Wednesday, October 13, 2004

A recent email to my pastor and Pro-Life Committee

To: Fr. R....... and the Pro-Life Committee

Today I received the Messenger, our parish newsletter. The Pro-Life page dealing with voting was very well done and those responsible are to be commended. There is, however, a rather glaring negative on the page. One of the websites listed in the Messenger and on the ICD website is none other than that of Pax Christi USA. This is shocking to me and to others who are familiar with this website and organization.

Pax Christi USA has recently stated that voting for the common good involves many issues.  While this statement is true, in a certain way, it is misleading as presented by the organization which has a current campaign called "Life Does Not End at Birth" which undermines the pastoral letter of Archbishop Burke.

Archbishop Burke, in his role as teacher of the faithful under his charge, has recently stated:
"...there is no element of the common good, no morally good practice, that a candidate may promote and to which a voter may be dedicated, which could justify voting for a candidate who also endorses and supports the deliberate killing of the innocent, abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, euthanasia, human cloning or the recognition of a same-sex relationship as legal marriage."
The Holy Father has stated:
...the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights--for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture--is false and illusory if the right to life... is not defended with maximum determination.
Some time ago I wrote an article for the Messenger which advised, in accordance with a document from the US Bishops regarding prudent Internet usage, that websites which claimed to be "Catholic" should be verified before being used or promoted as legitimate sources of Catholic faith and moral issues.

At that time, there was an organization called PetersNet (Now known as Catholic Culture) which reviewed various "Catholic" sites and provided a site review for Catholics concerned about protecting themselves and their families from sites which were deemed to be espousing principles or ideas which were at odds with authentic Catholic teaching.

The Pax Christi USA website was initially reviewed on September 28, 2000, and was most recently reviewed again on June 4, 2004.  The Pax Christi USA website is labeled with a DANGER rating with respect to Fidelity. 

The Fidelity rating is used to indicate the degree to which a web site represents sound, authentic Catholicism -- or fidelity to the mind of the Church. This is by far the most important grade given by Catholic Culture (formerly PetersNet).  The fidelity grade includes four elements:
  1. Orthodoxy: Fidelity to the Church as Teacher
    The sine qua non of a Catholic web site is orthodoxy, or fidelity to the official teachings of the Church. Sites which reveal a pattern of dissent or which place error on an equal footing with Truth will have the lowest Fidelity grades.


  2. Obedience: Fidelity to the Church as Ruler
    The next most important factor is obedience, or fidelity to the Church's governing or disciplinary authority. Again, sites which refuse to accept the authority of the Holy See (including its liturgical authority) will have low Fidelity grades, even if their materials are, strictly speaking, orthodox.


  3. Fortitude: Fidelity to the Church's Prophetic Mission
    The third element in the Fidelity grade is Fortitude -- a site's willingness to advance or defend the Faith in the face of a hostile culture. Sites which are characterized by theological minimism, devotion to fashionable causes, or failure to state the Faith clearly in areas opposed by the modern world will have mediocre CatholicCulture grades even if they are, strictly speaking, both orthodox and obedient.


  4. Prudence: Fidelity to the Church as Sanctifier
    Finally, the prudence of a site must be taken into account. It is possible for a web site to devote itself to its subject matter in such a way that the mind of the Church in spiritual matters is not honored. One common example would be the lack of spiritual discretion shown by sites which uncritically promote alleged apparitions and locutions before the Church herself has reached a judgment. Such sites cannot win the highest CatholicCulture grade for Fidelity.

The review states:
According to their mission statement Pax Christi USA "rejects war, preparations for war, and every form of violence and domination. It advocates primacy of conscience, economic and social justice, and respect for creation.... Pax Christi USA works toward a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world." Unfortunately, their version of violence and domination is often at odds with the Church and her teachings. They seem to care more about finding common ground with abortionists and the gay rights lobby than about working for true peace.
With regard to examples which give rise to a Danger rating in Fidelity, Catholic Culture lists the following:
"Mission statement includes language to give serious Catholics pause."
"Primacy of conscience" and "sustainable world" are typical buzz phrases for the radical left promoting views opposed to Catholic teaching such as population control, contraception, etc. Since the site articulates no Catholic doctrine on any of the issues discussed, all terminology is vague and open to personal interpretation.

"Several articles encourage Pax Christi USA members to lobby to overturn the ban on the homosexual ministry of dissident New Ways Ministry founders, Sr. Jeannine Gramick and Fr. Robert Nugent. "
Articles reference uncritically the flawed committee document of the USCC on homosexuality, "Always Our Children." In several places "homophobia" and "heterosexism" are condemned. They too are undefined. Catholics are called to "commit their hearts to acceptance and inclusion of gay and lesbian people." In view of the support for Gramick and Nugent one can only interpret this as calling for acceptance of the gay lifestyle.


"Among the dozens of articles opposing war and capital punishment there is only one on Pax Christi's USA abortion stand, supporting the "seamless garment" approach."
The statement takes a swipe at pro-lifer's saying, "Women are too often criminalized or condemned by those committed to the unborn." They end their statement with a commitment to finding "common ground" with pro-abortionists. Interestingly, there is no mention of finding "common ground" with those who disagree with Pax Christi USA's stands on war or capital punishment. The violence of abortion which has taken more lives than all other wars combined is notably absent from Pax Christi USA's "priorities" statement, although the environment is included.


And finally:
Many unorthodox Catholic, Protestant, and secular links 


It is unfortunate that this website is promoted in a Catholic parish website or publication which every parish family receives.  This tacit approval of Pax Christi USA as a legitimate source does not permit peace and justice issues to be discussed in an authentic Catholic manner.

It is a disservice, not only to those who strive to present true Catholic teaching in this area, but also to those unsuspecting families who, perhaps lacking a certain necessary discerment, are led to believe or accept positions promoted by Pax Christi USA which are contrary to the Church and her teachings.

For what it is worth, the Holy See plans to publish its long-awaited "Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church" on October 25.  This document, written by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and introduced by a letter of Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano, will present in a systematic manner the principles of the Church's social doctrine in diverse areas of public life. (Source, Zenit 10/10/2004).

I hope that someone seriously considers removing the Pax Christi USA link and reference as a legitimate source for learning Catholic teachings on peace and justice issues. One additional item which should be added is a link to Archbishop Burke's recent Pastoal Letter. These changes would make, what might be considered a decent parish publication, a great source for parishioners.

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