Themselves to Blame

High profile Catholics and Catholic organizations have emerged of late to announce their support for the DISASTROUS, abortion-fueling, Constitution shredding health care bill. The Catholic leadership in the nation (the USCCB) is right to vigorously oppose the bill. That said, they share a healthy portion of blame for the rampant confusion among US Catholics, especially when it comes to ethics, abortion in particular. (We won't even get into the near total breakdown of a coherent liturgical culture.) For far too long, bishops have allowed dissident Catholics in the public square to flout the Church's teaching with utter impunity, all the while touting their fidelity and devotion to Catholicism. The bishops will release a milquetoast statement (if we're lucky) to "correct" the errant Pelosis and Bidens of the nation, but then slip smoothly back into feckless silence, content that they've done their part to uphold the integrity of the Church's teaching. This happens over and over again, year after year, decade after decade. And so now, the chickens have come home to roost. And we're to be surprised? Outraged?

Thanks in large part to the ineffectual Catholic leadership in America (minus some very noteworthy exceptions), we live in a nation where most Catholics think it's perfectly alright to pick apart the Church's teaching and pocket what they find quaint and jettison what is unseemly or unpopular. And if bishop X doesn't like it, tough! What's he gonna do? Issue a statement? You know how Pelosi is shaking in her Ferragamo heels over those fierce statements. And in most cases, the politicos and dissidents have a point, since they know they can push the envelope as far as they like. They play the bishops like a stradivarius. For their part, the bishops, having issued their STATEMENT won't do anything of real consequence, having washed their hands of the matter, and will return to those really controversial subjects like helping the poor and loving your neighbor.

Where is the Catholic Tea Party Movement for those interested in defending the integrity of the Faith in and out of season? Where do I sign up for that?