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Ronda Chervin, Ph.D. 5 TELL ME WHY I SHOULD BE A CATHOLIC WHEN…THE CHURCH HAS SUCH A HISTORY OF EVIL TO HER NAME?

Jesus himself seems to have given a partial complete their Jewish heritage by accepting their has not felt frustration because of the apathy of answer in Mark 14:3ff when some asked why a Messiah and his Church. some middle-class and rich Catholics toward costly perfume was being poured out on his head Of more recent European Hebrew-Catholics we the desperate needs of the poverty-stricken. when the perfume could have have Blessed Edith Stein, Blessed Francis The response of the saints, however, was not to been sold and the money Libermann, Raissa Maritain, Venerable Hermann abandon the Church but to take upon given to the poor. Jesus Cohen, Max Picard, John Osterreicher, Father themselves the task of instituting programs for replied that the poor are Alphonse Ratisbonne, and Rabbi Israel Zolli. From the relief of the poor by supplying food, always with us, but that this the United States, among the most well-known are clothing, and shelter as well as free hospitals, was something special, since Karl Stern, Father Raphael Simon, Charles Rich, and schools, and the like. A model of how anger at the woman pouring the Father Arthur Klyber. Father Elias Friedman is a apathy can become zealous service can be perfume was anointing his South African who was a Carmelite monk at Mount found in St. Vincent de Paul of France who body in preparation for its burial. Carmel near Haifa in Israel. He is the founder of the organized such rich ladies as St. Louise de Traveling around the world and visiting International Hebrew Catholic Association. Marillac to go out into the streets and find the beautiful cathedrals, one is not given the For information about these and other Jewish orphans, the sick, the illiterate, and help them. impression that the people of the towns and cities converts to the Catholic faith see The Ingrafting St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of think of the cathedral as something belonging to (New Hope, Ky.: Remnant of Israel, 1987), which I Charity have helped thousands of the poorest the priest or bishop or the pope. Rather, they edited, and four booklets [He's a Jew; This Jew; of the poor as do Catholic charities throughout regard the church as theirs. Poor as they may be, Queen of the Jews; Once a Jew), edited by Father the world. While working for social justice, we they can, if they wish, visit daily their "spiritual Arthur Klyber, also published by Remnant of Israel. must offer immediate aid. living room," reflecting the glory of the life to Of those converts with a burning desire to help come in heaven. the poor who chose to work within the Church This attitude might be compared to the way a rather than to scorn her as unworthy, the one who poor married woman might cling to the gold ring stands out the most in our century might be Dorothy on her finger as the last thing she would sell even Day, founder of the Catholic to provide necessities. The ring symbolizes for her Worker movement. At the time of how important the bond of love is, even more her youth in the early part of the important than the "daily bread," which would in twentieth century, Dorothy had any case disappear within a relatively short time joined the Communist party after the sale of her treasure. hoping that social revolution could Great Church architecture, art, music, accomplish the justice that could vestments, chalices, lace altar clothes — all these not be found in the United States indicate that important as social justice is, beauty as it was. Disillusioned, she began to experience is also a hunger of the human soul. "One does not within herself a great spiritual thirst. live by bread alone" (Matthew 4:4). When she met the Catholic radical Peter Maurin, Among those who became Catholics knowing together they founded a sort of Catholic full well the evils of particular Catholics in communism. They would champion the rights of history, some of the most striking conversions are workers as well as tend to the immediate needs of of Jewish people. Realizing that Jesus, Mary, the poor by means of a newspaper, soup kitchens, Joseph, and the apostles as well as most of the hospitality houses, and common prayer. early disciples were Jewish, they are thrilled to Probably there is not a single Catholic saint concerned with active works to help the poor who TELL ME WHY I SHOULD BE A CATHOLIC WHEN…THE CHURCH HAS SUCH A HISTORY OF EVIL TO HER NAME? 1

o some observers there is the promotion of religious institutions. The results you will say special prayers for the dead in no organization in the seem always to be ruinous, for power always tends those families who contributed more than one world with a worse to corrupt. Here is an example from our times: many hundred dollars to the fund? It might seem like record than the Catholic religious colleges want federal aid for their students. a bright idea until you realize that it could lead Church! The very words But to retain this aid, they often believe they must later to greater and greater abuses such as in "Roman Catholic," far secularize their schools by omitting prayer from the case of the lavish works of art found in from conveying images classes not directly about theology, or by tolerating great cathedrals now admired even by those of great saints, remind dissenting forms of pluralism to avoid any possible Protestants (originally, protesting Catholics) such critics of tales of charges concerning lack of academic freedom. You who were so rightfully horrified by the sale of persecutions, inquisitions, religious wars, might note that contemporary examples of worldly indulgences for the building of cathedrals at the scandalous popes of the past and despicable reasoning often seem less shocking than those of the time of the Reformation! priests of the present. past, because our own compromises fit our cultural Happily in our times popes have little How could a church devoted to following the mind-set and therefore seem readily forgivable! worldly power and the last century and a half teachings of the Prince of Peace be so violent? At the worst times of the past, elections of popes have seen one holy pope after another. How could followers of a Savior who was so pure took months and even years as outside forces tried The story of the Crusades is also a sad one. give in so frequently to sexual sin? How could to poison the food of candidates There is documentation to prove that Church disciples of a Master who lived so poorly deemed unlikely to further the selfish leaders planned these excursions luxuriate in palaces? projects of princes and emperors. Other for holy reasons. They believed The earliest history of believers in Jesus was abuses included nepotism (handing out that if the warlike knights marked not by sins of violence perpetrated by Church offices to nephews and other could be sent to rescue the Christians but by martyrdom of Christ's followers relatives in order to benefit the Holy Land from Muslims at the hands of others. It was only when extended family in financial ways and they would cease their Christians became politically powerful that they also ensure allies) and simony (selling local feuding. The knights were in a position to resolve disputes by force of of holy things such as indulgences). of the Crusades were arms. Although such practices seem foreign and almost taught to avoid all unnecessary bloodshed and Some wars were defensive and were waged bizarre to moderns, a close reading of Church certainly to avoid the sins of looting and rape against barbarian invasions; others involved history makes it easy to see how they developed so prevalent in medieval times as well as in battles over religious ideas. When there was a from innocent to evil. To translate into modern times. Unfortunately, most of the conflict between groups professing differing ideas contemporary life, let us suppose you were crusaders fell into the temptation of indulging about the nature of the Trinity or about Christ, president of the United States. What would be more in atrocities in spite of all warnings to the and each group included powerful political natural than to put into your cabinet a young contrary. Wars, whether religiously motivated figures, the situation was ripe for attempts to nephew who was politically ambitious as well as or not, always include atrocities. After all, enforce unanimity through violence! good? This could easily lead to other members of atheistic states such as the Soviet Union were Eventually many thought that if Church your extended family expecting similar responsible for far greater atrocities toward leaders themselves were chosen from the upper opportunities even if they were not especially suited enemies — and citizens. governing classes, greater harmony between for the posts in question. Or, suppose you are a Indeed, a close reading of the Holy Church and state would prevail. It was not long priest eager to renovate your parish church. Your Scripture reveals how the chosen people before one could find bishops and popes of little flock is eager to participate through contributions, repeatedly rejected the covenant and sank into or no piety, chosen for political reasons. but you still need a little more to purchase the immoral practices. Cycles of fervor followed by It has always been a temptation for religious marvelous organ you saw on sale a month ago. commitment to God and then by betrayal, leaders of all faiths to seek the help of the state in Would it seem so evil to tell the congregation that punishment, repentance, and reform are also 2 TELL ME WHY I SHOULD BE A CATHOLIC WHEN…THE CHURCH HAS SUCH A HISTORY OF EVIL TO HER NAME? characteristic, alas, of the history of all churches. incursions into southern Spain. In those times it was Our most vivid image of the link between Of all the sins of people belonging to the Catholic feared that Arabs would take over all of Europe. political factors and religious judicial Church the ones most distressing to Mounting a holy war, or crusade, against the procedures can be found in the trial and death potential converts concern the Muslims, the Spanish royalty such as Ferdinand and of Joan of Arc. Even such unbiased chroniclers relationship of Catholics and Isabella needed to be sure of the loyalty of all as George Bernard Shaw and Mark Twain, Jews. In the early days of the peoples in their kingdom. Could they count on the certainly not predisposed toward the Catholic Church, Christian Jews were Jews? They were not sure. They worried particularly Church, show in their portrayals how the real afraid of Jews who had not about the Marranos — Jews who converted to the issue was not Catholic doctrine but political accepted Jesus as the Messiah. Catholic faith, some because of a religious factors pitting the French allies of the invading Later on, more and more conversion to Christ but others purely as a defensive English against loyalist French. Gentiles became Christians. As political move to consolidate their position in Going back to the Spanish inquisition, it the Church became more powerful in the Roman society. These practiced Judaism secretly in their was fear of internal traitors that led Isabella and Empire during the reign of Constantine, Catholics homes. Ferdinand to employ Dominican priests to would often see the Jews among them as potential It was not determine which Jewish converts were sincere, enemies — people not united by belief in Christ irrational to think with subsequent torture, death, or banishment who might form an alliance with the enemies of that such phony of the insincere. There is evidence that figures Catholic emperors and kings. Living often in converts might about the number of Jews burned at the stake separate areas of cities, partly because they join forces with are highly exaggerated, having been written up themselves wanted to be with kinsmen, Jews Muslims in a crisis by a disaffected ex-Catholic and then quoted would sometimes become objects of envy if they if they thought it ever since to blacken the record of Church were rich and subjected to violence by those in their best practices. But even so, the picture remains wanting to steal their goods. interests. Since terrible and terrifying. Most terrible was the way greedy Catholics Isabella and Ferdinand actually favored Jewish Religious wars and other Christians would time their looting and converts as members of their court, it became critical between killing to coincide with religious holidays that to find out which converts were loyal and which Protestants and could be used as a pretext for their riotous attacks shaky. Catholics were on Jews. Based on the passages in Scripture about A way to decide appeared in the form of the common in the Caiaphas handing Jesus over to the Romans for inquisition. Set up to deal with Christian heretics, it sixteenth and crucifixion, irrational Catholic and Orthodox was originally designed to protect the innocent by seventeenth rabble would rush out of church on Good Friday means of theological questioning by trusted centuries. to persecute and even kill innocent Jewish people. Dominican theologians who were to substitute Many of these Such pogroms continued well into the twentieth rational means for the type of torture so prevalent in wars were political more than religious. A century and have left an enduring mark of fear all states at that time. The Church was not to be prince who wanted to get out from under the even in the hearts of Jews who have never known involved in punishment but only in making a temporal power of the pope had only to persecution personally. judgment as to whether a person was heretical or become a Protestant to acquire all the property Other forms of persecution and intimidation not. Since heresy was deemed not only a danger to of the Catholic Church in his lands. If there was of Jews by Catholics had to do with political the Church but primarily to order in the state (that resistance, this would lead to warfare. motives linked to religious issues. For example, in is, treason), in that heretics set up rival groups in To people of the United States deeply imbued Spain where many Jews lived for centuries in collusion with foreign princes, it would be up to the with ideals of religious tolerance, such wars prosperity and peace, the situation changed state to punish the heretic. seem incredible. Even though we also have dramatically during the centuries of Muslim quite a history of persecution, particularly of TELL ME WHY I SHOULD BE A CATHOLIC WHEN…THE CHURCH HAS SUCH A HISTORY OF EVIL TO HER NAME? 3

Native Americans and Afro-Americans as 'well as during World War II would have ended up going to Jews. . . . Catholic priests, nuns and lay people Catholics, never have we seen a concentration camp to their deaths? were hiding Jews in their flight to safety, and anything resembling the It is important to read some of the often paying for it with their lives. ... It could be Thirty Years' War in Europe documentation available about those whom the asked whether these good works (praised by from 1618 to 1648. Some of Jewish survivors of World War II call "the righteous many European rabbis) were enough, whether us view with disgust the of the nations," that is, those non-Jews who did risk it would have been better for the Pope to have battles going on between their lives to help. Many members denounced from the rooftops the crimes that Protestants and Catholics of the Catholic Church hierarchy were occurring. This thought troubled Pius XII, in Northern Ireland, roused the people to resist and he confided afterward to an associate, 'No imagining they are fighting only Nazism. The man who was to doubt a protest would have gained me the because of distaste for each other's become Pope John XXIII forged praise and respect of many,' but he believed religion. Such is not the case. Economics and thousands of baptismal that such protest would only have led to more politics are the key to the violence. Religion certificates to enable Jews to escape to Israel via deaths whereas underground work would save merely parallels the long-standing inequalities in Bulgaria were he was papal nuncio. A booklet lives." (Refer also to Henri de Lubac's that country. It should be noted that the IRA (Irish entitled Pius XII's Defence of Jews and Others: 1944- Christian Resistance to Anti-Semitism: Republican Army) has many times been 45 by Robert R. Graham, S.J. (published by the Memories from 1940-1944; New York: The condemned and its members excommunicated by Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, Miriam Press, 1990.) the Catholic Church for its vengeful violence. Milwaukee; longer version — Pius XII and the Does all of this miserable history add up to Similar action has not been taken against the Holocaust: A Reader by Robert A. Graham arid a proof that the Catholic religion leads people gunmen on the other side. Joseph L. Lichten, also by the same publisher), into bigotry, persecution, torture, and murder? Of course, whenever a nation is convinced addresses itself specifically to refuting the charges Of course not. What it comes down to is that its wars are just, its citizens do not think of made by some against Pope Pius XII that he was realizing that sin is always possible. When we, themselves as violent. In our century we in the negligent in defending the Jews, whereas in fact he as members of the Church, commit sin by going United States have been in almost constant war: worked tirelessly underground to save as many as against the Church's teachings, this does not World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, possible. mean that the whole Church is evil. It simply Panama, the Gulf War, Iraq. Here is one of many telling quotations from means that individual members are failing in In our own century the Nazi Holocaust, page 2 of this booklet: "In 1937, when leaders of the their efforts to follow the Lord as they should, attempting to rid the whole world of its Jews, has Western democracies were scurrying to Munich to and people suffer as a result. been seen by many as a travesty rooted in negotiate with Hitler, the Holy See condemned the Some words of Pope John Paul II about the previous religiously motivated anti-Semitism. No theory and practice of the 'Nationalist State' in the Holocaust display the Catholic sense of the matter how much documentation we have from encyclical Mit brennender Sorge [To the bishops of Cross in its universal application: Jewish sources of heroic self-sacrifice in the efforts Germany: On the Church and the German Reich]. The history of Europe is marked by of some Protestants and Catholics to save Jews, it When Jews felt the cruel sting of Nazi hatred, the discord not only in the sphere of still remains true that many Christians preferred German bishops protested, 'Whoever wears a states and politics. In conjunction to save themselves than to reach out to those in human face owns rights which no power on earth is with political interests and social terrible danger. This should not surprise Catholics permitted to take away,' echoing Pius XI's problems, these have resulted in of our time, for how many are willing even to declaration, 'We are all spiritual Semites.' . . . While bitter fighting, in the peacefully picket an abortion clinic at no risk Britain and the United States were refusing to admit oppression and expulsion of whatsoever? If this is true, how harshly should refugees to their territories, the Holy See was dissenters, in repression and intolerance. As those be judged who to help Jewish neighbors distributing thousands of false documents — life- heirs to our forebears, we also place this guilt- saving passports to freedom — to the beleaguered 4 TELL ME WHY I SHOULD BE A CATHOLIC WHEN…THE CHURCH HAS SUCH A HISTORY OF EVIL TO HER NAME? ridden Europe under the Cross. For in the Cross is principles of goodness and also provide single or married — sin in a sexual manner, it is our hope. . . . supernatural motives for living up to these scandalous and injurious not only to the Let us pray together (Catholics and Jews) that principles. victims but also to themselves. But when a it (the Holocaust) will never happen again ... it An analogy may help. Most North Americans of priest, Sister, or Brother does so, it seems to makes us still more aware of the abyss which the United States feel proud to call themselves strike Catholics and non-Catholics even more humanity can fall into when we do not Americans in spite of our terrible history of negation forcefully. To even imagine promising chastity acknowledge other people as brothers and sisters, of basic rights of Native Americans and Afro- is something so noble that failure to live up to it sons and daughters, of the same heavenly father. Americans. Why? Why not flee to another country may seem even worse. Also there enters into It is the teaching of both the Hebrew and with a better historical record? If pressed, most the picture the problem of the victim often Christian Scriptures that the Jews are beloved of Americans would say that it is because we believe being a young person whose trust has been God, who has called them with an irrevocable that our Constitution is good despite the fact that violated. calling. No valid theological justification could some Americans have violated its spirit in the past. Sad, distressing, and agonizing as such sins ever be found for acts of discrimination or In a similar way, we can love a church that are, are they reason to leave the Catholic persecution against Jews. In fact, such acts must teaches love even if some of its members Church or to stay away from her? Again, the be held to be sinful. do what is unloving. The Catholic failure to live up to an ideal is not a reason to [This is taken from Church, in fact, does not claim that all throw out the ideal. When a Catholic prays the John Paul II's On the her members are good and holy. Apostles' Creed, he or she does not say, "I Holocaust, edited by Quite the opposite! We are told believe in Father X or Sister Y or Brother Z." Eugene J. Fisher, about our need for cleansing and Nor does someone enter into love relationships Secretariat for Catholic- purification. Even popes, bishops, or marriage because he or she has only seen Jewish Relations, priests, and nuns are expected to holy models of chastity and fidelity. Praying National Conference of seek sacramental reconciliation for their sins. for God's grace, we should try to avoid all sin Catholic Bishops, Within the Church we have the remedy for evil: ourselves and we should also pray for and Washington, D.C., 1988.] the word of God and the sacraments. The millions of support anyone, whether the individual is a With all the explanations we can come up good Catholics throughout all times who have done leader or not, who seems to be struggling with with as to why someone might think something God's will out of love for family and neighbor were temptation or to have given in to it. How much that is absolutely wrong is justified, there still living up to their faith. The ones who succumbed to sexual sin results from loneliness — loneliness remains the fact that violence is always an evil were betraying it. that could have been somewhat alleviated by appealing solution to those under pressure of Looking back to the accounts in the gospels, our friendship! their own uncontrolled emotions of fear or greed. would you have joined the band around Jesus Next, under the topic of evils of the Church, comes No religious group has a monopoly on evil or on yourself, or would you have stayed far away to the question of luxury of Church good in terms of behavior of their people under avoid the company of Judas? If you would have art or of the clergy's lifestyle in the stress. joined the followers of Jesus then, be part of his face of the needs of the poor. Over Does this mean that, since in every religion Church now! and over again in the history of the Church, reformers have asked: we can find a history of atrocities, we should not Similar reasoning may help in confronting the "Why not sell all the gold in be part of any religious group? First of all, such a problem of the sexual sins of Catholics, especially Church art, sell grand buildings, solution to the problem conceals the premise that those sins that hit the history books and newspapers and give the money to the poor?" I, by myself, am perfect and would not act for their scandalousness. We naturally wish that Jesus was poor, so why are his wrongly under stress of any kind! In reality, most everyone who makes a good promise would keep it, priests decked out in jeweled crowns, their people are much better in terms of ethical actions especially when the breaking of it involves the standard of living higher than the people they when they are surrounded by groups who profess victimization of others. Whenever Catholics — minister to?