A St Louis Catholic Parish Touts "'Faithful' Dissenters"

From a distance I received this "Pastor's Column" for February 24 as it appeared in a local St Louis parish. For your reading enjoyment, I present:

THE PASTORS' PEACE

Much of the material in this article is gathered from a book titled Faithful Dissenters. It is the work of Robert McClory, a journalism professor at Northwestern University, and was published by Orbis Books in 2000.

As our parish and some of the staff are in the midst of scrutiny by Archbishop Burke, there is a danger that we might feel alone and disconnected from the church. It is important for us to remember that there is a long list of faithful dissenters in the church. All of the following brief notes are gathered from the book mentioned above.

St. Thomas Aquinas who was condemned on numerous counts by the Archbishop of Paris. At the heart of the issue was the insight into Catholic theology that Thomas received through his study of the ancient pagan philosopher, Aristotle. In the dark ages Aristotle had been lost to Western learning, but was reintroduced by the erudite Muslims. Pagan thinking through the Muslim influence was more than the Catholic Archbishop of Paris was able to stomach. Thomas was removed from his diocese. St. Thomas is commonly known as the Angelic Doctor and his text commonly used in seminaries.

Galileo Galilei is probably the best-known dissenter in the church. In 1609, as a scientist with a telescope, he noted that the earth and other planets moved around the sun. The ten cardinal board of the Inquisition found him guilty of heresy. He read a lengthy abjuration on his knees. Four hundred years later in 1992 Pope John Paul II acknowledged the church erred: "Galileo had to suffer a great deal at the hands of men and organisms of the Church."

St. Catherine of Siena was a woman who only lived to the age of 33. But during that time she confronted the Pope, who as the Bishop of Rome was living in the lap of luxury in A vignon, France. In brief she told the Pope that he must return to Rome not with an armed guard but with the cross in his hand. He must pacify Italy not by bloodshed but by mercy and pardon. The Pope must begin reform immediately by appointing worthy leaders from all of Christendom. Pope Gregory vacillated, authorizing three theologians to interview Catherine to determine the orthodoxy of this prophet. They referred to her as "a wretched little female." Catherine was canonized in 1461 and was declared a doctor of the Church in 1970.

John Courtney Murray was a man of the twentieth century who was able to use the American religious experience to transform the church at Vatican II. The effort on behalf of religious freedom was a long struggle contributing to several serious heart attacks during the last twelve years of his life. Murray was silenced by the Holy Office but received a new lease on life with the election of Pope John XXIII. In September 1965 when Vatican II passed The Declaration of Religious Liberty, 2,308 bishops voted in favor and 70 opposed. At the time of his death, Pope Paul VI called Murray one, "who never stinted in his service to God, the Church, and the Society of Jesus. His humble yet precious theological contributions will be his monument and guide to others." (gjk)

A member of the Pastoral Team - Gerry, Louise, Sean - writes this column each week. We welcome your feedback.

One wonders if theose responsible for this bit of tripe feel as if they belong in the same class as St Thomas or St Catherine...I don't recall these saints ever holding heretical positions. And isn't Archbishop Burke supposed to "scrtinize" those professed Catholics who hold positions opposed to what the Church teaches?

This isn't posted yet at St Cronan's...wonder why...now back to my self-imposed Lenten penance.