BishopAccountability.org
	Roman Culture Affects Church By James Drane The Goerie June 8, 2010 http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100608/OPINION08/306089992/-1/OPINION To gain some understanding of pedophile priests, one needs a fairly sophisticated understanding of contemporary psychiatry and the many different forms of sexual pathology. To understand the mishandling of the sick priests by church authorities, however, one needs an even more complicated grasp of ancient Roman culture, especially how political power was exercised by Roman authorities. This Roman way of exercising political powers continues to influence many Roman Catholic Church authorities today. All religion interacts with and is influenced by a surrounding culture. The cultural forms that influenced Christianity from its beginnings were principally Greek, Jewish and Roman. Beginning in the early 300s, when the Emperor Constantine became a Christian, the overwhelming cultural influence became Roman. Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the empire. He poured enormous wealth into the Church, built church buildings, called a church council, intervened in the formulations of a church creed and made sure that church leaders exercised their authority with power and efficiency. There were church governments set up in Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, but gradually the church in Rome exercised primacy and jurisdiction over all the others. Why did some bishops ignore the civil laws on pedophilia in the U.S. and Western Europe? Why did some act as though they were subservient to no other authority? Why do some church authorities continue to act as if they are all-powerful and even punish communities of religious women who disagree with them over complex political issues like health-care legislation? The answer is that these bishops are acting according to standards that have nothing to do with Jesus' example or his teachings. They are acting in conformity to the way authority was exercised in Roman culture and in the Roman political system. There is always going to be a relationship between church and culture. What the church must always do is watch that culture does not take over and replace essential religious teaching. The culture-church relationship is a reality, and there is always the danger that culture will take over and dominate. This obviously has taken place in some of today's nondenominational Protestant churches that not only teach American capitalism, but turn Jesus' message into a way of making money and becoming rich. In some of the largest independent churches, the message of insatiable consumption takes over the message of Jesus. The church congregation becomes a consumer congregation. The crisis today in the Catholic Church is also an example of a threatened cultural takeover. It is, however, not capitalistic American culture that threatens the Catholic Church. It is Roman culture. The Catholic Church just recently gave up the Roman language when second Vatican Council changed liturgies from Latin to vernacular languages. Before that, Mass all over the world was said in Latin. Latin, the Roman language, may have slipped away in Catholic liturgical life, but the broader aspects of Roman culture did not slip away. Liturgical dress remained Roman. The priestly vestments and clerical robes are Roman, especially the long white albs and fancy chasubles, which add an aesthetic element to Catholic liturgies. The most powerful remains of Roman culture make an often scandalous appearance in the style of exercising church authority and the dictatorial behaviors of some bishops. The customs and characteristic behavior of these church authorities derive from Roman culture and have not changed over many centuries. The style of supreme papal authority came to be the style of some church authorities, even as far down as local priests and bishops. Not all church authorities are over-identified with the authoritarian Roman political style, but those who are demand absolute obedience to every order on all issues. Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, R.I., stands out as a clear example of this cultural takeover of Catholic Church life. First, he denied the sacraments to U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, son of the late Ted Kennedy, for disagreeing with his decree to oppose the proposed health-care legislation, and finally helped drive the younger Kennedy from political life. Then he went after Sister Carol Keehan, head of the Catholic Health Association, for her support of the same legislation. He withdrew two Catholic hospitals in his diocese from association with the Catholic Health Association. Bishop Lawrence Brandt of Greensburg is another example. Brandt prohibited the Sisters of St. Joseph from conducting a vocation program in his diocese. Some of the sisters, too, had supported the recently passed health bill, which he opposed. He decreed that no diocesan office or newspaper or even parish bulletin could cooperate with the sisters' campaign to recruit new members. The overwhelming reaction of Catholic lay persons was supportive of the sisters, who ran schools, hospitals and provided all kinds of public service. This same dictatorial Roman style of authority explains how some bishops could ignore civil laws and the victims of sexual abuse in order to do what was in their self-interests. They express Roman arrogance rather than Christ-like humility. Some bishops gained insight into their arrogance and asked for forgiveness. Some resigned after admitting their failures. If all bishops use the present church crisis to correct their over-identification with Roman political culture, the present crisis could create, from within the church and without splitting the church, real church reform. Contact: jdrane@edinboro.edu
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