Worth Revisiting - We Are Our Own Worse Enemies

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We Are Own Worse Enemies

(Originally published on November 25, 2013)

 

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Far too many Catholics are not well-formed in the teachings of Christ's Church. Given this tragic reality, one would expect Catholic media to only publish the work of individuals and columnists who accurately set forth the tenets of the Catholic Church. 

Over the years, too many publications claiming to be "Catholic" have consistently demonstrated a preference for doing just the opposite.

A most recent example of this proclivity is a column that a local Diocesean newspaper published wherein its author wrote the following: “Putting an end to the killing of unborn babies is a priority for me, and it is a priority for the Catholic Church. But it is not the only priority. The concern of Christ and the Catholic Church for the suffering of the world is not limited to any one group of people – born or unborn…So we are not to rank, pro-life, social justice and peaces issues, we are to link them (my emphasis). It’s what the Catholic Church calls the “consistent ethic of life.”

Sounds nice but the problem with the columnist’s assertion is that he is simply flat out wrong.

It was the late Cardinal Bernardin, not the Catholic Church, who preached “the seamless garment” doctrine to which this author and so many “social justice and peace Catholics” subscribe.

An accurate description of the Church’s position on these issues can be found in the writings of late Blessed John Paul II. Let this one example suffice: “The promotion of the culture of life should be the highest priority in our societies… (my emphasis). If the right to life is not defended decisively as a condition for all other rights of the person, all other references to human rights remain deceitful and illusory.” 

This prompts me to ask two questions:

Why do Catholic publications choose to print columns such as this? 

How many Catholics who read this piece knew their Faith well enough to realize they were being misinformed about an essential truth?