COMMENTARY: Despite Problems, Catholic Church Pulsates LIfe

c. 2004 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Mixing sympathy and awe, Nobel laureate Saul Bellow appraises the human race by saying, “What a species!” In Thanksgiving’s afterglow, these sentiments fit the Catholic Church, whose colorful parade through time tends to support its claims of being anchored in eternity. If you doubt that James Joyce’s phrase H.C.E., […]

c. 2004 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Mixing sympathy and awe, Nobel laureate Saul Bellow appraises the human race by saying, “What a species!”

In Thanksgiving’s afterglow, these sentiments fit the Catholic Church, whose colorful parade through time tends to support its claims of being anchored in eternity. If you doubt that James Joyce’s phrase H.C.E., Here Comes Everybody, describes it well, study the Sunday church crowd and notice its truly catholic, or universal, character. What a species! What a Church!


A cursory glance at the newspapers documents the poetic insight that everything that ever happened in the history of the world is happening inside the Catholic Church right now. Catholics can be grateful that, whatever else may be said about their church, it remains a vital, engaged entity, somewhat like a large extended family filled with gifted people who may argue and make scenes at family reunions but are happy to be in the group picture taken afterward. In short, it is alive.

Under the glaring klieg lights of the clergy sex abuse scandal, Catholics have distinguished the defects in the ecclesiastical edifice from the true Church. We are the real Church, Catholics assert proudly, we are the People of God, making it clear that they retain faith in Catholicism but have lost confidence in its leaders.

Catholics can be thankful for this firm theological grasp on their identity, a profession of active and informed faith, rooted in love of neighbor that contrasts with the hatred of everybody-different-from-us thundered by some of the world’s so-called “great” religions.

Catholicism is a big family that retains one father, the bishop of Rome, Pope John Paul II. All family members feel some ambivalence toward the father figure. That is the inevitable human tribute to his character and leadership, for if Catholics disagree with him in some things, they still recognize him as their father and the symbol of their unity. Given the collapse of leadership and authority in so many organizations and institutions at this time, that is a remarkable achievement.

In the What a Species, What a Church department, we learn again what we already knew, that everything that ever happened is still happening inside Catholicism. These are often foibles that, as in the best family stories, are endearing reminders of its humanity that you couldn’t possibly make up.

Sometimes these are merely headlines, such as “Cardinal’s Murder a Mistake” (Our Sunday Visitor) or “Gallup Man Accused of Trying to Poison Nun” (Associated Press, Nov. 18). These add a certain spice to the seemingly weekly stories of the Virgin Mary’s appearing in bewildering places, such as the moldy surface of an old toasted cheese sandwich (CNN, Nov. 18).

What a species, indeed.

Then there’s “LaserMonks, an e-commerce venture selling printing cartridges and imaging supplies” (Chicago Tribune, Oct. 3). Under environmental news, researchers claim that “regular churchgoers,” like Catholics, “eat 25 percent more … fruits and vegetables ….(like) citrus fruits … broccoli and cauliflower …” (Reuters, Nov. 17). These results are perhaps only possible in a church in which people offer up difficult things as penance for their sins.


Meanwhile, Dutch researchers report that “the candles and incense burned during religious services emit high levels of particulate matter … considered to be one of the most harmful forms of air pollution” (Los Angeles Times, Nov. 21). Furthermore, “priests and especially devout congregants … could be endangering their health.”

That may explain why Pope John XXIII wanted to open the windows to let fresh air into the Church. Catholics can be grateful that their church may be understood as a vessel big enough to hold everything human. In other words, the Church remains what it was founded to be, the sacrament of the world that understands, forgives, blesses and reflects all our human experience back to us.

(Eugene Cullen Kennedy, a longtime observer of the Roman Catholic Church, is professor emeritus of psychology at Loyola University in Chicago and author of “Cardinal Bernardin’s Stations of the Cross,” published by St. Martin’s Press.)

MO/JL END RNS

Donate to Support Independent Journalism!

Donate Now!