I call myself part of the "loyal opposition" of the Catholic Church. Many people find this disturbing, because they cannot see how I can belong to a church unless I completely agree with everything that church says and does. They think that if I disagree with the Catholic Church, then I should go and find another church that fits my beliefs. Well, I don't see it that way.
I see the Catholic Church as a tradition I grew up in, a home where I feel very comfortable, a religion that belongs to me just as much as it belongs to the pope. I had 16 years of Catholic education, and the last 8 years were in a seminary, so I think I have a good understanding of the workings of the Catholic Church. I know its good points, and its bad ones - and I intend to work the rest of my life to do what I can to fix what's wrong. I don't think I took a vow of blind obedience when I got baptized. Certainly, I believe more-or-less the same things most Catholics believe - but I think that most Catholics have some disagreements with some of the "official" teachings. I think that's the way it should be. We are individuals, and we should never fit perfectly into a mold somebody else designs for us.
Realistically, though, you can't expect any organization - or any individual, for that matter - to be perfect. You can hope they will strive for perfection, but you'd better be able to expect that they will fail to reach the mark most of the time. It also might be better if we were to judge organizations by their members, not by their leaders. Would it be fair to judge Americans by the actions of Bill Clinton and Congress?
Also, it might be a good idea not to judge anything by what you see on television. Every Friday, I work with five terrific nuns and a number of volunteers at Wellspring Women's Center in Sacramento, a drop-in center for women who live in the toughest part of town. Those nuns do every thing in their power to give our guests a feeling of dignity and self-worth. Nobody lines up for anything - but if somebody has a need, it's taken care of. When you walk into the place, you get the feeling that everybody is having a good time. It's a place of joy and goodness. I think it's what Christianity is supposed to be - and I believe it happens, very effectively, all over the world. The trouble is, television cameras get in the way and usually can't record this kind of work; and the sisters don't want to waste their money on television time, anyhow.
I guess it's a reality I have to accept. Society listens to the people who spend the bucks to buy television time, and so it has come to pass that people like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson and Jim Bakker have defined Christianity for the viewing public. That's a horrible shame, and I don't know what to do about it.
-Joe Offer-