Month: January 2004

Legitimate dissent

In the comments box below, I listed some ways to legitimately dissent from a policy that a diocese has adopted. It should go without saying — though it might not — that I am not talking about immutable dogmas of the Church, lest you think if you write enough letters, we’ll have women priests. There is no legitimate dissent from Catholic teaching.
That being said, if your diocese does something you don’t like, you can
• Call or write the chancery and express your misgivings.
• Talk to your parish’s pastor about the problem. He presumably has some way to communicate with the bishop.
• Find other people who agree with you, and prayerfully and charitably speak as one voice.
• Always propose an alternative (as, I believe, some of the Arlington protestors were, to their credit.) Don’t just say “no,” say “here’s a better and more faithful way to accomplish what you’re trying to do.”
• Don’t assume that just because the diocese adopts a policy, it’s forever. Never give up.
It’s your duty to help reform your little part of the Church, and do it in a way that will not embarrass the Church in the outside world.

The Rosary isn’t a political chant

In eight months, my wife and I will send our two older children to a Catholic school in the Arlington diocese, so we’re concerned about what happens within the system. The article cited by John below is disturbing, but more because of the behavior of the protestors than the proposed sex abuse curriculum.
I have no opinion on whether “Good Touch, Bad Touch” is appropriate for kids or contradicts Catholic values. Not having seen it, I refuse to base my opinion on heresay. I do have an opinion on the obnoxious behavior of those who disagree with the curriculum. If you disagree with someone, don’t yell things or pray the Rosary to “drown out…the diocesan director of child protection and safety.”
I wasn’t there, so I can’t confirm Julia Duin’s account — but she has a well-deserved reputation for fairness and she wouldn’t write something like that unless it was true. Anyone who was there and wants to correct me, I’ll gladly amend this post.
If you were there and you were one of the people shouting or praying loudly, let me tell you something as your brother in Christ. You don’t advance orthodoxy (or orthopraxy) by making asses of yourselves, and by implication the cause you represent. How can we say that living an authentically Catholic life will make us better people if the people living that life are acting like jerks?
If you’re so fond of quoting Church documents, you might want to take a look at the Catechism’s section on blasphemy, and reflect on the part about “misusing God’s name.” You think Jesus and Mary appreciate their names being used to silence an employee of the Church — even if that person is wrong?