Catholic Constancy & the American Bishop

The role of much of the American Catholic leadership over the past several decades has been an embarrassment to many of the Catholic faithful; but recently, that embarrassment has begun to recede, as more of the American bishops speak out on the ancient truths of the faith, rather than the “truth is relative” perspectives put forth as orthodoxy for all too many years.

Chesia notes one such episode involving the American president.

An excerpt.

“ROME, October 8, 2009 – "I will always forcefully defend the right of the bishops to criticize me," Barack Obama pledged just before his meeting with Benedict XVI last July 10.

“Indeed. About 80 of the Catholic bishops of the United States are in open disagreement with him on crucial questions, in primis the defense of life. Among these is Cardinal Francis George, president of the bishops' conference and archbishop of Chicago, Obama's city.

“And there's also the bishop of Denver, Charles J. Chaput, 65, member of a Native American tribe and a Capuchin Franciscan. Last year, he published a book that starts getting its point across right from the title: "Render unto Caesar. Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life." It is right to give Caesar that which belongs to him. But one serves the nation by living one's own Catholic faith in political life.

“Chaput does not like the fact that in Rome, at the Vatican, they turn a deaf ear to the criticisms of Obama made by the American Church. He especially didn't like the effusive praise heaped on the American president last July – in conjunction with Obama's meeting with the pope – by a venerated cardinal of the curia, Georges Cottier of Switzerland, theologian emeritus of the pontifical household, in an article published in the magazine "30 Days."

"30 Days" is a magazine of ecclesiastical geopolitics that is widely read in the Roman curia. It is directed by the most "curial" of Italy's veteran Catholic politicians, senator for life Giulio Andreotti. Published in six languages, it reaches all the dioceses of the world, and fully reflects the realist politics of Vatican diplomacy.

“After reading Cardinal Cottier's enthusiastic article – enthusiastic above all about Obama's speech at the Catholic university of Notre Dame – and having read before this an editorial in "L'Osservatore Romano" that was also highly congratulatory of the first hundred days of the American president, even for his "support of childbirth," Chaput felt compelled to reply.

“He put pen to paper and responded point by point. To Obama, to Cardinal Cottier, and to the Vatican secretariat of state. And not in an American newspaper, but in a newspaper printed in Rome, so that the Vatican would see it.”