Confusion in the Catholic Church: Who’s On First?

One of the most nostalgic comedy skits is Bud Abbott and Lou Costello’s “Who’s on First.”  The confusion caused by miscommunication is quite funny and unforgettable. You have two people talking about the same thing, but somehow things are not quite resonating.  Meanwhile, the audience convulses in laughter.

Changes and Confusion

What is equally confusing, but not at all comedic, is the miscommunication by the Catholic Church’s hierarchy around its teachings. I’m afraid their messages have brought many Catholics, including me, into a state of confusion about being able to discern what is good Catholic teaching or not, what is right or wrong.

I’m an old-timer and have been witness to many changes in the Catholic Church. There was a time when I knew for sure what the Catholic Church’s stand was on abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, transgenderism, receiving Holy Communion, defining marriage and family. Now I’m not so sure because we have Catholic clergy at odds with themselves over Catholic teaching. For example, is it okay to take a covid-19 vaccine that may be morally tainted with aborted fetal cell lines?

Sadly, I am afraid to say that our Church’s confusion seems to come from the top and trickles down. There appears to be some subliminal seduction of secular acceptability in Catholic church dogma fostered by some in the church hierarchy’s actions and words.

The Gomez-Cupich Conflict

Although Pope Francis did not name who he favored in our recent national elections, it was clear that he did not like Donald Trump and was more welcoming of Joe Biden. Trump didn’t help his relationship with the Pope when he endorsed Cardinal Carlo Maria Vigano. Cardinal Vigano had called for Pope Francis’s resignation and has not spoken well of Francis’ papacy.

On the day of President Biden’s inauguration, the Most Reverend Jose H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, speaking on behalf of the conference bishops, issued a statement:

So, I must point out that our new President has pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance moral evils and threaten human life and dignity, most seriously in the areas of abortion, contraception, marriage, and gender. Of deep concern is the liberty of the Church and the freedom of believers to live according to their consciences.

On the same day, Cdl. Blase Cupich of Chicago joined with an unnamed senior Vatican official in taking issue with Abp. Gomez’s statement.

“Today, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued an ill-considered statement on the day of President Biden’s inauguration,” Cardinal Cupich said in one of two statements he released today. “Aside from the fact that there is seemingly no precedent for doing so, the statement, critical of President Biden, came as a surprise to many bishops, who received it just hours before it was released.”

The Pope’s Men

To clarify this Gomez/Cupich rift, Father Raymond J. de Souza’s commentary in the National Catholic Register on February 5, 2021, stated:

According to O’Connell, Cardinal Cupich’s audience in Rome was a clear sign of papal disfavor with Archbishop Gomez. What should Archbishop Gomez think about that? That the Holy Father does not favor the President of the USCCB is not news; the news is that the United States’ bishops chose him as their leader, knowing that.

Other mixed messages are coming from the church hierarchy. Father James Martin, an advocate for the LGBTQ community, was appointed to the Dicastery of Communication Consultor. Is this a signal the Pope is more accepting of LGBTQ positions and, by doing so, signaling an altering of Church teaching?

It appears that the Pope’s men in the USA are going to be Martin and Cupich. I’m not so sure how unifying these appointments may be to Catholics. Both of these shepherds do not seem to have the majority of Bishops’ ears in the USA. Although unifying figures in minority liberal progressive elements in the Church, both are polarizing in the majority conservative. The result is that we, the Catholic laity, are presented with more confusion.

Other Sources of Confusion

And if that wasn’t enough, we have efforts in other parts of the world that look to undermine Catholicism and result in more confusion. German bishops are proposing a Synodal Way, bringing together lay people and bishops to discuss four major topics: how power is exercised in the Church; sexual morality; the priesthood; and women’s role. The content of these topics calls for radical change in church teaching. Is the German Synodal Way a challenge to the magisterium of the Catholic Church?

Is the Amazon Synod’s final document a vessel for the Catholic laity that adds more confusion? The synod recognized and emphasized the call for a female diaconate in the Amazon communities. The paper recommended the ordination of married men to access the Holy Eucharist and perform other sacraments because of the scarcity of priests. It is allowing for an Amazonian rite that expresses customs of ancestral peoples like Pachamama and other idols. If the Catholic Church changes because of the Amazonian culture, shouldn’t it change to adapt to an Asian culture?

Then there is the whole question of how to receive Holy Communion. Traditionalists believe only on the tongue while kneeling and only administered by a priest. Progressives accept it in hand administered by a Eucharistic administrator or a priest. I do not like the feeling that I’m disrespecting Jesus by receiving Him in my hand. That seems to be a guilt trip perpetrated by traditionalists. I think Jesus wants us to receive His Body and Blood either way as many times as we can receive Him. I’m not so sure about this one; hence, a little more confused.

Opposition Within the Church

A huge question in my mind is why our church leaders from the top on down are not at more vocal odds with the number of Catholic politicians who proclaim their Catholicism but do not support the Church’s teachings. Actually, not only do they not support it, but they also aggressively oppose it. I do not want to hear Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, or Xavier Becerra say they are devout Catholics and then pursue non-Catholic policies around abortion, euthanasia, stem-cell research, and transgenderism. That is sheer hypocrisy to me.

Jesus was a devout Jew, and the most significant challenges He experienced in His day were the church leaders of his day. Is Jesus experiencing the same today? It may very well be that the most significant challenge that Jesus has is within His Church.

Conclusion

I pray for our Church and its leaders every day. “Saint Thomas More believed in the existence of truth—not just ‘my’ truth or ‘your’ truth, but the truth, God’s universal and enduring truth—regardless of our personal opinions. For More, that truth resides with unique beauty and authority in the Catholic Church, and we owe her teachings our loyalty, without reservations, if we claim to be Catholic. Which is why he died for her, and why his fidelity remains a model for us in every season: the good, the bad, and our own” (Francis Maier).

Truth comes from the heart.

More tortuous than all else is the human heart,

beyond remedy; who can understand it?

I, the LORD, alone probe the mind

and test the heart,

To reward everyone according to his ways,

 according to the merit of his deeds. (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

That is why the confusion in the Catholic Church must end.  Our shepherds’ duty and responsibility are to get us to first base and let us know who’s on first, second, and third. There should not be variations of Church teachings because of geographical or political interpretations.  We are a universal Catholic Church, and as such, its doctrines should guide us, so its teachings should be delineated in its one Catechism, and “the” truth should be its anchor. I really do believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.