Obama, Joe Catholic and the Pope

An article in Newsweek is provocatively titled, More Catholic than the Pope. To no ones surprise, it was penned by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a name that should immediately betray the article's slant. The point of her screed is to limn why Barack Obama is a better representation of Joe Catholic than the pope himself. While arrogantly put forward and, considering the source, totally predictable, there is more to the story. There are elements that Kennedy Townsend conveniently glosses over in her attempt to place her own conscience at peace, to make Obama look mainstream and the pope out of touch. What the article fails to grapple with is that, if there is any truth to its claim, it is the result of one of two factors: ignorance regarding the faith or rank infidelity...or a little bit of a both. For generations now, the Kennedy clan has unapologetically demonstrated its proficiency in both schools: ignorance and infidelity.

Truth be told however, there is indeed a festering wound in the Catholic Church in America; a problem derivative of the horrendous catechesis that stretches back several decades and of which people like Kathleen Kennedy Townsend are the prime beneficiaries. The pope is clearly aware of this disparity, even if some in our own leadership stateside prefer to turn a blind eye to the fact.

The Protestant Obama embraces, along with many American Catholics, the alluring lie of relativism and utilitarianism. Many American Catholics have incorrectly transfered the checks and balances/separation of powers political formula to their approach to theology and ethics. In other words, it is okay, even commendable, to disagree on the fundamental teachings of the Church, just as it is commendable to disagree on matters of state in the agora of civil society. This infidelity (or declaration of independence, as otherwise falsely construed) signifies to the believer a certain protection of his individuality and autonomy from meddling outside forces. But, as Bertrand de Jouvenel stressed in his firm rejection of Hobbes, it is false to conceive of man apart from his connection to the community, to others, and by extension, the moral obligations to which he is bound as a result. Enlightenment notions of radical sovereignty are misplaced, erroneous, even dangerous. But many American Catholics have imbibed this modern doctrine and applied it to the practice of the faith. Hence, the article from Newsweek and hence, the Kennedy problem.