Feeling Under Siege, Catholic Leadership Shifts Right

[rug]

Patrick Semansky/AP

Protesters in Baltimore rally against the kickoff of Fortnight for Freedom, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The bishops say the campaign is a response to government attacks on religious liberty, but critics say it's an attack on the Obama administration.

July 4, 2012
by Barbara Bradley Hagerty

The Catholic Church is drawing a line in the sand.

Perceiving its core beliefs to be under threat from popular culture, the White House and even Catholics themselves, the Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are pushing back.

In recent months, the church leadership has been cracking down on liberal theologians, disciplining nuns and emphasizing a more orthodox theology.

The most recent example is the bishops' response to the new health care law. After the Obama administration announced that religious universities, hospitals and charities must offer insurance plans that cover birth control, the bishops swung into action.

http://www.npr.org/2012/07/04/156190948/feeling-under-siege-catholic-leadership-shifts-right

Audio (5:12) at link.

[CBHagman]

1. I hadn't heard the report or seen the photo of the protesters.

I particularly appreciated the perspectives on the psychology behind the crackdown and of course the question of whether more liberal Catholics should stay or go.

For what it's worth, things have seemed relatively quiet in my parish during the so-called Fortnight for Freedom. I've heard nothing from the pulpit about the FFF at the last couple of Masses.

[rug]

2. I haven't either, other than an insert in the bulletin.

[olegramps]

3. I suppose that they just can't help themselves from alienating anyone who disagrees.

[meow2u3]

4. That amounts to at least 90% of Catholics

The other 10% are the right-wing, kiss-up-and-kick-down holier-than-thous who think God guaranteed them automatic entrance into heaven for sitting in judgment of anyone who isn't a pious hypocrite.