A Roman Catholic church that’s certain, except when it’s not

The Roman Catholic church is one of the most influential, life-shaping forces in North Country culture.

As a non-Catholic, I’ve watched from the sidelines as the Church has struggled to maintain its role as a powerful force for good, despite huge challenges.

(The largest of these challenges is the dramatic decline in the number of priests and nuns, forcing many churches in the Diocese of Ogdensburg to close, consolidate or reduce services.)

But the Church’s role has also grown increasingly political and increasingly ambiguous in recent years.

The shift is driven primarily by the horrors of the priest-abuse scandal and by the New York bishops’ opposition to same-sex marriage.

This week, the New York Times reported on newly disclosed testimony of New York’s former Cardinal, Edward Egan, widely condemned for helping to cover up the magnitude of the abuse.

Last Tuesday, Egan’s old diocese in Connecticut released 12,000 pages of testimony and record pertaining to his handling of the scandal.

Most troubling in Egan’s responses is his lawyerly, equivocal handling of this fundamental moral failure. Here’s a sample from the Times’ reporting:

“You are of the opinion that everything is crystal clear,” [Egan] told a lawyer questioning him about his decisions. “I am not.”

Here’s another taste:

“Isn’t it true that under canon law you have an obligation to supervise the priests within your diocese?” Mr. Tremont asked.

“I don’t know where you get the ‘supervise’ and so forth,” [Egan] replied. “I would be hesitant about that.”

This disclosure follows on a devastating report on the Roman Catholic church’s behavior in Ireland.

A ten-year inquiry released last week found that Church orders covered up widespread sexual abuse by priests for decades. (One tactic was to ship abusive priests to America.)

Watch the BBC’s report here.

This morally dubious track record strikes me as relevant at a time when the Church positions on other sexual matters (abortion and gay marriage, in particular) remain — to borrow Cardinal Egan’s phrase — crystal clear.

The Church’s engagement with the changing roles of men and women, and our evolving understanding of human sexuality appears uncomplicated by any sign of self-doubt or self-scrutiny.

Following this week’s vote against gay marriage in New York state, the Catholic Conference (which represents the state’s bishops on policy matters) issued this statement:

While the Catholic Church rejects unjust discrimination against homosexual men and women, there is no question that marriage by its nature is the union of one man and one woman.

Advocates for same-sex ‘marriage’ have attempted to portray their cause as inevitable. However, it has become clear that Americans continue to understand marriage the way it has always been understood, and New York is not different in that regard.

This is a victory for the basic building block of our society.

It’s one thing to preach the Church’s position on sexuality and marriage from the pulpit; I would assume that this must be the duty of every priest.

But to lobby aggressively to impose one’s religious teachings on people of other faiths (and people of no faith at all) reflects a remarkable level of confidence and certainty.

Put bluntly, one wonders how Church officials who have inherited Cardinal Egan’s mantle and his legacy can be so sure about their position on these matters.

Your thoughts? Comment below.