Peter K (fionn) sez: As has been explained to Joe many times, and I'm sure he understands, millions of Catholics worldwide, if not on the US west coast, still take papal pronouncements to heart.

Peter, your misguided rhetoric is truly impressive, but allow me to reiterate: the vast majority of Catholics worldwide don't know and don't care what the Pope says (unless, of course, the Pope happens to validate what they already think). They get what they know from the media, and the media prints what sells newspapers. They could read Catholic publications or go to www.vatican.va if they wanted to, but very few do. They go to church to worship God, not to get involved in political issues.

And that's the point. I'm sure many of you don't believe this, but the Catholic Church is not a propaganda organization. Certainly, some of what it publishes could be considered propaganda* - but that's not its primary purpose. Its primary purpose is the worship of God by a very diverse variety of people. I belong to the Catholic Church because of its liturgy and sacraments and community and tradition, not because of its doctrine. I agree with most Catholic doctrine, but it is not of primary importance to me or to most Catholics. Doctrine is a secondary element, far behind the other four elements in importance - people can't understand that because liturgy and sacraments and community and tradition are experiential things that cannot be defined with words. And in that liturgy and sacraments and community and tradition, I experience an overwhelming sensation of the presence of God - and that makes it all good. I'm sure if I were a Jew or a Methodist or a Unitarian, I would find God in other ways - but I come from the Catholic tradition, and that is where I find God. Not in the doctrine, not in the rules, not in the politics - but in the liturgy, sacraments, community, and tradition. For me, the doctrine, rules, and politics are secondary matters, "necessary evils." They are not and have never been the essence of Catholicism.

So, that's the deal. The Catholic Church is where I find God. Others find God elsewhere, but the Catholic Church is what works for me.

Now, back to propaganda. I give out a substantial amount of money every year in donations, mostly to organizations that give service to the poor. I donate to Catholic activities, but I don't give my money to programs that oppose abortion or express prejudice against homosexuals and women. I think abortion is always a cause for extreme regret and for grieving the loss of a life, but I think there are certain situations where it is the only choice. I wouldn't donate a nickel to most "pro-life" organizations because most are rigid, aggressive, and unforgiving. (and my pastor and a large number of priests and even more nuns would agree with me, by the way). I guess I wouldn't donate to Planned Parenthood, but I certainly don't object when my sainted wife sends in her annual contribution. I would object if she gave our money to most "pro-life" organizations I know of. I know of Catholic antipoverty programs that regularly (but quietly) refer clients to Planned Parenthood because Planned Parenthood offers good medical care to women for little or no cost.

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John P asks, Or are you saying that the Catholic Church is not, as a whole, officially anti-gay and anti-abortion rights? And that it doesn't officially spend money promoting its policies in the political sphere?

Well, John, I suppose you're right. Whoever writes the checks, can be considered to be "official," I suppose. But it's not all that simple. Like I say, I don't donate if I know the money is going to be spent on anti-gay and anti-abortion programs, and I check out the use of my money quite carefully. You will find very few Catholic priests and bishops and nuns who vehemently and unforgivingly oppose gays and those who receive abortions, but of course there are some extremists who make the others look bad. I haven't read the Pope's statement on gay marriage, but I'm guessing that it was probably far milder and far more balanced than was presented in the press. And in general, I think you will find that the truly official Catholic statements on homosexuality and abortion, are far less harsh and rigid than you would expect them to be. Lots of assholes purport to speak for the Catholic Church, but that doesn't mean they are truly official spokespersons. Randall Terry is one particularly notorious and obnoxious individual who purports to speak for the Catholic Church, and former priest John Corapi is another. Actor/director/antisemite Mel Gibson is another who purports to speak for true Catholicism, but he belongs to a splinter group. Oh, and the Catholic League is an organization often quoted by the press as presenting the Catholic point of view - but it's not "official" anything. Most insidious of all are the well-financed Eternal Word Television Network and Ave Maria Radio, propaganda organs that speak only for the extreme right wing of the American Catholic Church.

And yeah, I guess the Catholic Church does officially spend money promoting its policies in the political sphere. I'm sure the Catholic Church spent millions promoting Solidarity in Poland. It put a lot of effort into opposing the U.S. war in Iraq, and into opposing capital punishment in the U.S. I'm an unpaid volunteer in a local organization that has a $40,000 grant from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development to promote social justice in our county. Yesterday, I spoke on behalf of that organization to our County Board of Supervisors (click), promoting fair and humane treatment of people who are released from our county jail. Is that a horrible thing, that the Catholic Church is paying to lobby county government for better treatment of jail inmates? It's true that some "official" Catholic money is spent on abortion and gay marriage; but far more of the "official" money is spent promoting social justice and immigrant rights, and opposing poverty and discrimination. Do you think the Catholic Church should be prohibited from speaking out on those issues?


-Joe-

*"Propaganda" is what the speaker disagrees with. "Information" is the same thing, but the speaker agrees with it.