I have read accounts today from Catholics in San Diego praising the work and pastoral approach—including profound teachings on the Eucharist—of Bishop McElroy. Yet no mention of that in this article, which is largely a political piece from a particular ideological viewpoint.
As an admirer of all of our recent popes, who have graced the…
I have read accounts today from Catholics in San Diego praising the work and pastoral approach—including profound teachings on the Eucharist—of Bishop McElroy. Yet no mention of that in this article, which is largely a political piece from a particular ideological viewpoint.
As an admirer of all of our recent popes, who have graced the Church with their unique charisms, I am saddened by articles such as this. A look at the disrespect and contempt for the Holy Father in some of the comments should be a calling for reflection by the authors.
Contradictory diversity strikes me as an accurate diagnosis for the state of our Church. But what is the way out? If you are implying that Pope Francis is to blame for our contradictory diversity (or that McElroy is to blame for contradictory diversity among the bishops) and the solution is to reject him, I'd urge you to ponder: would that be your prescription for a marriage afflicted by contradictory diversity (to take up the analogy of Fr. Thomas Dubay you share below)? I think we would agree that the proper course of action is not to eliminate the contradiction by eliminating the person expressing a conflicting viewpoint but rather to help them to see the truth--or, more modestly acknowledging the possibility in principle that you yourself may be mistaken, to seek the truth together. That does start with respect and taking the time to understand where a person is coming from, though it certainly does not end there (as some liberals might suppose).
It sounds like we are in agreement. Prayer and conversion are fundamental to getting in contact with truth. (I trust that you would also recognize a role for learning, reason, and dialogue, that you are not saying prayer and conversion suffice on their own. But they are the ingredients most often undervalued in our culture.)
Archbishop Quinn was accommodationist to the regnant culture, as is McElroy. The homily, while beautiful in its Biblical meditation, confirms this. John O’Connor also witnessed heroically to AIDS patients, but never wavered in defense of the unborn, or in challenge to “personally opposed, but..” Catholic politicians . He’s just one example.
I don't know much about Quinn (or McElroy), so I'll just speak for myself. I oppose accommodation to culture if that means failing to duly challenge wrongs or otherwise lacking courage in proclaiming the truth. But (1) in terms of prudence, the cultural context can be an important consideration--what course of action is going to most effectively protect the unborn (or most effectively get through to Catholics with poorly formed consciences on abortion). (2) More fundamentally (and here I have in mind questions around homosexuality), particularly in the case of novel cultural practices, part of seeking the truth courageously is to be open to the possibility that we may be confusing a human tradition for the command of God. We ignore the witness of Sts. Peter and Paul at our peril (e.g. Acts 9-10).
I have read accounts today from Catholics in San Diego praising the work and pastoral approach—including profound teachings on the Eucharist—of Bishop McElroy. Yet no mention of that in this article, which is largely a political piece from a particular ideological viewpoint.
As an admirer of all of our recent popes, who have graced the Church with their unique charisms, I am saddened by articles such as this. A look at the disrespect and contempt for the Holy Father in some of the comments should be a calling for reflection by the authors.
Could you explain the phrase “contradictory diversity”?
Contradictory diversity strikes me as an accurate diagnosis for the state of our Church. But what is the way out? If you are implying that Pope Francis is to blame for our contradictory diversity (or that McElroy is to blame for contradictory diversity among the bishops) and the solution is to reject him, I'd urge you to ponder: would that be your prescription for a marriage afflicted by contradictory diversity (to take up the analogy of Fr. Thomas Dubay you share below)? I think we would agree that the proper course of action is not to eliminate the contradiction by eliminating the person expressing a conflicting viewpoint but rather to help them to see the truth--or, more modestly acknowledging the possibility in principle that you yourself may be mistaken, to seek the truth together. That does start with respect and taking the time to understand where a person is coming from, though it certainly does not end there (as some liberals might suppose).
It sounds like we are in agreement. Prayer and conversion are fundamental to getting in contact with truth. (I trust that you would also recognize a role for learning, reason, and dialogue, that you are not saying prayer and conversion suffice on their own. But they are the ingredients most often undervalued in our culture.)
For those looking for a less political perspective on McIlroy, Rocco Palmo suggests this homily of his: https://www.cal-catholic.com/bishop-robert-mcelroy-delivers-homily-at-vigil-for-archbishop-john-quinn/
Archbishop Quinn was accommodationist to the regnant culture, as is McElroy. The homily, while beautiful in its Biblical meditation, confirms this. John O’Connor also witnessed heroically to AIDS patients, but never wavered in defense of the unborn, or in challenge to “personally opposed, but..” Catholic politicians . He’s just one example.
I don't know much about Quinn (or McElroy), so I'll just speak for myself. I oppose accommodation to culture if that means failing to duly challenge wrongs or otherwise lacking courage in proclaiming the truth. But (1) in terms of prudence, the cultural context can be an important consideration--what course of action is going to most effectively protect the unborn (or most effectively get through to Catholics with poorly formed consciences on abortion). (2) More fundamentally (and here I have in mind questions around homosexuality), particularly in the case of novel cultural practices, part of seeking the truth courageously is to be open to the possibility that we may be confusing a human tradition for the command of God. We ignore the witness of Sts. Peter and Paul at our peril (e.g. Acts 9-10).