As the United States undergoes the turmoil of a presidential election and all the verbiage that goes with it, there is another battle going on that will never have the possibility of an open confrontation. It's what is happening in the Catholic Church as a result of the papacy of Francis.
Pope Francis has had a habit during his papacy of making comments that cause consternation among the faithful, and he did it again last week, when he said, in the just-released documentary "Francesco," that "Homosexuals have a right to be part of the family. They're children of God and have a right to a family."
He continued, "Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it. What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that."
Wow! Talk about throwing gasoline on the fire. This is the supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church coming out with a statement that absolutely contradicts traditional Catholic teaching, which is that homosexual acts are "intrinsically evil." His position is there for all to see and hear, and presents faith conflicts for Catholics who are trying to live their lives according to Church precepts.
An interesting question about the quote in the movie, which was shown at the Rome Film Festival, is when the pope's statement was made. There are reports he made the comments during an interview in 2019, but that part of the interview was never made public until now.
Given the uproar that has ensued, the Vatican hasn't said whether it cut the remarks from its own broadcast or whether the Mexican broadcaster that conducted the interview did it. Regardless, it's in the movie and is public now.
So far, Pope Francis hasn't reacted, but that's typical of him. However, clergy across the Catholic world have responded as have lay Catholics – the progressives love it, the traditionalists are horrified.
What does it mean? Is the pope trying to subvert Catholic teaching, or does he not understand what he has done? What is the basis for his seeming belief that he can, on his own, change Catholic teachings? This isn't the first time he's done it. He's made changes in the Lord's Prayer, made changes in the Catechism and changed the Church position on capital punishment, among others.
As for the gay issue, it is known that when Francis was archbishop of Buenos Aires, he supported civil unions for gays. This is the first time he's spoken of it since he has been pope.
What's interesting is that there has been no mention from Rome about the issue of abortion, another of the basic Catholic tenets. It is always wrong and something Catholics cannot condone. Yet, the issue has raised its head in American politics. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi supports abortion as does Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate. They are only two among many in Washington.
Questions have been raised as to how Pelosi and Biden can be called "good Catholics" when they blatantly support something their church does not condone. There are also clergy who support the two politicians, and it's reported the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) is funding an effort to elect Biden president.
Critics of the effort say it adds up to electioneering for an apostate Catholic who supports abortion through nine months of pregnancy and has performed two same-sex marriages. Pope Francis has had no comment.
Reaction to all this comes from clergy and laymen. Actor Jim Caviezel, who is Catholic, pulled no punches in a Fox News interview.
"It's a bloody shame if you can't tell the difference between a priest, a bishop, or a politician. It's really sad, but it is called lukewarmness, and Christ has a very special place for them, and they know it."
In an interview with ChurchMilitant.com, the former apostolic nuncio to the United States – Abp. Carlo Maria Vigano – called out bishops for their culpable silence on abortion as the U.S. presidential election approaches:
"Silence on abortion is a terrible sign of the spiritual and moral deviance in that part of the hierarchy, which denies its very own mission because it has denied Christ."
Vigano reminds clergy they are "athletes of the Faith and not neutral spectators of the struggle between God and the Adversary."
And then there is Fr. James Altman of La Crosse, Wisconsin. He has emerged as a hero to millions of Catholics for his no-nonsense position on this issue. In a short video released in late August, which was one of his homily's, he declared, "You cannot be a Catholic and be a Democrat – period."
Whew! That got attention. He garnered much support but he also has critics. He told the John-Henry Westen blog that after the video aired, he received the most vile, despicable phone calls and letters. "I got some terrible, really foul messages."
What was Fr. Altman's response to that?
"The people that took offense are the ones that, well, think that it is OK to chop up 10,000 babies on a Saturday."
He also was threatened with canonical penalties by his bishop, William Patrick Callahan, for his "manner and tone."
Why did Altman do the video? He said he had no agenda but felt that "the laity have been without leaders in the Church, and he simply needed to speak the truth. He said many laity are at a breaking point and that shutting their churches down during COVID-19 was the last straw."
He said, "In 2016, people had it – they had it with the Democrats. They had it with the establishment Republicans. And finally, the voice of the people said there is somebody out there who is speaking to us, and they elected Donald Trump president."
How about that for a brave priest?
How about a debate between Fr. Altman and Pope Francis?!
I'd watch.
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