Prominent Historian Urges Church: "Speak the Truth in a Time of Evil"

From an an "Inside the Vatican" Newsflash!

Calling upon the Catholic Church to "speak the truth in a time of evil," leading British historian Michael Burleigh has spoken out about the grave threats now facing Western civilization, and exhorted the one religious institution he believes can help to "stand tall" and live up to its ideals.

Although Burleigh is at pains to stress he is not in a position to offer the Holy Father anything so presumptuous as formal ‘advice,’ he did, when asked, offer five suggestions he believes could strengthen the Church’s mission:

"First, the Church should stop apologizing for its past and vigorously defend the Christian heritage, especially the unique Catholic contribution to it. Engaging in repeated self-flagellation only serves to make the Church the doormat of history, and invites contempt. . .

"Second, the Church should never compromise its core teachings and essential beliefs. One of the most admirable qualities about the Church of Rome is its resistance to fads, unnecessary changes and spontaneous ‘innovation.’ I am not talking here about genuine progress , or about the authentic development of Christian doctrine, which has always been a part of Catholic orthodoxy--I’m talking about the constant, spurious demands to force the Church to re-invent itself--changes which, if accepted, would make the Catholic Church unrecognizable, a pale imitation of itself. The surest way for the Catholic Church to become irrelevant would be to follow the path of the Anglican Churches, and become a mere echo chamber of secular society. . .

"Third, the Holy See should step up its opposition to religious and political extremism a hundredfold. The Catholic Church, at its best, has always been universal and consistent in outlook, and Pope Benedict should continue that tradition. The selective moral indignation we see from such bodies as the World Council of Churches, who frequently condemn abuses by Western governments, but remain shamefully silent toward crimes by far worse Communist and Islamic regimes, has to be rejected. On the matter of human rights, there is an appalling hypocrisy out there, and Rome should expose it. . .

"Fourth, the Church should reach out to Christian intellectuals, and even secular intellectuals open to the Christian tradition, particularly in Europe. There is a great deal of criticism these days about the current cultural climate in Europe, and some of it is well-deserved. . .

"Finally, the Catholic Church should stick to proclaiming its principles in universal terms, and resist the temptation to try to micromanage the world’s affairs. The Vatican, for all its merits, is simply not equipped to deal with all the complexities of the modern world. Clergy are not especially qualified to talk about economics, diplomacy or military strategy and they should have the humility to listen to people who are qualified. The Church can never cede its authority over fundamental moral and religious teachings, but, when it comes down to more worldly issues, it needs the help and support of lay intellectuals and specialists. Incorporating and applying the truths which the Catholic Church believes in is a necessary but often-difficult, even perilous, task. . .

The article is here...