Bishops and priests by virtue of their office are our spiritual fathers in the Church. Honoring them in a spirit of charity, obedience, and filial respect usually poses no problem when things are going well. However, when our pastor seems to be "part of the problem," we tend to wonder to what extent we are to honor them.

Throughout the Bible there are many important lessons on how to relate to those in authority, especially during times of crises. From the example of Noah’s faithful sons, who covered their father’s nakedness (Gen. 9:23), to David's refusal to lay a hand on Saul (1 Sam. 24), to Our Lord’s pithy command to do as the Pharisees and scribes say but not as they do (Mt. 23:1-3), a clear picture develops. This picture is reflected in the constant teaching of the Church, including in our time the documents of Vatican II, the Catechism, and the Code of Canon Law.

The "anatomy" of a godly response to Church authority requires not only backbone but also heart--in other words, strength and tenderness rooted in the truth. This is charity in action, which the Catechism calls "the often narrow path between the cowardice which gives in to evil, and the violence which under the illusion of fighting evil only makes it worse" (no. 1889).

All this might sound good in theory, but what about Bishop So and So? What about my pastor, who allows--or even mandates--that X, Y, or Z go on in our parish? Here are some general principles that usually apply:

(1) Take personal responsibility. We are responsible for doing our part to build up the Church. Too often people lament about the deficiencies of local Church leaders, as though everything rides with them. The fact is, Baptism gives us the serious right and duty to be "apostles" in accordance with our state in life. We can’t control the actions of others, but we surely can take it upon ourselves to strive to become saints. At the judgment, we will not be asked about our bishop or pastor, but we will be accountable for what we did with our own talents.

(2) Offer it up. Difficulties and suffering within the Church can be the very stuff of our redemption. Do we believe that? Are we going to embrace these crosses (even as we legitimately and appropriately address our concerns), or are we going to respond with the "violence" that only makes things worse? Suffering of all kinds is a given in life; we can choose whether in our case it will be redemptive or wasted.

(3) Honor our fathers. Since bishops and pastors are our spiritual fathers, we are commanded to honor them as such by the Fourth Commandment. The Roman Catechism, issued after the Council of Trent, taught that "Christ the Lord commands obedience even to wicked pastors." But the Fourth Commandment is a "thou shall" rather than a "thou shall not" commandment. It does not tell us to avoid negative behaviors, but rather encourages a healthy, positive loyalty and reverence toward our parents and also our spiritual fathers.

(4) Live the vision. Lastly, we should pray for an increase of faith, that we might see in our bishops and priests, despite their human frailty and any perceived shortcomings, "the Lord’s anointed." If we do that, we’re well on our way toward imitating the example of David, who was, to his eternal credit, a man after God’s own heart (cf. Acts 13:22).

The foregoing is an excerpt from my article "Laity on the Line," which originally appeared in the May-June 2006 issue of Lay Witness magazine. 

The relation of Christ and the Church is often expressed in nuptial terms: Christ is the Bridegroom; the Church is His Bride. By extension, the bishop (who acts in the person of Christ) and his flock have a spousal, familial relationship. The bishop’s ring symbolizes his “marriage” to the local Church. Moreover, the bishop typically wears a pectoral cross, not a crucifix. There is no corpus on his cross because the bishop himself is to be the corpus, laying down his life for his bride in imitation of our Savior (John 15:13; Eph. 5:25).  

Spousal, covenantal relationships do not involve a quid pro quo. My fidelity to my marriage covenant is not dependant on my wife’s fidelity. I don’t assess my wife’s performance each day in order to decide whether she deserves my love. Rather, my commitment--and hers--must be total and unconditional.

This principle also applies to our relationship with bishops. More...

This morning I came across an interesting article by Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver entitled "Suing the Church." View it here. In his reliably lucid style, Archbishop Chaput explains why it would be inappropriate to sue the "Vatican" for incidents of clerical sex abuse here in the United States.

The Pope is not the CEO of an international corporation with bishops' being mere district managers. Rather, individual bishops are successors of the apostles and exercise their own independent judgment in pastoring the diocese entrusting to them. The relation of Pope to Bishop is unique. It's spiritual, and even familial. It doesn't fit the nice legal boxes used in American jurisprudence to assign liability to what are perceived to be "deep pockets."

Anyway, it's an excellent read.

It's also "timely," as I just noticed yesterday in the airport that the cover of TIME magazine is devoted (again) to the Pope's "relationship" to the clerical sex abuse scandals. Of course, it's totally understandable. Many people have a deep-seated hatred of the Catholic Church and see in the scandals an opportunity to grind their axes. More...

We’re all accustomed to referring to the Pope as the "Vicar of Christ." After all, it was Peter who received the keys, and as Catholics we recognize the special role of the popes--St. Peter's successors--as Christ’s chosen representative to rule and guide the Universal Church until the end of time.

But one teaching that sometimes gets overlooked today is that the other bishops are not simply vicars of the Pope, but vicars of Christ Himself in the particular Church (i.e., diocese) assigned to them. They legitimately exercise their role only in communion with the Pope, but nonetheless they personally exercise their office in the name of Christ as a successor of the apostles. He is neither a mere representative of the Pope nor does he legitimately exercise authority apart from the Pope (See Catechism, nos. 880-96, especially 894-95).

Some may be surprised to know that a number of Popes have even referred to Christian parents as vicars of Christ in the home. More...

Bishop Blase Cupich of Rapid City, South Dakota, currently serves as chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Protection of Children and Young People. Today America magazine posted an article by Bishop Cupich entitled "Twelve Things the Bishops Have Learned from the Abuse Crisis." 

Bishop Cupich does a fine job of articulating many of the painful lessons the bishops have learned over the course of the past ten years, and he should be applauded for doing so.

While there may be things that in my opinion should be emphasized more (or perhaps less), overall I can stand behind 11 of the 12 "lessons." The one that gives me concern is lesson 7, which provides as follows: More...

The clerical sex abuse scandal of the past decade is a tragedy that has sent shock waves through the Catholic Church and American society. Catholic dioceses face many pastoral and legal challenges as they address the needs of victims while also developing policies to prevent such crimes from occurring in the future. Surely, as Pope John Paul II said, "The abuse which has caused this crisis is by every standard wrong and rightly considered a crime by society; it is also an appalling sin in the eyes of God."

This scandal has caused harm to the entire Church. Most obviously, there are the victims of the sex abuse themselves and their families, who so much need healing and love. The perpetrators of these crimes have caused tremendous physical and spiritual harm (cf. Mt.18:6-9) and have dire need of divine mercy, in addition to any medical treatment or criminal sanction. There are the many good and faithful priests and religious who suddenly find themselves the objects of suspicion, hatred, and perhaps even false charges. And then there is the larger Church, whose pastoral and missionary efforts have been compromised by the sins of a few of her members.

In addition to all this pain, there is also the considerable anger, frustration, betrayal, sadness, confusion, and outrage experienced by Catholics and non-Catholics alike over this crisis. These feelings are directed not only toward the perpetrators of these crimes, but also toward a Church bureaucracy and ecclesial climate that would allow repeat offenders to remain in active ministry. JPII further affirmed that "[b]ecause of the great harm done by some priests and religious, the Church herself is viewed with distrust, and many are offended at the way in which the Church's leaders are perceived to have acted in this matter." More...

Much can be said about the defects in the health-care legislation and the reprehensible tactics that were used to push it down the throats of an unwilling American public.

In an article appearing in tomorrow's edition of the Denver Catholic Register, Archbishop Chaput succinctly sets forth some important lessons we should draw from this turn of events. The article is entitled, "A bad bill and how we got it." It may be viewed in its entirety here.

In the course of his article Archbishop Chaput mentions the conflicting witness of some "Catholic" organizations. There are some organizations that really aren't Catholic, whose support for the legislation is hardly surprising. But he singled out the Catholic Health Association for undercutting the leadership and witness of the U.S. Bishops. He wrote, in part: More...

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Turibius (sometimes called Toribio) of Mogrovejo (1538-1606). Most readers probably aren't familiar with St. Turibius. Not very often do we hear of friends naming their children "Turibius"! Yet, despite his relative obscurity, he's one of the greatest bishops the Western Hemisphere has ever known.

He was born in Mayorga in the kingdom of Leon (I'm not kidding!) in Spain. He was a devout young layman who eventually made a name for himself as a civil and canon lawyer. When the Archdiocese of Lima needed a bishop, King Philip II recommended him to the Holy Father, who confirmed his selection as Lima's new archbishop.

Turibius initially did what he could to resist his nomination, but in the end he acquiesced out of obedience to the Church. He was ordained a priest and consecrated as a bishop before being sent to Lima in 1587.

He was filled with great apostolic zeal. He founded many hospitals, schools, and churches--and also the first seminary in the New World! He was a reformer who called various councils and synods, and he used his legal expertise and holy wisdom to issue decrees for his archdiocese that were later adopted by other dioceses.

St. Turibius travelled to every corner of his huge archdiocese to reach out to his entire flock. He became the great protector of the native peoples, who were being exploited by the Spanish immigrants. And to assist in his work with the Indians, over the course of his 20-year archbishopric he mastered several Indian dialects.

There's one final point I'd like to make about St. Turibius: He's Exhibit "A" when it comes to the extraordinary impact a proactive, Spirit-filled bishop can have on the faith life of his flock. This impact not only involves "numbers" (large amount of converts) but also fostering an environment where holiness can really flourish. In that regard, I don't think it's a coincidence at all that two great Dominican saints--St. Martin de Porres and St. Rose of Lima--were very small children when St. Turibius arrived on the scene.

St. Turibius, pray for us!   

Yesterday at the excellent Catholic Key blog, there was an interesting piece regarding the bishops' attempt to stem speculation regarding the U.S. Bishops' position regarding the Senate Health Care Reform Bill. Here is the statement of a spokesman for the U.S. Bishops' Conference:

Recently a reporter asked the staff of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops whether, if the House of Representatives sent a health care reform bill to the Senate that includes acceptable pro-life language like the Stupak amendment, the Conference would defend the pro-life language against efforts by members of either political party to strike it from the bill. The staff answered yes. Some took that answer out of context, and misinterpreted it as a commitment by the bishops to endorse an overall health care bill as long as it includes pro-life language. No such position has been taken. The Conference has said the Senate-passed health care bill fails our moral criteria and must be changed; if changes do occur the bishops would study the new bill, then develop a position based on our moral criteria.

This response was clearly predictable, in a good way and in a potentially troubling way. More...

Over the past couple weeks I've come across some interesting stories involving the Catholic Church, and in particular priests, religious, and especially bishops. Today I thought I would mention ten of them, with links for you to find "the rest of the story."

(1) Welcome, But Not Honored

Archbishop Dolan of New York firmly yet pastorally advises that pro-abortion Catholic politicians will not receive honors at events such as the annual Al Smith dinner under his watch. This could easily come into play, not only with national figures such as Vice President Biden and Speaker Pelosi, but even more likely with New York Governor David Paterson, a pro-abortion Catholic. 

(2) Baby Bishops

The Vatican just appointed Msgr. Joseph Bambera as the new Bishop of Scranton, PA, and Fr. Terry LaValley as the new Bishop of Ogdensburg, NY. Both have been serving as the administrator of their respective dioceses pending the appointment of new bishops. This leaves only three dioceses without a bishop right now (Springfield, IL; LaCrosse, WI; and Harrisburg, PA)--an unusually low number--and there are four additional dioceses where the bishop has already reached retirement age.

(3) Cardinal George Addresses Mormons

What a brilliant prelate. Excellent presentation on religious freedom, drawing on many points of agreement between Catholics and Mormons that should unite us in our efforts to build a more just, life-affirming society.

(4) Way to Go, NC Bishops!

Bishop Jugis of Charlotte and Bishop Burbidge of Raleigh led the charge in getting the state of North Carolina to alter its new civics curriculum that compared pro-life laws to pro-segregation laws, calling both examples of "oppressive government."

(5) More on Oprah and the Nuns

In a previous post I mentioned that the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist were appearing on Oprah. The linked story tells about the sisters' giving Oprah a Rosary and the conversation that ensued. That program has had a wide-reaching effect. Here in Kansas City, for example, Archbishop Naumann wrote about that program in his weekly column for The Leaven, the archdiocesan paper.

(6) Courageous Dutch Priest (not a misprint!)

The priest informed the openly homosexual "prince" for a town carnival that he would not be able to receive Holy Communion. Many in the town revolted against this decision and decided to stage a protest of sorts during Sunday Mass. The priest held his ground, and on that Sunday he did not give out Communion at all, so as to avoid the very real possibility of sacrilege.

(7) Bishop Vasa

Bishop Vasa's columns are always excellent. Scroll down on the linked page for a wealth of great teaching. I especially liked this Lenten column, including his reflection on the phrase from Ash Wednesday: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." 

(8) Archbishop Chaput

Ditto for Archbishop Chaput of Denver. The linked column is but the first in a series of powerful reflections on Pope Benedict's Lenten Message.

(9) Call No Man "Father"

Our Lord says in today's Gospel to call no man "father." Yet I call my pastor "Father." Heck, I refer to myself as a "father." So what does Our Lord mean? I answer that question in the linked article.

(10) Don't Call Him "Teacher," Either

We don't get as worked up about this one (not a Catholic-Protestant thing), but still, Our Lord does tell us to call no one "teacher." I comment on that particular teaching of Christ in the linked article.

Well, that's it. Did I leave out a compelling story? Would you like to see more posts like this?

After reading my post on extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, a friend of mine wrote:

"I have practically memorized this section of Redemptionis Sacramentum, but it does no good.  A plethora of EMHCs at every parish seems to be the norm here in the United States. I don't know if it can be stopped unless all the bishops put out a directive to their priests. It has just gotten out of hand. Aren't there at least some "guidelines" for "Who" should be selected to be an EMHC?" 

Well, I know a bishop who actually took this issue head on. More...

Some people are raised Catholic; others are raised Protestant. I was raised a Notre Dame fan. While other seven year-olds were learning--or not learning, after all, it was the sixties--their catechism, I was diligently memorizing the roster of ND's 1966 national championship team and delighting my elders with a rousing rendition of Cheer, Cheer for Ol' Notre Dame.

When by God's grace I became a fervent Catholic in the early 1980s, I became aware that the land of "Touchdown Jesus" was not the bastian of Catholic orthodoxy that one would expect in what is easily the most prominent institution of Catholic higher education in the country. I was extremely disappointed, and as I started having kids, I realized that I would not encourage my children to go there, because faith matters. And yet, I was able to set aside all these concerns and root for Notre Dame.

Until last year. More...

As noted in a previous post, Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island brings Catholic wisdom and common sense to bear on the most important issues of our time. In his current "Without a Doubt" column entitled "Not Even a Penny for Abortion," he gives his flock--and the rest of us--solid guidance regarding the pending health care reform.  The article is a short, easy read, and it may be viewed here.

Church leaders from around the country have been speaking out effectively on this issue. Our own bishops here in the Kansas City area issued this excellent pastoral letter a few months ago. Bishop Nickless of Sioux City, Iowa wrote an exceptional column around the same time (see the second half of the column). The U.S. bishops as a body have been consistent in their witness, and several U.S. bishops were involved in the ecumenical Manhattan Declaration.

As Bishop Tobin bluntly reminds us, abortion is not health care, but a serious offense against human life. We cannot allow any taxpayer funding of abortion under the guise of "health care," regardless of how the money is funneled. Any such legislation would also have to ensure "conscience protection" for Catholic health care institutions and personnel, who must not be coerced into cooperating in acts they know and believe to be immoral.  These are non-negotiable points that should unite all Catholics against versions of the bill that fail on either of these points.

That's often where the official "Catholic" objections end, More...

I’m a sucker for good books. I’m also a sucker for “lists.” So I really enjoyed “The Best Books I Read in 2009” at www.ignatiusinsight.com. I think you will, too.

One of the contributors to that post mentioned a book by Fr. Jacques Philippe. I second this recommendation, as I’ve personally benefited from his writings in the area of prayer and spirituality. Several of his books are available here. 

Anyway, the Ignatius Insight blog that published the “Best Books” list is, in case you haven’t guessed, an outreach of Ignatius Press. We’re excited to announce that this year My Catholic Faith Delivered will be producing an interactive, online version of Ignatius Press’ critically acclaimed Faith and Life series.  Leading Catholic author and evangelist Scott Hahn says:

"I give the Faith and Life series my highest recommendation. We teach our children with these texts and encourage others to do the same. . . . [It] presents the faith with clarity, depth, and great beauty."

Stay tuned in the coming  weeks for more information on the new, online version of Faith and Life!

Meanwhile, this week also saw the installation of Chicago native Jerome Listecki as the new Archbishop of Milwaukee. Click here for an uplifting article on Milwaukee’s new shepherd written by Deacon Keith Fournier at Catholic Online. 

Today Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, Oregon posted an outstanding article on the controversial and often misunderstood subject of excommunication.

The short article in its entirety is worth reading. Here is but a snippet:

"The press would undoubtedly accuse bishops who talk or even think about excommunication as being tyrannical power mongers, but this is unfair. Excommunication is a declaration, based on solid evidence, that the actions or public teachings of a particular Catholic are categorically incompatible with the teachings of the Church. It is intended primarily as a means of getting the person who is in grave error to recognize the depth of his error and repent.

"A second reason, while somewhat secondary but no less important, is to assure the faithful who truly are faithful that what they believe to be the teaching of the Church is true and correct. Allowing their faith to be shaken or allowing them to be confused when Catholics publicly affirm something contrary to faith or morals, seemingly without consequences, scandalizes and confuses the faithful. This is no small matter. The Church, and particularly bishops, have an obligation to defend the faith but they also have an obligation to protect the faithful. We do not generally see the dissidence of public figures as something that harms the faithful but it has a deleterious effect upon them."

If you like this article, you might want to regularly visit the website of the Catholic Sentinel, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Portland and the Diocese of Baker, where Bishop Vasa is a regular columnist.

In subsequent posts we will discuss excommunication and related topics--not as partisan activists, but as Catholics who hold dear the truths of our holy faith.