Volume 29, Number 3 May/June/July 2007 American Catholic Council c. Shared responsibility in policy making provides that leaders in the church should utilize ARCC has for years advocated a U.S. national Catholic procedures of consultation, dialogue and council, at times even using the term "Constitutional participation in the development of policy.... Convention"– which the founder of VOTF, Nobel Prize Consequently, we strongly encourage the further laureate Dr. James Muller, also used publicly in 2002. development of both structures and practices of Around three years ago several U.S. bishops spoke publicly consultation and shared responsibility at every about a U.S. national council. Recently the idea of a level of the church.... national synod surfaced as a possible focus of VOTF. 5. I suggest that we take a page from the 1976 Obviously we can no longer look for Catholic reform Conference and arrange for Public National Hearings leadership from above. I think it is time we took the project in a half dozen major representative cities, as well as of an American Catholic Council off the back burner and encouraging every kind of gathering of bring it up front! recommendations from organizations, parishes.... What would be the result of such a Council? We would 6. I suggest that there be at least a 3 to 5 year aim to raise the consciousness of millions of American recommendation gathering process leading up to the (and other) Catholics about what Vatican II Catholicism American Catholic Council. The prior process will be should look like in the 21st century. It would mainly be an at least as important as the Council itself. educational effort, which in turn would put practical 7. I suggest that all the Catholic reform organizations pressure on the leaders of the Catholic Church. We would focus their national meetings on the American Catholic need to change the minds of thinking Catholics, who would Council as a contribution to the Preparatory Process. also stay in the Catholic Church and struggle to bring about 8. I suggest that a Steering Committee will have to be reforms–leaving would leave the billion-plus Catholics in established to foster, facilitate, and organize the the world worse off than before. Process and the American Catholic Council itself, and its follow-up. To start the reflections here are some of my thoughts: 9. I urge everyone reading this to promote the idea every way possible privately, publicly, and in every 1. I suggest that we speak not of a "synod," but of a organization you have a connection with. (Duplicate "Council," the American Catholic Council. The vast this Invitation!) majority of ordinary Catholics are not very familiar with the term synod, but are much more so with council. These are just some thoughts. I am sure that others will Moreover, we have the precedent of the Baltimore have much wiser ones, but these can serve as pump- Councils of the 19th century. primers. May I hear from you? 2. I suggest that we not speak of a "lay" council, or use any Leonard Swidler other limiting term. Presumably the great majority of the ARCC President participants will be laity, women and men, but I would [email protected] also like to see it open to all Catholics, whether lay, religious, or clerical. We should recall that often priests are oppressed by the Vatican and their bishops. 3. I suggest that the American bishops also be invited. I The Genie is Out of the Bottle . assume that none of them would initially participate, but I believe that the virtue of openness demands that they "Habemus papam!" "We have a pope!" the smoke at least be invited. Who knows, perhaps the likes of a signaled, the bells tolled, and the crowd exulted on April Bishop Gumbleton would come.... 19, 2005. Precisely WHO is the WE who have this pope? 4. I suggest that the documents of Vatican II plus the We have a pope – a "papa-father," or, more appropriately resolutions of the 1976 Call to Action–Liberty and the affectionately informal, "papa-daddy," and his name, Justice for All in Detroit be used as the resource the world learned, would be Benedict. Choosing his name documents for the American Catholic Council. The for a newly minted pope is significant. Like the notion of Detroit Conference included such recommendations as: apostolic succession, a pope's name ties him to his prede- a. That church authorities on all levels, including cessors and is generally seen as a symbolic expression of official agencies and church-related institutions, how he views himself and his role in the Church. Possibly, hold themselves accountable to the people of God he chose the name Benedict, Andrew Greeley speculated for their financial policies and practices, including at the time, "because he wanted to be known as a healer," investments and the ownership and alienation of in the spirit of Benedict XV, a promoter of peace during property.... WW I. Sadly, Father Greeley's hope appears to have been b. The local church must be involved in the selection overly optimistic, unless peace is defined as enforced of bishops and pastors.... uniformity, univocity, suppression of all dissent. 2 Volume 29, Number 3 May/June/July 2007 However, considering developments since Ratzinger's in society as wives and mothers in traditional patriarchal election, a case can be made that deliberately or families. He condemned communion for the divorced and unconsciously he was inspired less by Benedict XV (1854 remarried, reproductive technology, stem cell research, – 1922) than by Benedict XIV (1675-1758), a man artificial birth control, homosexuality, and condoms for renowned for his erudition and scholarship but also the HIV victims. He forced German bishops to stop the author of the 1751 encyclical A Quo Primum - On Jews and tradition of pregnancy counseling at Catholic social Christians Living in the Same Place, in which he rails agencies because the certificates issued could be used to against the "principle of freedom of conscience," "the obtain abortions, though, in practice, the counseling saved influence of Jewish faithlessness," and chastises Polish lives of mothers and babies. bishops for not enforcing He opposed increased existing legislation intended to involvement of the laity in keep Jews and Christians apart. church ministries, blurring of He points out that for bishops $$$$$ ARE DUES DUE? $$$$$ the boundaries between clergy to be aware of Rome's and laity, and married priests. position, "It is enough to Dear ARCC Member, He castigated progressive peruse decretals with the theologians and excoriated heading de Judaeis, et Sara- liberation theology, Enlighten- cenis [concerning Jews and ARCC has from its inception 27 years ago had a ment thought, and modernity Muslims]." One suspects that policy of asking for annual dues, suggesting $25, or in general. the ghost of Benedict XIV As for ecumenism, two would applaud his 20th century more. The international Board of ARCC has decades ago he was quoted in namesake's efforts while he decided to inaugurate an experiment, namely, a newspaper interview stating would have been horrified at scrapping the practice of dues and shifting to that Jews had to convert to John Paul II's attitude toward Christianity if they wished to the Jews and his prayer of donations. Obviously some money is needed to run be fully true to their heritage. apology at Jerusalem's an international organization – even by penny- In Dominus Iesus (2000), he Western Wall in July 2000 for pinching-raised-during-the-Great-Depression presented Catholicism as the the Church's past unique, divinely established, transgressions: "God of our types. The Board is betting that by depending exclusive and unblemished fathers, you chose Abraham completely on your sense of belonging and path toward salvation, far and his descendants to bring generosity ARCC will due (I mean, do) just fine. superior to other defective your Name to the Nations. We roads. More recently, he are deeply saddened by the opposed the inclusion of behavior of those who in the We are for the sake of efficiency going to renew Turkey in the European Union course of history have caused annual memberships for all every summer, starting because of Turkey's "alien" these children of yours to Muslim tradition, and referred suffer, and asking Your this summer. We will at the same time ask you to Buddhism as "narcissistic." forgiveness we wish to commit for your annual donation (dare we suggest an Both as cardinal and now ourselves to genuine inflation-scrunched $25?). as pope, Ratzinger has con- brotherhood with the people of sistently identified with those the Covenant." opposed to a progressive inter- Clearly, the documents Leonard Swidler pretation and liberal reforms issued by the Vatican during ARCC President of the Second Vatican Coun- his papacy, as well as the cil, especially the changes in documents produced under his liturgy and open-ness to leadership as Prefect for the genuine ecumenical dialogue Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (a.k.a. Holy grounded in mutual respect of all participants as equal Office or, informally, Inquisition), show that Benedict XVI partners and the willingness to listen to and learn from the considers himself a divine-right absolute ruler of the pre- other. The 1988 excommunication of the ultra- democratic era or a contemporary benevolent dictator. He conservative critic of Vatican II, Archbishop Marcel distinguishes those he considers loyal and virtuous subjects Lefebvre and two of the bishops whom Lefebvre had from those he considers misguided and in need of illegally consecrated cannot be used to show Ratzinger's correction. Throughout his public career, Joseph Ratzinger evenhandedness because Lefbvre was punished not on the has favored rigid doctrinal conformity and the clerical, basis of his theological position but because he defied hierarchical structure of the traditional Church.