ARTICLES

Don't Clergy Have to Compromise, Too?

Five Local Priests Talk off the Pulpit

By Robert Kumpel

On August 24, the Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece entitled "Preach to the Choir" by William McGurn, which we re-print in this issue.

Five local priests read the McGurn article and answered questions about unpopular Church teachings. The priests -- one from North County, one from central San Diego, one from a religious order, one from Clairemont area, one a retired Navy chaplain -- said they wished to remain anonymous. (The interviews took place by phone at different times.)


How do priests handle this problem of "undreamt-of ethical dilemmas" in sermons?

Father White: I explain the Church's position as clearly as I can in homilies. I don't know what other priests do in their homilies.

Father Black: My personal position is that a Catholic priest is first ordained to preach the Word, in its entirety, for the true liberation of God's people by Jesus Christ. That word always cuts both ways, pricking the wound to open it and then healing it.

Father Green: Most pastors avoid the challenge. Their favorite topics are peace, justice, and love. I do not get to speak on these subjects, although I do more so privately. I usually speak on a specific dogma, like any of the sacraments, the four last things or the commandments.

Father Brown: I have never heard the term "undreamt-of ethical dilemmas" before, and so it is rather difficult to handle the problem it poses.... But, as a priest, I certainly affirm the authority of the Church, especially the office of the Papacy, to answer any such future dilemmas. Since I teach and preach that the Roman pontiff is the highest authority in the order of ecclesiastical realities, I assume the lay faithful would look to the Pope for guidance on such issues yet to be.

Father Gold: I always approach the Gospel at Mass as God's self-revelation, of his nature, of his ways to us ... and then the Gospel also as God's revelation of the truth about our humanity, of our personhood, of our nature, of our origin, of our destiny, of our calling, of our high dignity. Then I have a basis for ethical teaching. "Here's what man is." Then, given that understanding, "Here's how man lives." Otherwise there is little sense to just announcing a series of "do's" and "don'ts." Notice that the Catechism of the Catholic Church first gives us a foundation of -- Part I -- the Creed and -- Part II -- the Sacraments, and only then Part III. Part III itself has two sections. The first section is what I call an "anthropology," Christ's answer to the question, "What is man?" Only after establishing all that does the second section of Part III begin: the Ten Commandments -- morality. Quite significantly, the Catechism does not teach us how to pray (Part IV of the Catechism) until after it teaches us how to live rightly.

Do you think McGurn is letting politicians off lightly by conceding only to politicians the art of the compromise? Don't clergy have to compromise too?

Father Gold: Politicians, even the most noble and upright, have to sometimes lose one battle in order to win a whole war. However, if a politician is going to obey his conscience, he also is going to refuse certain categories of compromise. Clergy ought never to compromise on moral issues in their preaching. However, a preacher must also make moral truths "attractive" to the rational minds of his hearers. If it can can begin to make sense to their intellects, then the way is open for people's own heads to collaborate in freely pricking their own consciences.

Father Black: Christ condemned wrong actions, but never judged a person to be equal to his sin. He always offered compassion and a remedy to the repentant; to the unrepentant such as the pharisees, he continued to speak strongly to try to open the wound so that he could heal it. He wasn't immediately successful as evidenced in his crucifixion as the response of the unrepentant heart.

Father Green: The clergy who compromise are denying the truth of Christ. His truth must be presented at all times. A priest is strictly commanded to do so. But if one is a dissenter, rationalization will prevail. I don't want to make friends with politicians! Jesus is the answer to my salvation and everybody else's. He came to redeem all, and no one is exempt.

Father Brown: Politicians must compromise on certain moral issues, at least as far as p.r. goes, because the media promotes the liberal view and most people buy it uncritically. I would rather have an elected official with 90 percent of the moral agenda than one with 100 percent who never gets elected. Most conservative Catholics disagree with me on this ... but, as Rush Limbaugh says, where's the virtue in losing? On the other hand, clergy do not have to compromise, for do so would be a serious sin. Yet the manner in which one teaches and preaches on so-called controversial topics is important. You don't teach no to artificial birth control, for example, without providing married couples with a way to learn the philosophy and techniques of natural family planning.

Father White: I think "pro-choice" Catholic politicians should be excommunicated. The clergy can't compromise on abortion either.

McGurn says problem for priests is the "unpleasant task of presenting to affluent congregations a litany of No's: no abortion, no birth control, not even in vitro fertilization." What do local priests make of that? Describe unpleasant experiences. Is it only, or mainly, at affluent parishes?

Father Black: When I speak about the evil of abortion, I describe how it wounds the soul, psyche, spirit of those who commit it. I know that some in the assembly will react in the ways above. Then, I clearly say that God does not condemn you, and welcome them to Penance and to the beautiful healing process of Rachel's Hope and invite them to come to a real peace in Christ.

When I speak of birth control, I note that modern methods of contraception destroy a life already begun even though at a very early stage. I speak of the distortion of the relationship of the couple and subsequent problems in relationship, the high divorce rate. Then, I offer them the sacrament of penance and speak about Natural Family Planning, its 99 percent effectiveness, and of the two percent divorce rate of those who practice NFP. I invite them to the classes offered here at our parish. I speak about a real trust in God and a deeper relationship with him, just as Pope Paul VI taught in Humanæ Vitæ.

Father Green: I was in an affluent parish once in New Jersey. We followed the curriculum from the bishop. The truth not only makes one free, but it also hurts. Our Lord gave us the sacrament of confession to alleviate our pain. I personally don't have any qualms about spelling out the right and wrong. As the prophet Ezekiel said: Preach regardless of acceptance or not. All people, rich, middle class, and not-so-affluent are affected if their previous knowledge is defective concerning abortion, birth control, or in vitro fertilization is never challenged. The old bromide, "The Pope is not married, so he can't tell me what to do", i.e., selfishness and one's gratification are two hard nuts to crack.

Father White: In the Acts of the Apostles, St. Peter said, "We must obey God rather than men." If it is an unpleasant to present the teachings of our faith to our people, it is, nevertheless, our vocation. The prophets of Israel and Judea weren't popular, but they spoke God's messages -- so must priests. People have walked out on homilies and have dissented on abortion. I don't know if that happens only at affluent parishes.

Father Brown: The problem with certain issues like birth control or abortion is that at Mass you have to present the subject matter with children present. Call me old school, but I don't feel comfortable addressing the lay faithful at Mass on such matters with young people and children there. I feel abortion can be mentioned, especially in a commentary on the fifth commandment, but birth control is best discussed in RCIA, confession, counseling, and marriage preparation. This applies to other issues like the medical destruction of one's fertility through surgical procedures. As for difficult experiences, of course, a homily against abortion often yields a walk-out or two ... but the pro-lifers always offer lots of support.

Father Gold: I'm glad that you're going to keep me anonymous, because right now I'm going to brag. Within the last year I have included in my preaching on several occasions references against abortion. Within the same time period I have also preached about the wrong of birth control and against "in vitro" fertilization. However, as I said earlier, I think it's useless to just recite a list of "no-no's." I take extra pains in preparing my homilies that touch on moral issues to lay the theological and anthropological groundwork for why certain things are intolerably wrong. As for affluence ... I don't find that affluent people are automatically less orthodox than the poor.

Are abortion, no birth control, and no in-vitro fertilization equally hard sells to the hearts of parishioners?

Father Black: In speaking the truth of Jesus, there is always risk of seared conscience, hard heartedness, and an attack against one's character as insensitive, uncompassionate, and lacking understanding. This is a minor suffering compared to crucifixion. Most people want the truth in its entirety, even if it causes some pain in the beginning. Most want to be healed, to live rightly, to quiet nagging consciences, to know God's forgiveness, love and compassion.

I won't deny that simply out of fear of some reprisal against my psychological image and well being. Fear is useless. What is needed is trust. If Jesus gave his life for our liberation and peace, and if He has chosen me to preach his message, then that message will go out as best as I can deliver it in its entirety.

Father Green: Truth is not hard to sell to people with an open, believing heart. It may be a tough lesson to accept but their faith does prevail. Without a good, believing faith, all are equally hard to sell.

Father Brown: It is not difficult for a good, dedicated pastor to "sell" the teaching of the Church to the hearts of his parishioners. Parishioners accept difficult teaching from a priest they love and respect. Unfortunately, the majority of our local pastors belong to that age group (mid-40s to late 60s) that seems to have lost the Faith, and they have little interest to teach even the basics, since they have lost any real sense of what the Church stands for. This is not timidity, it is along the lines of the old adage "You can't give what you don't have." They don't believe birth control is a grave sin, and so they don't talk about it in their homilies. Furthermore, they provide a marshmallow theology that is gooey and sweet but, in the end, leads people to look to their feelings for guidance and not the teaching of Christ and His Church. By the way, it's bogus to say that the affluent parish is the toughest place to influence the people in the direction of orthodoxy. After all, there is more or less a consistent and unified culture -- mundane, to be sure--in the U.S. that has been created by the entertainment industry, the biased news media, and educational institutions. Especially since Clinton, our culture is feelings-based and erodes people's confidence in the very notion of religious truth and objective morality.

Father White: If people understand that birth control methods like the pill are abortifacients, I think that makes it easier for them to accept the Church's teaching. Frequently, people don't know about natural family planning, and priests need to tell them about that. A course in natural family planning should be a requirement before a couple marries in the Catholic Church. It should be taught as part of religious education for seniors in high school as part of their marriage course.

Father Gold: I think those three things are not equal in the minds of many people. Most parishioners understand why we teach that abortion is wrong. Not as many might understand why artificial contraception is wrong. The wrongness of in vitro fertilization is understood by the fewest.

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