Neroulias' Intolerance Masquerades As Moral Outrage

"It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong."

—GK Chesterton, The Catholic Church and Conversion

Can. 216 Since they participate in the mission of the Church, all the Christian faithful have the right to promote or sustain apostolic action even by their own undertakings, according to their own state and condition. Nevertheless, no undertaking is to claim the name Catholic without the consent of competent ecclesiastical authority.

—1983 Code of Canon Law

Sources: Ariz. Bishop to Pregnant Women: Drop Dead (Rather than Abort) - Belief Beat, Bishop Olmstead's Statement, American Life League article on Healthcare West and their disobedience, Canon Law #216

Preliminary Note: For those coming here from my original comment on the website of the article, yes I am aware I made some typos in that comment.  I attribute that to a lack of coffee at the time.

Introduction

A friend linked me this article, which he quite accurately called a "rather disgusting piece of trash writing," and asked me for my thoughts about it  The article, written by Nicole Neroulias, essentially accuses Bishop Olmstead of being willing to sacrifice a mother to doctrine:

Apparently, the hospital should have allowed her to die, rather than return to her four children at home. Or, perhaps St. Joseph's could have transferred her someplace that wouldn't have to answer to religious authorities. God forbid -- literally -- we leave medical decisions to the doctors and patients.

Unfortunately Ms. Neroulias is either unaware of or is indifferent to the Catholic beliefs and why we might disagree with her views.  As a result she tries to smear us with the charge that we do not care what happens to the life of the mother.  Thus she speaks falsely about us.

Summary of Some Catholic Moral Principles

So here are some principles of Catholic moral theology on the issue.

1. The Catholic Church believes that the unborn child is human.
2. The Catholic Church also believes that abortion is the willful termination of this human life.
3. The Catholic Church believes that the willful terminating of an innocent human life is a grave evil
4. The Catholic Church believes it is wrong to do evil so that good may come of it
5. The Catholic Church recognizes the life of the mother is also sacred, and the Church does not prefer one life over the other.
6. However, if it comes to a choice between doing evil and suffering evil, we are called to endure evil and not do evil
7. An institution which lives in opposition to what the Catholic Church believes cannot call itself Catholic

When one recognizes that the Catholic Church believes these things, then one must recognize that Bishop Olmstead had every right to do what what he did in declaring that St. Joseph's Hospital can no longer call itself Catholic.

St. Joseph's Hospital remains a hospital.  It just can no longer call itself Catholic when it openly acts in a way contrary to the beliefs of the Church it claims to be a part of. 

The Logical Errors of Ms. Neroulias

Her rather repugnant article demonstrates Ms. Neroulias is either grossly ignorant of the issues or grossly intolerant of views differing from her own.  Her article employs  several fallacies: the Red Herring, the appeal to emotion and the personal attack being most notable while demonstrating no comprehension of what we believe, nor of what the issue is.

Error #1: The Red Herring 

First of all, the Red Herring.  Ms. Neroulias casts this as a case of being the patient vs. the Church with the hospital stuck in the middle.  This is not the case, and it indicates that she is, at best, ignorant of the real issue.

The issue is that the hospital has been documented as constantly acting in contradiction to what the Catholic label describes.  Multiple cases of the distribution of contraceptives, taking part in voluntary sterilizations multiple abortions.  In other words, this is not one case where the bishop is being unreasonable.  Rather the hospital has shown consistent defiance, rather than comply with a deadline to agree to adhere to the following:

1. agree that the termination of a pregnancy at the hospital in late 2009 violated the "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services" and "so will never occur again" there.
2. to agree to "a review and certification process" concerning its compliance with the ethical directives
3. for the medical staff of St. Joseph's to receive "ongoing formation" on the directives, overseen by the National Catholic Bioethics Center or the diocese's medical ethics board.

So we can see the issue is not "Bishop Olmstead blackballed a hospital because the hospital performed an abortion."  The issue is the hospital refused to admit they did wrong and refused to acknowledge they would make sure these wrongs will not happen in the future.

Error #2: The Appeal to Emotion

The appeal to emotion in this case is to create repugnance for a situation where the woman in question is cast in opposition to the Catholic Church

Ultimately her issue is with what we as Catholics believe about abortion.  She does disagree with us, as does a significant portion of the United States.  However, in her attack upon our beliefs, she assumes what needs to be proven: That abortion is not a moral issue or is an issue less than the issue of the life of the mother. 

Based on this assumption, she labels Bishop Olmstead as being indifferent to the life of the mother.  Now we've already pointed out this is not the issue.  That abortion happened a year before this.  But the emotional appeal to "woman vs. gigantic Church" is designed to have the reader feel pity for the woman (and the hospital) and anger towards the Church for not agreeing with the hospital.

The problem is, the emotional appeal does not change the issue: An institution cannot call itself Catholic if it behaves contrary to the Catholic faith.

While Ms. Neroulias has cast this as an issue of a woman being forced to die if she did not have an abortion, this is a dishonest appeal used to attack the Church and make it appear to be in the wrong, because frankly nobody wants the woman in question to suffer.

However, Catholics believe one should try to save both lives if possible, but one may not terminate one life in favor of another.  Because St. Joseph Hospital (ironically named after the saint who was the protector of the life of our Savior) insisted on doing what the Catholic Church has called an evil, it cannot be called Catholic — especially when it refuses to guarantee such behavior will never happen again.

Error #3: The Personal Attack

The personal attack ignores the reasoning for a thing and instead attacks the person making the claim

By attacking the Catholic Church instead of looking at why they did as they did, Ms. Neroulias is making a personal attack.  Whatever she may think of the Church (and a perusal of her past articles indicates a hostility to the Church), her feelings are irrelevant.  It is the issue of the right of a hospital to call itself Catholic while doing things in defiance of the Catholic faith.

We should look at the text of the Bishop's decree and not rely on the second hand analysis of the media.  The text of his decree reads:

After much time and effort in cooperation with the leadership of Catholic HealthCare West and having studied the matter carefully with the assistance of experts in medical ethics, moral theology, and canon law, it has been determined that the aforementioned organization no longer qualifies as a "Catholic" entity in the territory of the Diocese of Phoenix. For the benefit of the public good, particularly amongst the Christian Faithful, I decree that the organization listed above may not use the name Catholic or be identified as Catholic in the Diocese of Phoenix.

The reason for this decision is based upon the fact that, as Bishop of Phoenix, I cannot verify that this health care organization will provide health care consistent with authentic Catholic moral teaching as interpreted by me in exercising my legitimate Episcopal authority to interpret the moral law.

This Decree of Removal of my consent goes into effect as of this day, and will remain in effect indefinitely, until such time as I am convinced that this institution is authentically Catholic by its adherence to the Ethical and Religious Directives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in addition to the standards of Catholic identity set forth in official church documents, Catholic theology, and canon law.

In other words, the behavior of this hospital cannot be guaranteed to behave in accordance with Catholic moral teaching.  Therefore the bishop cannot permit the hospital to call itself Catholic until it demonstrates convincingly that it will comply with Catholic teaching.

This is quite reasonable, but Ms. Neroulias in saying, "God forbid -- literally -- we leave medical decisions to the doctors and patients," is not addressing the issue.  She is instead attacking the Church because the Church cannot do otherwise without being unfaithful to what we believe Christ requires of us.

Conclusion

This is unfortunately a common form of hostility to the Catholic Church.  It is one I have seen from secular and religious sources.  The Catholic Church is attacked by those who disagree with it, but instead of looking into why the Church must do as she does, the idea of the "heartless institution which focuses on rules" is attacked instead.

That one disagrees with the Catholic Church is unfortunate.  The Church must "^proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching (2 Tim 4:2)" all the same.

However one's disagreement with the Catholic Church becomes intolerance when one refuses to consider the impossibility of having misunderstood the issue, and believes one's opponent must be wrong simply because he or she disagrees with the view being expressed.

Neroulias' Intolerance Masquerades As Moral Outrage

"It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong."

—GK Chesterton, The Catholic Church and Conversion

Can. 216 Since they participate in the mission of the Church, all the Christian faithful have the right to promote or sustain apostolic action even by their own undertakings, according to their own state and condition. Nevertheless, no undertaking is to claim the name Catholic without the consent of competent ecclesiastical authority.

—1983 Code of Canon Law

Sources: Ariz. Bishop to Pregnant Women: Drop Dead (Rather than Abort) - Belief Beat, Bishop Olmstead's Statement, American Life League article on Healthcare West and their disobedience, Canon Law #216

Preliminary Note: For those coming here from my original comment on the website of the article, yes I am aware I made some typos in that comment.  I attribute that to a lack of coffee at the time.

Introduction

A friend linked me this article, which he quite accurately called a "rather disgusting piece of trash writing," and asked me for my thoughts about it  The article, written by Nicole Neroulias, essentially accuses Bishop Olmstead of being willing to sacrifice a mother to doctrine:

Apparently, the hospital should have allowed her to die, rather than return to her four children at home. Or, perhaps St. Joseph's could have transferred her someplace that wouldn't have to answer to religious authorities. God forbid -- literally -- we leave medical decisions to the doctors and patients.

Unfortunately Ms. Neroulias is either unaware of or is indifferent to the Catholic beliefs and why we might disagree with her views.  As a result she tries to smear us with the charge that we do not care what happens to the life of the mother.  Thus she speaks falsely about us.

Summary of Some Catholic Moral Principles

So here are some principles of Catholic moral theology on the issue.

1. The Catholic Church believes that the unborn child is human.
2. The Catholic Church also believes that abortion is the willful termination of this human life.
3. The Catholic Church believes that the willful terminating of an innocent human life is a grave evil
4. The Catholic Church believes it is wrong to do evil so that good may come of it
5. The Catholic Church recognizes the life of the mother is also sacred, and the Church does not prefer one life over the other.
6. However, if it comes to a choice between doing evil and suffering evil, we are called to endure evil and not do evil
7. An institution which lives in opposition to what the Catholic Church believes cannot call itself Catholic

When one recognizes that the Catholic Church believes these things, then one must recognize that Bishop Olmstead had every right to do what what he did in declaring that St. Joseph's Hospital can no longer call itself Catholic.

St. Joseph's Hospital remains a hospital.  It just can no longer call itself Catholic when it openly acts in a way contrary to the beliefs of the Church it claims to be a part of. 

The Logical Errors of Ms. Neroulias

Her rather repugnant article demonstrates Ms. Neroulias is either grossly ignorant of the issues or grossly intolerant of views differing from her own.  Her article employs  several fallacies: the Red Herring, the appeal to emotion and the personal attack being most notable while demonstrating no comprehension of what we believe, nor of what the issue is.

Error #1: The Red Herring 

First of all, the Red Herring.  Ms. Neroulias casts this as a case of being the patient vs. the Church with the hospital stuck in the middle.  This is not the case, and it indicates that she is, at best, ignorant of the real issue.

The issue is that the hospital has been documented as constantly acting in contradiction to what the Catholic label describes.  Multiple cases of the distribution of contraceptives, taking part in voluntary sterilizations multiple abortions.  In other words, this is not one case where the bishop is being unreasonable.  Rather the hospital has shown consistent defiance, rather than comply with a deadline to agree to adhere to the following:

1. agree that the termination of a pregnancy at the hospital in late 2009 violated the "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services" and "so will never occur again" there.
2. to agree to "a review and certification process" concerning its compliance with the ethical directives
3. for the medical staff of St. Joseph's to receive "ongoing formation" on the directives, overseen by the National Catholic Bioethics Center or the diocese's medical ethics board.

So we can see the issue is not "Bishop Olmstead blackballed a hospital because the hospital performed an abortion."  The issue is the hospital refused to admit they did wrong and refused to acknowledge they would make sure these wrongs will not happen in the future.

Error #2: The Appeal to Emotion

The appeal to emotion in this case is to create repugnance for a situation where the woman in question is cast in opposition to the Catholic Church

Ultimately her issue is with what we as Catholics believe about abortion.  She does disagree with us, as does a significant portion of the United States.  However, in her attack upon our beliefs, she assumes what needs to be proven: That abortion is not a moral issue or is an issue less than the issue of the life of the mother. 

Based on this assumption, she labels Bishop Olmstead as being indifferent to the life of the mother.  Now we've already pointed out this is not the issue.  That abortion happened a year before this.  But the emotional appeal to "woman vs. gigantic Church" is designed to have the reader feel pity for the woman (and the hospital) and anger towards the Church for not agreeing with the hospital.

The problem is, the emotional appeal does not change the issue: An institution cannot call itself Catholic if it behaves contrary to the Catholic faith.

While Ms. Neroulias has cast this as an issue of a woman being forced to die if she did not have an abortion, this is a dishonest appeal used to attack the Church and make it appear to be in the wrong, because frankly nobody wants the woman in question to suffer.

However, Catholics believe one should try to save both lives if possible, but one may not terminate one life in favor of another.  Because St. Joseph Hospital (ironically named after the saint who was the protector of the life of our Savior) insisted on doing what the Catholic Church has called an evil, it cannot be called Catholic — especially when it refuses to guarantee such behavior will never happen again.

Error #3: The Personal Attack

The personal attack ignores the reasoning for a thing and instead attacks the person making the claim

By attacking the Catholic Church instead of looking at why they did as they did, Ms. Neroulias is making a personal attack.  Whatever she may think of the Church (and a perusal of her past articles indicates a hostility to the Church), her feelings are irrelevant.  It is the issue of the right of a hospital to call itself Catholic while doing things in defiance of the Catholic faith.

We should look at the text of the Bishop's decree and not rely on the second hand analysis of the media.  The text of his decree reads:

After much time and effort in cooperation with the leadership of Catholic HealthCare West and having studied the matter carefully with the assistance of experts in medical ethics, moral theology, and canon law, it has been determined that the aforementioned organization no longer qualifies as a "Catholic" entity in the territory of the Diocese of Phoenix. For the benefit of the public good, particularly amongst the Christian Faithful, I decree that the organization listed above may not use the name Catholic or be identified as Catholic in the Diocese of Phoenix.

The reason for this decision is based upon the fact that, as Bishop of Phoenix, I cannot verify that this health care organization will provide health care consistent with authentic Catholic moral teaching as interpreted by me in exercising my legitimate Episcopal authority to interpret the moral law.

This Decree of Removal of my consent goes into effect as of this day, and will remain in effect indefinitely, until such time as I am convinced that this institution is authentically Catholic by its adherence to the Ethical and Religious Directives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in addition to the standards of Catholic identity set forth in official church documents, Catholic theology, and canon law.

In other words, the behavior of this hospital cannot be guaranteed to behave in accordance with Catholic moral teaching.  Therefore the bishop cannot permit the hospital to call itself Catholic until it demonstrates convincingly that it will comply with Catholic teaching.

This is quite reasonable, but Ms. Neroulias in saying, "God forbid -- literally -- we leave medical decisions to the doctors and patients," is not addressing the issue.  She is instead attacking the Church because the Church cannot do otherwise without being unfaithful to what we believe Christ requires of us.

Conclusion

This is unfortunately a common form of hostility to the Catholic Church.  It is one I have seen from secular and religious sources.  The Catholic Church is attacked by those who disagree with it, but instead of looking into why the Church must do as she does, the idea of the "heartless institution which focuses on rules" is attacked instead.

That one disagrees with the Catholic Church is unfortunate.  The Church must "^proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching (2 Tim 4:2)" all the same.

However one's disagreement with the Catholic Church becomes intolerance when one refuses to consider the impossibility of having misunderstood the issue, and believes one's opponent must be wrong simply because he or she disagrees with the view being expressed.

Lincoln Said It Best: Reflections on the EU-Ireland Abortion Case

Source: CNS STORY: European court says Ireland's abortion laws breach European rules

I always find the use of the "Pro-Choice" label rather ironic, since it makes the assumption that regardless of whether a fetus is a child (which is never asked by one who supports abortion), the mother should always have the right to kill it — In other words have laws imposed which are in accordance with their beliefs.

Meanwhile, the people who believe the unborn is a child do not have the right to pass laws in accordance with their beliefs.

I think Abraham Lincoln, though he was speaking about the United States, speaks wisely about this conflict between those who believe abortion is a right and those who know it is wrong.  His words go far beyond American borders and far beyond slavery:

If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it.

We are now far into the fifth year, since a policy was initiated, with the avowed object, and confident promise, of putting an end to slavery agitation.

Under the operation of that policy, that agitation has not only, not ceased, but has constantly augmented.

In my opinion, it will not cease, until a crisis shall have been reached, and passed.

"A house divided against itself cannot stand."

I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.

I do not expect the Union to be dissolved -- I do not expect the house to fall -- but I do expect it will cease to be divided.

It will become all one thing or all the other.

Either the opponents of slavery, will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new -- North as well as South.

You can read the full address HERE.

The reason I find this address, from 1858, to be enlightening on the world situation and abortion today is we have two mindsets.  One which holds that the act of abortion is an act which kills a human life.  The other is a view which holds that regardless of whether or not the abortion takes a human life, it should be kept legal, so that any woman who thinks she has a "need" for it can do so.

This latter group believes there should be no restrictions whatsoever.  People within this group may feel a twinge of unease over reasons (such as sex-selection abortions) or methods (such as Intact Dilation and Extraction — AKA "Partial Birth Abortion"), but remain firm in insisting it should be kept legal.

The point is, the legal system cannot accommodate both views.  We cannot be half in favor of and half opposed to laws legalizing abortion.  Those nations with legalized abortions act on the assumption it is a "civil right" and look on those nations which oppose it as violating said rights.

Thus, those people who believe that abortion ends a life will be forced to endure a system which says it is legitimate to have access to abortion.  Then we will cover it up with banal slogans like "If you're against abortion, don't have one!"

Such a slogan is meaningless.  Just replace one cause in the slogan with another and you can justify anything (this is an example of a reductio ad absurdum).  In this case, we could say the slave owner could use this slogan to say If you're against slavery, don't own a slave!

See how the cheap slogan evades the issue?  The issue then was whether it is moral to own slaves to begin with.  The issue now is whether it is moral to kill the unborn child to begin with.  Yet this is the issue which is ignored, and instead "choice" is pushed into its place.

Court cases like this one requires us to ask hard questions: Who is really against "rights" and "freedom"?  The person who believes that the unborn person is human and therefore has human rights?  Or the people who force abortion laws into being law of the land in nations where the belief in the rights of the unborn exists?

Lincoln was right.  A divided system will not work, and supporters and opponents of abortion "rights" both recognize this.  This is why we must continue to support the right to life, even in nations where this right to life is recognized.  No nation can be half legal abortion and half illegal abortion.  It will become all one or all the other, and those nations where it is believed to be a "right" will continue to seek to impose it on nations where the right to life is recognized… unless we can halt its further spread and place it in the public mind that it ought to be extinct.

Lincoln Said It Best: Reflections on the EU-Ireland Abortion Case

Source: CNS STORY: European court says Ireland's abortion laws breach European rules

I always find the use of the "Pro-Choice" label rather ironic, since it makes the assumption that regardless of whether a fetus is a child (which is never asked by one who supports abortion), the mother should always have the right to kill it — In other words have laws imposed which are in accordance with their beliefs.

Meanwhile, the people who believe the unborn is a child do not have the right to pass laws in accordance with their beliefs.

I think Abraham Lincoln, though he was speaking about the United States, speaks wisely about this conflict between those who believe abortion is a right and those who know it is wrong.  His words go far beyond American borders and far beyond slavery:

If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it.

We are now far into the fifth year, since a policy was initiated, with the avowed object, and confident promise, of putting an end to slavery agitation.

Under the operation of that policy, that agitation has not only, not ceased, but has constantly augmented.

In my opinion, it will not cease, until a crisis shall have been reached, and passed.

"A house divided against itself cannot stand."

I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.

I do not expect the Union to be dissolved -- I do not expect the house to fall -- but I do expect it will cease to be divided.

It will become all one thing or all the other.

Either the opponents of slavery, will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new -- North as well as South.

You can read the full address HERE.

The reason I find this address, from 1858, to be enlightening on the world situation and abortion today is we have two mindsets.  One which holds that the act of abortion is an act which kills a human life.  The other is a view which holds that regardless of whether or not the abortion takes a human life, it should be kept legal, so that any woman who thinks she has a "need" for it can do so.

This latter group believes there should be no restrictions whatsoever.  People within this group may feel a twinge of unease over reasons (such as sex-selection abortions) or methods (such as Intact Dilation and Extraction — AKA "Partial Birth Abortion"), but remain firm in insisting it should be kept legal.

The point is, the legal system cannot accommodate both views.  We cannot be half in favor of and half opposed to laws legalizing abortion.  Those nations with legalized abortions act on the assumption it is a "civil right" and look on those nations which oppose it as violating said rights.

Thus, those people who believe that abortion ends a life will be forced to endure a system which says it is legitimate to have access to abortion.  Then we will cover it up with banal slogans like "If you're against abortion, don't have one!"

Such a slogan is meaningless.  Just replace one cause in the slogan with another and you can justify anything (this is an example of a reductio ad absurdum).  In this case, we could say the slave owner could use this slogan to say If you're against slavery, don't own a slave!

See how the cheap slogan evades the issue?  The issue then was whether it is moral to own slaves to begin with.  The issue now is whether it is moral to kill the unborn child to begin with.  Yet this is the issue which is ignored, and instead "choice" is pushed into its place.

Court cases like this one requires us to ask hard questions: Who is really against "rights" and "freedom"?  The person who believes that the unborn person is human and therefore has human rights?  Or the people who force abortion laws into being law of the land in nations where the belief in the rights of the unborn exists?

Lincoln was right.  A divided system will not work, and supporters and opponents of abortion "rights" both recognize this.  This is why we must continue to support the right to life, even in nations where this right to life is recognized.  No nation can be half legal abortion and half illegal abortion.  It will become all one or all the other, and those nations where it is believed to be a "right" will continue to seek to impose it on nations where the right to life is recognized… unless we can halt its further spread and place it in the public mind that it ought to be extinct.

Augustine on Devotion to the Saints

Doing the Office of Readings for today, I found an excellent selection from St. Augustine on the distinguishing the difference between honoring the saints and giving worship to God.  For those without access to the Liturgy of the Hours, you can go here to see the reading in question [though the site uses a different version of the psalms].

(Faustus was a Manichean who accused the Church of things like idolatry and pointed to abuses within the Church as if they were the belief of the Church).

I share this because I think it is relevant today given the misunderstanding which exists over how Catholics honor saints.

Reading
The treatise of St Augustine against Faustus

We celebrate the martyrs with love and fellowship

We, the Christian community, assemble to celebrate the memory of the martyrs with ritual solemnity because we want to be inspired to follow their example, share in their merits, and be helped by their prayers. Yet we erect no altars to any of the martyrs, even in the martyrs’ burial chapels themselves.

No bishop, when celebrating at an altar where these holy bodies rest, has ever said, “Peter, we make this offering to you,” or “Paul, to you,” or “Cyprian, to you.” No, what is offered is offered always to God, who crowned the martyrs. We offer in the chapels where the bodies of those he crowned rest, so the memories that cling to those places will stir our emotions and encourage us to greater love both for the martyrs whom we can imitate and for God whose grace enables us to do so.

So we venerate the martyrs with the same veneration of love and fellowship that we give to the holy men of God still with us. We sense that the hearts of these latter are just as ready to suffer death for the sake of the Gospel, and yet we feel more devotion toward those who have already emerged victorious from the struggle. We honour those who are fighting on the battlefield of this life here below, but we honour more confidently those who have already achieved the victor’s crown and live in heaven.

But the veneration strictly called “worship,” or latria, that is, the special homage belonging only to the divinity, is something we give and teach others to give to God alone. The offering of a sacrifice belongs to worship in this sense (that is why those who sacrifice to idols are called idol-worshippers), and we neither make nor tell others to make any such offering to any martyr, any holy soul, or any angel. If anyone among us falls into this error, he is corrected with words of sound doctrine and must then either mend his ways or else be shunned.

The saints themselves forbid anyone to offer them the worship they know is reserved for God, as is clear from the case of Paul and Barnabas. When the Lycaonians were so amazed by their miracles that they wanted to sacrifice to them as gods, the apostles tore their garments, declared that they were not gods, urged the people to believe them, and forbade them to worship them.

Yet the truths we teach are one thing, the abuses thrust upon us are another. There are commandments that we are bound to give; there are breaches of them that we are commanded to correct, but until we correct them we must of necessity put up with them.

Augustine on Devotion to the Saints

Doing the Office of Readings for today, I found an excellent selection from St. Augustine on the distinguishing the difference between honoring the saints and giving worship to God.  For those without access to the Liturgy of the Hours, you can go here to see the reading in question [though the site uses a different version of the psalms].

(Faustus was a Manichean who accused the Church of things like idolatry and pointed to abuses within the Church as if they were the belief of the Church).

I share this because I think it is relevant today given the misunderstanding which exists over how Catholics honor saints.

Reading
The treatise of St Augustine against Faustus

We celebrate the martyrs with love and fellowship

We, the Christian community, assemble to celebrate the memory of the martyrs with ritual solemnity because we want to be inspired to follow their example, share in their merits, and be helped by their prayers. Yet we erect no altars to any of the martyrs, even in the martyrs’ burial chapels themselves.

No bishop, when celebrating at an altar where these holy bodies rest, has ever said, “Peter, we make this offering to you,” or “Paul, to you,” or “Cyprian, to you.” No, what is offered is offered always to God, who crowned the martyrs. We offer in the chapels where the bodies of those he crowned rest, so the memories that cling to those places will stir our emotions and encourage us to greater love both for the martyrs whom we can imitate and for God whose grace enables us to do so.

So we venerate the martyrs with the same veneration of love and fellowship that we give to the holy men of God still with us. We sense that the hearts of these latter are just as ready to suffer death for the sake of the Gospel, and yet we feel more devotion toward those who have already emerged victorious from the struggle. We honour those who are fighting on the battlefield of this life here below, but we honour more confidently those who have already achieved the victor’s crown and live in heaven.

But the veneration strictly called “worship,” or latria, that is, the special homage belonging only to the divinity, is something we give and teach others to give to God alone. The offering of a sacrifice belongs to worship in this sense (that is why those who sacrifice to idols are called idol-worshippers), and we neither make nor tell others to make any such offering to any martyr, any holy soul, or any angel. If anyone among us falls into this error, he is corrected with words of sound doctrine and must then either mend his ways or else be shunned.

The saints themselves forbid anyone to offer them the worship they know is reserved for God, as is clear from the case of Paul and Barnabas. When the Lycaonians were so amazed by their miracles that they wanted to sacrifice to them as gods, the apostles tore their garments, declared that they were not gods, urged the people to believe them, and forbade them to worship them.

Yet the truths we teach are one thing, the abuses thrust upon us are another. There are commandments that we are bound to give; there are breaches of them that we are commanded to correct, but until we correct them we must of necessity put up with them.

Thoughts on Infallibility (Article IVc): Who Speaks for the Church?

The Series So Far

1. Article I
2. Article IIa
3. Article IIb
4. Article IIc
5. Interlude
6. Article IId
7. Article IIe
8. Article IIIa
9. Article IIIb
10. Interlude II
11. Article IVa
12. Interlude III
13. Article IVb

Introduction

As I mentioned in Interlude III; I have come across in my research of those explaining Sola Scriptura, a tendency to contrast what they believe with what they say Catholics believe about Scripture. 

The arguments sometimes used are of the type that: because the Catholic Church believes [A], they cannot be considered infallible or even (on occasion) authentically Christian.  However, if the Catholic Church teaches [B] and not [A], then it is wrong to accuse them of believing [A].

Since I have found many misunderstandings about what Catholics believe written by recommended non-Catholic theologians, I thought I should make a statement about this discrepancy and making clear the issue of authoritative teaching.

Let’s begin with two issues of logic I think will be important to consider here, the Straw Man fallacy and the structural problem of drawing a conclusion from false premises.

On the Straw Man Fallacy

While I’ve referenced this fallacy before, I would like to remind the reader of the Straw Man. This is a fallacy where a person’s position, we’ll call it [A] here is misrepresented as [B]. The challenger to [A] then refutes [B] and then claims that he has refuted his opponent.

The problem is, the position was [A] and not [B], so the refutation of [B] has not refuted position [A].

On the Problem with False Premises

From here, we need to move forward to one of the principles of logic: If the Premises are False, and the Argument is Valid, then the Conclusion is Unknown. In other words, if the premises are false, even if the argument has a logical form which is correct, we cannot prove the conclusion is true from the argument because false premises do not prove truth (“You can’t get there from here.”) It is only if the premises are true and the argument is valid that we can say the conclusion is true.

So what?

So some of you might be wondering what this has to do with anything when it comes to Sola Scriptura vs. the authority claimed by the Church that I’m supposed to be getting into (and I admit, when I got into writing this series, I had no idea how long it would stretch out). Others, who have followed me for awhile are probably wondering where I am going with these preliminary definitions.

The importance is, just because someone says a thing about Church teaching does not make it so. If a person misrepresents what the Church teaches (willfully or accidentally — what needs to be recognized is the fact of misrepresentation, not the motive) then any “refutation” of that misrepresentation does not refute the Catholic teaching. Moreover, if these misrepresentations are used as premises in an argument against Catholic teaching it means that because the premises are false, the conclusion cannot be proven true.

Thus before attacking the Catholic position (or for that matter, any position), we need to be certain that the source used accurately understands and interprets what the Catholic Church believes.

Preliminary: Dissent from Church is Different than Denominational Disputes

One trend I notice is that sometimes a non-Catholic cites a dissident Catholic as an alternate view within Catholicism to support their view that the Church errs.  I don't think this is done with malice to present a distorted view (unlike the anti-Catholic vitriol which exists out there), but rather because there is a misunderstanding on the authority of the Church to teach for the faith vs. dissenting views where one claims the Church got it wrong.

If I understand it correctly, within Protestantism there are differing opinions on what is the right way to interpret the Bible for example.  Within Protestantism, there are different movements, including Fundamentalism, Evangelicalism, Non-Denominationalism, certain Mainline denominations, Liberal Protestantism (I'm talking about the school of thought, not Protestants who happen to be politically liberal) and so on.  However, a person writing about Protestantism in general could discuss different "movements," within Protestantism, and nobody would object to the idea that such a view is within the general umbrella of Protestantism even if they disagree with one or more of those views.

For example, Arminianism is in dispute with Calvinism on the role of Free Will. From what I have seen on internet articles, I get the feeling there is no love lost between them (and yes I freely admit my perspective is that of an outsider — which will lead to a point to consider below). However, people within Protestantism do not appear to view holding one or the other view as ceasing to be Protestant[1]. Instead, if someone cites a view one disagrees with the common reply is “They don’t speak for me,” and nobody accuses them of denying what is inconvenient.  Why?  Because we recognize the person who says this does not recognize said view as authoritative.

On Official Teaching vs. Dissent

Exactly, and the Catholic objection to the citation of a dissenter is, “They don’t speak for the Church.”

Since we believe that the Magisterium (the college of Bishops in communion with the Pope and never apart from him) has the authority to determine what is and what is not in keeping with the Catholic faith, anyone writing on the what the Catholic faith teaches (myself included) has credibility only through accurately explaining the magisterial teaching.

Therefore, if you have a theologian who claims to be a Catholic but teaches in opposition to the teaching of the Catholic Church itself, one cannot say the dissenter is teaching Catholic Theology, even if he is a Catholic teaching theology.  Fr. Küng has taught in direct contradiction to what the Catholic Church teaches to be true.  As a result he has been stripped of their license to teach as Catholic Theologians. (I mention Küng by name because his book Infallibility? seems to be popular with non-Catholics who disagree with the Catholic teaching on the subject).

A good document to read on the subject of the role of the theologian within the Catholic Church can be found here.  The point is if, for example, Fr. Küng says one thing about Catholic teaching and the Pope formally teaches another, you don't have two views on Catholicism.  You have one right view (the Pope's) and one wrong view (Fr. Küng's).

Because of this, the person who cites the dissenting Catholic against the Magisterium does not have a case against the Magisterium. (Certain Protestant theologians who like to cite Fr. Küng against the Magisterium fall into this error).

Furthermore, It is the Magisterial Teaching and not the Non-Catholic's Interpretation of Church Teaching which is Authoritative

Since it is the magisterial teaching, not the interpretation from the outside, which matters, the same principle applies to outside commentator on Catholic teaching: it is only correct if his interpretation matches what the Church believes. 

Therefore, the denunciation of the Catholic Position cannot be considered proven true if it is based on a non-authoritative source which disagrees with the magisterium, or if the non-Catholic misstates or misunderstands the teaching as taught by the Magisterium. This includes the ex-Catholic who has left the Church. He does not bear special witness for having once been a Catholic unless his claims match what the magisterium teaches and intends with its teaching.

The Reason for this Explanation

The reason I bring this up is not to attack Protestantism.  Rather I want to point out that dissent differs from denominational disputes or differences of opinions.  Just because a person claims to be a Catholic does not make his views a valid opinion in challenging the Magisterium.  So if Fr. Küng says a thing on Scripture or Infallibility, if it contradicts the official teaching of the Church, it is not an alternate view, but an erroneous view.

Likewise the non-Catholic or the ex-Catholic who says something about the faith which we do not believe, then his statements are wrong whether he believes them to be true or not.

As a result, when it comes to determining the Catholic teaching on a subject, one looks to what the Church officially says and not how it might have been stated or misstated by a member within the Church.

Conclusion

The point of this (possibly repetitious) article is to make the reader aware of the fact that whatever the motive may be (good will or bad). A person writing about Catholicism can be in error if they misunderstand. Therefore any claims against the Catholic teaching needs to be investigated first of all to see if it is what we believe before assuming what is true.

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[1] There is always an exception to the rule. For example, while I have heard Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses claim to be Protestant, most Protestants would not accept that claim. I think they are right on this, and would not label these groups “Protestant.”