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Will the Real Catholic Please Stand Up?
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By Mary Jo Anderson
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
Sacramento, California's Bishop William K. Weigand stated the
obvious this week: The emperor has no clothes.
Gov. Gray Davis parades about pretending he is covered in a Catholic
mantle because he "... is an active Catholic who attends mass in
Southern California with his wife, Sharon." Davis wants to snuggle up
to Catholic voters. But Davis adamantly defends abortion – a personal
and political position that cannot be sustained by a practicing
Catholic. And his bishop said so publicly. That's what bishops do –
call the faithful back to the definitive teachings of the faith.
"As your bishop, I have to say clearly that anyone – politician or
otherwise – who thinks it is acceptable for a Catholic to be
pro-abortion is in very great error, puts his or her soul at risk and
is not in good standing with the church ..." said Weigand.
Nothing excites Catholics like a bishop on the march. Hundreds of
Catholic blog pages and cyber-lists jammed my e-mail: "A bishop who
actually functions as a bishop is called to do! Let's pray John
Kerry's bishop speaks up next."
The governor's defenders tossed a silly salvo, chiding Bishop Weigand
for "telling the faithful how to practice their faith."
Yes, Virginia, the bishop is supposed to tell the faithful how to
practice their faith.
That's why we have bishops – not to fund-raise, not to be a decorative
addition at Christmas masses, not to be an avuncular photo-op for
every ambitious politician. It seems Gov. Davis lacks even an
elementary understanding of a bishop's job description.
A bishop shepherds his flock from the cathedral, taken from cathedra,
a Greek and Latin word for "chair." It means that the one who speaks
from this chair has the authority to teach and instruct on matters of
faith and morals. Jesus Himself instructed the apostles to pay heed to
what the Pharisees taught when they sat upon "Moses' seat" even though
the Pharisees themselves did not "practice what they preach" (Matthew
23).
Bishop Weigand counseled Davis and any abortion advocate to "abstain
from receiving Holy Communion until he has a change of heart." Stung
by the bishop's directive, the governor's office fired back: "There
are a lot of Catholics who are pro-choice. Does the bishop want all
Catholics to stop receiving Holy Communion? Who's going to be left in
church?"
The answer, governor, to the first question is, yes – if you are no
longer in communion with the teachings of the Church, stay in your
seat. Receiving Holy Communion is serious business. St. Paul taught
that those who receive communion unworthily drink judgment upon
themselves (I Corinthians 11). A Catholic receiving communion
signifies his union with Christ and the Church.
Gov. Davis and other "Catholic" politicians like Nancy Pelosi or John
Kerry who trumpet their support for abortion are not in union with the
Church. Their reception of communion is like reciting your wedding
vows while having an affair. Such politicians seek respectability by
claiming a religious affiliation, but they have sanctioned the legal
killing of millions of children. Let them attend a partial-birth
abortion on Saturday afternoon and see, then, if they can approach the
altar on Sunday.
The answer to second question "Who's going to be left in church?" is:
faithful Catholics. The governor has confused political power and the
Church, worrying about how many people (votes? dollars?) would be left
in the pews if abortion proponents who attend Catholic parishes staged
an exodus.
A lesson from the Bible applies: Gideon was instructed by God to
defeat the mighty Midianites who preyed on Israel. Gideon raised an
army, but God told him to "send home anyone who is afraid," and 22,000
departed forthwith (Judges 7). Gideon accomplished his feat with just
300 men and the power of God.
What use to the Catholic Church are members whose fear is greater than
their faith? If you are fearful of the secular ridicule that is heaped
on Catholic teaching, depart with our blessings, for you will bear no
fruit.
Many politicians, including Catholic politicians, are afraid of the
abortion industry. Oh, they claim allegiance to the faulty ideal of a
"woman's rights," but that is because they cannot admit that they fear
the loss of the money provided by the abortion cabal. Such politicians
believe that the abortion juggernaut will flatten their political
dreams unless they bow before the merchants of death.
Perhaps the time has come to fear the power of real Catholics – not
the Catholic-lite crowd. The Catholic political wind is blowing in a
new direction. The "Catholic vote" is 25 percent of the voting public.
That's a powerful voting bloc that has been split in recent years over
the issue of abortion. The Vatican released a document that will
narrow the gap.
Two weeks ago, Pope John Paul II issued the "Doctrinal Note on Some
Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life."
In this document, Catholic laity are instructed that "a well-formed
Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political
program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental
contents of faith and morals."
No wiggle room.
A "political program" includes a party platform. You simply cannot
claim to be a faithful Catholic and support abortion laws or a
political candidate or party that supports abortion policies. As the
document is digested, fewer and fewer Catholic voters will be at ease
with a direct assault on this teaching. Catholic politicians cannot
wrap themselves in Catholic externals to attract the Catholic vote and
expect to be issued a get-out-of-jail-free-card by his or her bishop.
Bishop Weigand has set a standard not only for laity and politicians,
but also for his brother bishops.
There are those who will attempt to slither under the wire by claiming
freedom of conscience. That excuse will not stand: St. Paul taught
that a conscience must be formed in doctrinal purity, and those who
fail to do so make a "ruin of their faith" (I Timothy 1).
But, some will say, the Vatican cannot enforce compliance with its
doctrinal teachings. Perhaps. But don't forget about Stalin's boast to
FDR: "How many divisions does the pope have?" Stalin misunderstood the
distinction between raw power and legitimate authority. Truth is its
own authority. It touches the recesses of man's heart where no tank –
or law – can follow.
Bishop Weigand spoke the truth when he taught that life is not for
killing. He admonished the powerful and the powerless alike that
anyone who supports abortion is in "very great error, puts his or her
soul at risk and is not in good standing with the church ..." The time
has come for those who claim to be Catholic to stand up for life.
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Mary Jo Anderson is a contributing reporter to WorldNetDaily.
