The Red and Blue of the Catholic Church

This is an excellent article by Chuck Raasch about the divide in the Catholic Church in America on the issues. Speaking of the present Pope (then Cardinal) Raasch says this:

"Last summer, the then cardinal stepped in the middle of a raging political debate in the United States. He declared it a "grave sin" for politicians to favor abortion choice or euthanasia, in effect backing bishops who advocated denying the sacrament to abortion rights supporters like former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. Benedict also has advocated "clear and emphatic opposition" to homosexual marriage and called homosexuality a sin. But he also urged that gay men and women be "accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity."

Isn't this exactly what Christ did? He made clear grave sin when he saw it, but he advocated compassion and forgiveness for that sin and for all of God's children. One may not like having a sin pointed out, as I am sure many in the New Testament did not, but if it leads us to a better place then it is important for those who wish to be faithful to know this.

It has long been clear to me that the divide in the Catholic Church in America runs along political "red and blue" lines as well. But the Church is not a democracy. It is a guide to our salvation. We should not expect it to be a "majority rules" kind of institution. This argument has been made well by many of the Southpark Republicans in the blogosphere. They understand that no one forces one to be Catholic. I certainly do not want anyone to leave my Church, but I also think they need to understand the role of the Church. It is to bring us to holiness, not win a popularity contest.

The article points out that for many Catholics in the world social issues such as women priests, abortion, or gay marriage are the last thing they think about. They think about how to feed the poor among them. They think about how to provide healthcare and shelter.

Believe it or not, American Catholics are but a small portion of the 1.1 billion Catholics in the world. Those who fight for change don't seem to see the big picture of the 'universal" Catholic Church.

For example, most Americans think that there is a world wide lack of Priests. They believe that the priesthood has been declining. That may be true in the United States (although even here it is getting better) But the truth is that during the papacy of Pope John Paul the vocation of the Priesthood rose over 10% worldwide. Where the teachings of the Church is taught in it's fullness there is no lack of vocations. But American Catholics seem to think of themselves in a bubble sometimes and that is too bad.