{"id":21239,"date":"2013-03-04T10:15:07","date_gmt":"2013-03-04T15:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/?p=21239"},"modified":"2016-09-30T16:59:39","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T20:59:39","slug":"how-is-catholicism-like-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2013\/03\/how-is-catholicism-like-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"How is Catholicism like politics?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

E.J. Dionne has some interesting answers in the Washington Post<\/a> <\/strong>today, and draws insight from Fr. Timothy Radcliffe:<\/p>\n

The conflict goes back to competing reactions to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council inaugurated in the 1960s by Pope John XXIII. The relevant camps \u2014 Radcliffe describes them in his 2005 book, \u201cWhat Is the Point of Being a Christian?<\/a>\u201d \u2014 are the \u201cKingdom Catholics\u201d and the \u201cCommunion Catholics.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Kingdom Catholics, corresponding to those we usually call progressive, were \u201cexhilarated by the council\u2019s embrace of modernity\u201d and \u201csee our church as primarily the People of God on pilgrimage towards the Kingdom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Christ whom they cherished,\u201d he writes, \u201cwas the one who overthrew the boundaries between human beings, who touched lepers, reached out to foreigners and gathered us into the People of God.\u201d Theirs was \u201can outward-looking theology\u201d that was \u201crooted in experience\u201d and emphasized \u201cliberation.\u201d The Kingdom Catholics look back to the council era as a time when \u201ceverything seemed possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Communion Catholics view the same period quite differently \u2014 as the equivalent of \u201cecclesiastical urban planning, tearing up our neighborhood.\u201d This group, in which\u00a0Pope Benedict XVI<\/a>\u00a0is the leading figure, insists that the church \u201cstand firm in the proclamation of our faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

Radcliffe explains their skepticism of the Kingdom Catholics\u2019 attitude toward modern ideas: \u201cIf one embraces the language of modernity too uncritically, then we are likely to lose our identity and be absorbed without a trace.\u00a0.\u2009.\u2009.\u00a0We must not let ourselves be assimilated to the world. We must not be afraid to underline what is distinctive about our faith, otherwise we will disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Communion Catholics can fairly be seen as conservative, their views do not always conform to what most American conservatives believe. Benedict, for example, was tough on the injustices of capitalism, a view consistent with a traditionalist critique of modern materialism\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u2026Where Radcliffe is powerfully right is in seeing that both contending parties are now experiencing a kind of homelessness \u2014 and for this lost sense of belonging, they tend to blame each other.<\/p>\n

The Kingdom side sees the Communion side abandoning the promise of the Vatican II. The Communion Catholics see the Kingdom Catholics as too willing to undercut the specific markers of Catholic identity. In\u00a0the coming conclave<\/a>, the Communion Catholics have the votes. The Kingdom Catholics are hoping the Holy Spirit will spring a surprise.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s a mistake to draw too many parallels between the controversies inside Catholicism and the fights within U.S. politics, I\u2019m struck by how helpful Radcliffe\u2019s emphasis on homelessness is in explaining America\u2019s current struggles.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read on for more. \u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

E.J. Dionne has some interesting answers in the Washington Post today, and draws insight from Fr. Timothy Radcliffe: The conflict goes back to competing reactions to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council inaugurated in the 1960s by Pope John XXIII. The relevant camps \u2014 Radcliffe describes them in his 2005 book, \u201cWhat Is the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,38,39],"tags":[294,11190,1406],"class_list":["post-21239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-politics","category-pope","tag-dominicans","tag-politics","tag-timothy-radcliffe"],"yoast_head":"\nHow is Catholicism like politics?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"E.J. Dionne has some interesting answers in the Washington Post today, and draws insight from Fr. 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