One could say that the U. S. bishops may be finding themselves in the same situation. On the heels of the announcement that the Vatican had appointed an American bishop to oversee the "reformation" of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, comes the revelation of an episcopal investigation of the Girl Scouts. The Washington Post had published a story, and National Public Radio had broadcast a report on the investigation. In truth, this has been going on for some years, in response to conservative Catholic complaints about the Girls Scouts promoting sexuality education that is not in keeping with Church teaching. There has also been a move among conservative Catholic bishops to separate the Church from any public organizations that does not agree with Catholic doctrines.
Whether the concerns are valid or not, the bishops are giving the impression that they are ganging up on women; trying to put them back in their pre-Vatican II place. It would be wise to remember that it has been mostly women, both lay and religious, who have been the backbone of the Church. From the earliest days of the Church, it has been women who helped to support the local churches. It was women who cleaned the worship places, taught religious education, helped organize and run charities. The bishops are risking alienating them at time when they are most needed for the life of the Church.
It is the duty of bishops to uphold and defend Catholic teaching. Any bishop who strays from that causes a problem and potential scandal for the Church.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with the bishops evaluating whether GSUSA has ties to Planned Parenthood. If they do, then that's a most serious problem and the Church has to avoid becoming collaborators in the devastating effect it has on girls, not to mention the to-be-aborted children. If it turns out that they don't, then there is no problem. They fact that people are having hissy-fits over the investigation alone leads me to believe that most likely there is a problem and the bishops are justified in evaluating it.
Now, regarding the alleged Republican "war on women", which is the liberal ways of saying "they don't support unlimited access to abortions" (euphemistically referred to as "reproductive rights"), let's not be intimidated by the mud-slinging left. When you look closely, they are in fact waging the war on womanhood, on so many fronts that it's impossible to list them all. They're literally destroying everything that makes a woman distinctly a woman. It's crazy. But everything gets a nice-sounding euphemism and people fall for it. And those who don't fall for the liberal agenda are then accused of fighting a war (on women, on immigrants, you pick).
Think about it: If Church teaching tends to line up more with Republican than Democrat politics, especially on critical issues such as abortion and religious freedom, then I would see that as a clear indication how a reasonable and devoted Catholic should vote.