What Are You Thinking …(American Style)

I am a catholic. Do I know all I should know about my religion? Most definitely not. I do however believe that being catholic is nothing to be ashamed of. I would say I am just a normal Catholic. As a catholic I am proud of what Pope John Paul II has accomplished and am saddened by his death. Millions of people have made the journey to the Vatican to pay their respects to him. Others are anxious for the opportunity his death represents.

It is being said that American Catholics liked the man but did not like what he stood for. Polls show that these same Americans want the Catholic Church to liberalize many of its policies. From female priests to abortion to contraception to priests being able to marry, many Americans are not in agreement with Catholic doctrine. They did not appreciate Pope John Paul II’s autocritic view. They wanted the laity to share in a dialogue with the Pope where he would adjust Catholic canon law to represent a more modern Church. Am I surprised? No! Do I agree with them? No!

Americans want to shape the Catholic Church with American style. They want it quick, easy, and non-judgmental. They find it so much easier to live as Catholics Lite. The liberals of the Church cannot handle that certain parts of their lives do not represent true Catholic beliefs. Better to reshape the Church than to reshape themselves. Everyone should get participation ribbons and “go to heaven free cards”.

The Pope is a direct Apostle of Jesus. He instructs us how to live. He knows what is best for mankind. Should all of us find it easy to live that way? Of course not. Do I agree with everything he says? Of course not. But I am smart enough to know it is I that has to change not the Church. The Catholic Church should not change to make it easier for me. Living a holy life is difficult and it is a certainty that many of us will fail. Americans are to spoiled to fail at anything and prefer to change the rules so they will always finish first.

The Pope is the Pope for all the Catholics in the world not just American Catholics. Even though America is the lone superpower in the world, American Catholics are only a part of the billion Catholics on earth. While Catholics around the world accept the Pope’s word as absolute, American Catholics do not. With each demand for change in the Catholic religion we take what it is to be a Catholic out of it. If we continue eventually going to Church will be no different than going to the shopping mall. People certainly dress like they are going to the mall when they go to church.

Liberalizing the Church is the complete wrong direction. I would argue that it is the liberalization of many of the seminaries that caused the abuses of children by priests over the last 30 years. Allowing gay men to become priests was a problem created by American Catholics bent on reshaping the Church. I for one hope the next Pope continues the theology Pope John Paul II held Catholics too. I understand what John Paul taught us. He called everyone to a higher standard of life. It just so happens many American Catholics think they are living that life and if you tell them they aren’t, they argue for a more modern Church. Two thousand years of Catholic history be damned. Americans prefer to mix their culture with religion. Lets hope the next Pope does not and remains as consistent as Pope John Paul II was.