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Michael
wrote:
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Good afternoon.
Before I ask my question, I want to say thank you to everyone at CPATS. You all have
answered my questions over the past three years in a thoughtful and respectful way,
and even when I disagreed with your answers, I knew that you were being honest with
me. You do quite a service by putting yourselves out there in cyberspace and answering
what are no doubt hard, troubling questions so, in all seriousness, thanks.
Here is my question (with a little background): I am having great difficulty staying
in the Catholic Church because I strongly disagree with
the Church's position on a particular issue. I'm not going to say what it is, because I'm not asking you
what the Church teaches on this topic or if you think She is right or wrong.
Believe me, I am fully informed.
My question is about dissent. I am, in this instance,
dissenting from the teachings of the Catholic Church. I have prayed, I have searched
my conscience, I have applied reason, I have sought advice . . . and I dissent. I will
not change my mind. In my opinion, on this issue, the Church is wrong.
There are many things that I love about the Catholic Faith. No other expression of
Christianity moves me the way Catholicism does. It is the faith of my family, my
culture, and of my heart.
I am, however, completely disgusted over this issue. My question is:
- Can I stay in the Church while dissenting from the Church's teachings?
I just
don't know what to do. I don't want to leave, but I'm just not sure if I can stay.
Thank you all, again.
May God bless you, and may Christ bring His peace to our troubled
world.
Michael
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Seeing I don't want to leave the faith, can I stay in the Church while dissenting from Her teaching? }
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Eric
replied:
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Thanks for your kind words, Michael.
If it is something which must be believed with divine and
Catholic faith — that is, a dogma, an infallible teaching
— then, in conscience, you cannot receive Holy Communion, and I expect
you would leave at that point. A few examples would be:
- women's Ordination,
or
- abortion, and
- arguably homosexuality and contraception.
Here is
what Canon Law says:
Canon 750 - All that is contained in the written word of God or
in tradition, that is, in the one deposit of faith entrusted to
the Church and also proposed as divinely revealed either by the
solemn magisterium of the Church or by its ordinary and universal
magisterium, must be believed with divine and catholic faith; it
is manifested by the common adherence of the Christian faithful
under the leadership of the sacred magisterium; therefore, all
are bound to avoid any doctrines whatever which are contrary to
these truths.
Canon 751 - Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some
truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or
it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same; apostasy
is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the
refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with
the members of the Church subject to him.
If it's not an infallible teaching, perhaps if you kept your dissent
to yourself and did not openly oppose the teaching or its practice,
you could probably remain in communion with the Church.
The relevant canon is as
follows:
Canon 752 - A religious respect of intellect and will, even if
not the assent of faith, is to be paid to the teaching which the
Supreme Pontiff or the college of bishops enunciate on faith or
morals when they exercise the authentic magisterium even if they
do not intend to proclaim it with a definitive act; therefore the
Christian faithful are to take care to avoid whatever is not in
harmony with that teaching.
I do give you credit for examining this issue and acting according
to your conscience, not wanting to be inconsistent in what you embrace.
If you decide you can't remain Catholic, may I recommend that you
consider the Eastern Orthodox Church, for example, the Orthodox Church
of America (probably the least ethnic, or at least monoethnic, of
the Orthodox churches). I could consult my pastor who knows the Orthodox
community and he might be able to recommend someone to talk to.
If you want feedback on whether your issue pertains to an infallible
teaching, write me privately and I promise I won't start an argument
or try to persuade you over the issue, or reveal the issue to anyone
else, but just tell you whether it pertains to an infallible teaching
or not.
Eric
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Mary
Ann replied:
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Michael,
Thanks for your honesty.
Good question. Faith is not agreement of our mind with the mind of the Church. It
is not a sharing of opinions. It is a humble acceptance and submission to God. If
you believe everything the Church teaches, except this one thing, that you do not mention,
then you must believe that the Church is the Teacher willed by Christ; that She teaches
with authority.
"He who hears you hears me."
Luke 10:16
If you believe the divine
origin of the Magisterium, and if this particular matter is an authentic doctrine
of the Church, then you must submit, even if you have trouble with it.
Submission
will bring light, believe it or not. If you do not submit ("assent of mind and
will" does not mean understanding, only acceptance), then you are not just
disagreeing with this one doctrine, but with the Church Herself in Her nature and
everything she says. You are putting your private light up as an equal to the Church
guided by the Holy Spirit over 2000 years. If you honestly cannot accept something
in conscience, then you must leave the Church completely, because you are rejecting
the Church completely, but be very sure that:
- it is a matter of conscience, and not
just your limited take on things, and
- be very sure that it is a matter of divine
faith, not a theological opinion.
If you love the Church and believe the Faith,
then just carry this doubt for a while in prayer and humility. God will resolve it.
He will respond to your humility and faith. If you reject the Magisterium over one
thing, you are rejecting it per se and over everything, so, have a care first. It
sounds to me that you would rather not leave the Church. Many Catholics have lived
with doubt or trouble, and have struggled to hold on to the Faith. Don't let go.
The storm will pass, and the clarity will come.
Prayers,
Mary Ann
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Mary
Ann followed-up later:
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Michael —
One more thing. In these matters, it helps a lot to check out our moral life in respect
to the question at issue. Our own behavior can blind us. We can be invested in a
certain opinion because of our own moral choices, which have darkened our intellect
and hardened our wills.
Be as honest with yourself as you are with us, and tell
God you are willing to do whatever He wants. Our love should be unconditional. If
we are willing, then the light and the grace will come.
Mary Ann
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