Teaching the Fullness of the Faith

Teaching the Fullness of the Faith November 18, 2010

We at Vox Nova are privileged to offer a guest post from David Cruz-Uribe, SFO.  We look forward to offering more quality guest commentary.  We accept submissions at voxnovablog@gmail.com.

As the bishops continue their fall meeting in Baltimore, it is clear that some issues are not going to go away, particularly the divisions between the bishops and other Catholics (individuals and organizations) over health care. Over at America Magazine, Vincent Miller has written a “Memo to the Bishops” in which he calls them to task for their lack of effectiveness in promoting Catholic social teaching. These are not new concerns, either on this blog or in the Church. Over seventy years ago Dorothy Day lamented that the social teaching of the Church was a lamp hidden under a bushel; Peter Maurin, in his typically hyperbolic fashion, wanted to “blow the dynamite of the Church” to get its message across.

Miller frames his argument in a fashion I think needs to be considered more carefully. He writes:

Many bishops have cultivated a “prophetic” style of engagement on life issues and marriage. On these matters, they do not hesitate to confront policies and politicians at odds with the teaching of the Church. Politicians are named. Communion is denied. U.S.C.C.B. bulletin inserts and postcard campaigns are distributed.

Yet precious few bishops are willing to be as forceful on the rest of the church’s social doctrine. Callous lack of concern for the poor and unemployed; dismissals of the positive role of government in serving the common good; inflammatory scapegoating of immigrants, Muslims, or the poor—none of these elicit a high-profile ecclesial challenge. Yes, of course the U.S.C.C.B. secretariats issue press releases and testify before congress on a broad range of issues. Bishops and staff repeat the mantra that the church’s teaching does not conform to either party. But, absent a serious media strategy to have them be heard, these have almost no effect on public life or the faith of Catholics. The bishops are unwilling to directly confront policies and Catholic partisans who dissent on other points of social teaching.

I have seen a similar phenomenon in a lay Catholic group—the Knights of Columbus. The KofC is well-known for its opposition to abortion, and every year its annual convention passes a passionate resolution condemning abortion. Several times this decade, the KofC has also passed resolutions opposing the death penalty. This year, they combined the two into a single resolution. It is painfully obvious in reading this resolution where their hearts lie, and it is not in opposing the death penalty.

So the question becomes: how do we teach the fullness of our faith, including the parts many of our bishops do not want to spend much time talking about?


Browse Our Archives