I’m right, you’re evil.

These past few weeks have seen a great deal of talk about Fr. Jim Martin being uninvited to speak at Theological College at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC. I don’t need to go into a lot of detail about the backstory. Fr. Martin is one of my favorite authors. His book Between Heaven and Mirth is one of my favorite books. Cardinal Tobin of Newark described Fr. Martin as brave, prophetic and inspiring. He is that and more. If you have ever attended a talk by Fr. Martin, you know he has a way of gently nudging people to step outside their comfort zone. He challenges us to look at both the divinity and the humanity of Jesus. Fr. Martin does this with such joy and humor that you don’t even realize it. His recent book Building a Bridge has created such controversy you would think he posted “Ninety Five Theses” on the door of a Cathedral. When, in my very humble opinion, all he did was challenge us to be more pastoral and less rigid in our living the Gospel.

I think it is good that a lot of people are weighing in on this debate. It raises the question, what are people so afraid of that they are not willing to listen to a different perspective? Bishop McElroy said it most eloquently when he wrote; “This campaign of distortion must be challenged and exposed for what it is—not primarily for Father Martin’s sake but because this cancer of vilification is seeping into the institutional life of the church.” Bishop McElroy is absolutely right. I am sure Fr. Martin will be fine. This is not the first time he has been attacked and as he has in the past, he handles them with grace, love and humility befitting a man of God speaking with a prophetic voice.

While I appreciate Bishop McElroy’s strong words I would have to disagree a bit on his characterization that the cancer is seeping into the US church. In my humble opinion it is fully ingrained in the life of the church. What is really sad is that what is happening to Fr. Martin is not an isolated incident. For years Catholic institutions and individuals, who had the audacity to question the direction in which the US bishops were leading us, were investigated and fired. We all remember what happened to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). These courageous women who spent lifetimes living the Gospel each and every day were forced to defend themselves in a modern day inquisition. My friend Rebecca Bratten-Weiss lost her teaching job at a Catholic university because she helped found the New Pro-Life Movement which approaches the issue honoring the sanctity of all life and promoting the “Seamless Garment.” Mind you, Rebecca did not teach religion or theology; she taught literature. I have many friends who were either fired or forced to resign for expressing similar views. Organizations like Just Faith have come under attack for teaching and promoting Catholic Social Teaching and Social Justice. Since I started as executive director of FAN 7 years ago I have been subjected to a constant barrage of hateful emails and threatening phone messages calling me everything from a “union thug” to doing satan’s work. Most recently I was attacked by Church Militant for suggesting that people who support war, the death penalty, cut programs that feed the poor, and do not support welcoming the stranger should stop calling themselves “right to life.” They are anti-abortion not right to life, a position that Pope Francis has stated many times. I have many colleagues and friends who lead or work for Catholic organizations and have had similar experiences.

When you work in social justice advocacy you come to accept criticism, and even condemnation. But we should not kid ourselves into thinking that it is just a few misguided individuals lashing out. This is a very intentional, well organized, extremely well-funded effort aimed at destroying Catholic organizations and individuals who believe that 18,000 children dying everyday from starvation and hunger-related disease,s or children dying from bombings is as grave a sin as children dying from being aborted.

When you hear of incidences like what happened with Fr. Martin, it is often followed with the thought, “Well both sides do this.” Catholic University President Dr. Garvey, a person for whom I have much respect, did just that when he suggested that the campaign against Martin is “the same pressure being applied by the left for universities to withdraw speaker invitations.” Seriously, this is equating people trying to stop neo-natzis and white supremacists, who preach a message of violence and hatred, from speaking at universities with folks who are trying to stop a Catholic priest who promotes a message of love and inclusion. Talk about a false equivalency. This is a very dangerous path. Suggesting that they are equivalent legitimizes the right to preach violence and hatred. Free speech does not allow you to yell fire in a crowded movie theatre. We have seen where creating the appearance that “both sides do it” has led us in our political arena.

I remember when I was much younger a book came out called I’m okay, You’re okay. It was described as “a practical guide to transactional analysis as a method for solving problems in life.” The title became a catchy phrase that folks would often use to simplify their feelings. It caught on and many variations spawned from it. The phrase that might best describe how some feel about each other in today’s society is, “I’m right, you’re evil.”

Peace and All Good