managed by the church.

Speaking during a lecture on "Should there be a law to protect the properties of the Church", organized here Tuesday by the All India Catholic Union (AICU), former Supreme Court justice K.T. Thomas said that the Roman Catholic church's unwillingness to enact a law for administering their properties "was on account of a fear that a provision for judicial scrutiny is likely to expose the expenses and the magnitude of wealth of the denomination".

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=RSSFeed-India&id=b6e72b4b-5d5f-4e41-af67-a9b80e73fcbd&Headline=Catholics+want+law+to+govern+church+properties

Remembering the Women Sunday Readings  

8/2, 18th Sunday, 2 Samuel 11:26 - 12:15 and Ruth 2:8-13

8/9, 19th Sunday, 2 Samuel 12:15b-19, 24-25 and Ruth 14-18 

 

ARCC is a co-sponsor of THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC COUNCIL (ACC)   Please consider joining this effort to bring about much-needed organizational restructuring in the Church

 

Feel free to reprint and distribute this article without change.  Thank you for support of ARCC.. 

Send comments to  rschutz1@prodigy.net  or  1-877-700-ARCC (2722).

ARCC spot LIGHT - Underestimating Your Bishop?

ARCC spot LIGHT (analysis of Church issues offered by the ARCC Publications Committee, R. Schutzius, ed.)

 

Underestimating Your Bishop

Aug 15, 2009

 

It might be a big mistake!   He is a powerful, unaccountable, unelected Prince, appointed by the one remaining absolute monarch and reigns over his principality/diocese and its portfolio funded by you and your ancestors.  By manipulating civil incorporation laws he legally denies ownership, yet, rising above them, he wields absolute power and control over all Catholic parishes, property, employees, and diocesan institutions.  If it is not under his control, it is not  considered "Catholic"!  He is a civil, economic, and political power to be reckoned with, and not up for re-election.

 

Questioning his particular interpretation of Church teachings or Church laws tends to be considered as arrogant.  He was appointed/elevated for his loyalty to Rome, knowledge and adherence to rules, devotion to duty, and administrative/political acumen.  He probably was singled out early in his priesthood, perhaps even before ordination, for trained in Rome, and eventually assigned to an administrative position. 

 

If he knows and speaks from his experience of the everyday life of his people and does not sweat the small stuff, he is better qualified than most.  If he listens to, and is taught by, the faith and wisdom of his people, he is a rare bird.  If he follows the advice of Pope Gregory the Great,"It is better that scandal arise than that truth be concealed", he has integrity.  If he acts like a good servant to those who make his office possible, he just might be one. If he has these qualities, it would be a mistake to ignore him. If he doesn't, it would be a mistake not to.  

 

Remembering the Women Sunday Readings  

3/23, 21st Sunday,  1 Kings, 1:11-19, 29-31 & Wisdom of Solomon 9:9-18

3/30, 22nd Sunday,  1 Kings 3:16-28

 

ARCC is a co-sponsor of THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC COUNCIL (ACC)   Please consider joining this effort to bring about much-needed organizational restructuring in the Church

 

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Send comments to  rschutz1@prodigy.net or call 1-877-700-ARCC (2722).

ARCC spot LIGHT - Benedict and Ted

ARCC spot LIGHT

(analysis of Church issues offered by the ARCC Publications Committee, L. Larceneaux & R. Schutzius, eds.)

 

Benedict and Ted
Sep 1, 2009

 

Might Cardinal McCarrick have pulled a fast one on all the Ted Kennedy haters and all the pro-life single issue Catholics, including many bishops and other clergy?  His reading of Ted's letter to Pope Benedict and the response at the funeral Mass demolished the circulating rumors that the Pope's lack of a public response at the time of Ted's death was an indication that Benedict was not pleased with Ted. McCarrick showed the true faith of Ted, in reading that honest and yet humble letter, and the care and concern of Pope Benedict by revealing what was previously secret communication.  McCarrick knew exactly what he was doing in showing that one's life is more than a position on one issue. The fact that Ted had such a public Catholic funeral celebration, with numerous priests and Cardinal O'Malley in attendance were other positive messages. We are proud to be Catholics and supporters of Ted Kennedy today. May he rest in peace, and by his life and death may he inspire our Congress to pass appropriate health care legislation, and some Bishops to repent and work for the common good. 

 

Remembering the Women Sunday Readings  

9/6/09, 23rd Sunday, Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21, 11:1-5, and Mark, 7:24-30

9/13/09, 24th Sunday,  Proverbs 1:20-23, and James 2:18-26

 

ARCC is a co-sponsor of THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC COUNCIL (ACC)   Please consider joining this effort to bring about much-needed organizational restructuring in the Church

 

Feel free to reprint and distribute this article without any change.  Thank you for support of ARCC .

Send comments to rschutz1@prodigy.net  or  1-877-700-ARCC (2722).

 

ARCC spot LIGHT EXTRA - Bishops Against the Healthcare Bill

Fri Sep 4, 2009 5:55 pm

Bishops on Healthcare

 

As Roman Catholics we applaud the efforts of our Bishops to:

1. Uphold the value of human life from conception through to natural death. 

2. Support pregnant women, enabling them to carry their pregnancies through to term, then continuing to support the resulting family. 

3. Establish health care for all, to ensure that the least among us have the health care which our Church states is a right, not a privilege.

 

But we are very discouraged by some bishop's statements that are long on rhetoric but short on facts and tie abortion into the health care debate, especially as they argue that funds for health care for the poor are essentially funds freed for abortion.  Such flawed logic is beneath them and reflects a political partisanship.  We only need to point out that by this same logic each and every dollar of government funding, be it Federal or State, can be directly used, or frees up other funds, to procure abortions.  By this same logic, are not dollars contributed in the Sunday collection supporting pedophile priests? 

 

If Bishops want to speak against a healthcare bill under consideration, they are free to do so, but we call on them to leave their partisan political rhetoric and their inconsistencies out of it.  We encourage them instead to enter the debate by pointing out the right to healthcare for all US citizens in spite of the difficulties involved and not be a stumbling block for the poor in this matter.  They must give us credit for listening to their teaching but also for being quite capable of discernment and following our own God-given conscience.  They must not use their spiritual office to support their political biases nor to deny the right of healthcare for all.  

 

If you agree, pass it on.

 

ARCC is a co-sponsor of THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC COUNCIL (ACC)   Please consider joining this effort to bring about much-needed organizational restructuring in the Church

 

Feel free to reprint and distribute this article without any change. 

Thank you for support of ARCC.

Send comments to  rschutz1@prodigy.net  or  1-877-700-ARCC (2722).