In the form of a press release from the Catholic League on February 15th
Bill Donohue comments on reaction to the pope’s resignation:
The decision of Pope Benedict XVI to
retire has elicited a surge of unsolicited advice on how the Catholic
Church must change. Paradoxically, most of it is coming from those who
are not exactly connected to the Church: we are hearing from
ex-Catholics, those with one foot out the door, and non-Catholics. Much
of their advice has to do with sex, proving once again that it is not
the Church that is obsessed with sex—it is the Church’s critics.
Can the Church change? On some
teachings, of course. As Judge John T. Noonan Jr. has demonstrated, the
Church has evolved on slavery, usury, religious freedom, and divorce.
Moreover, it has modified its teachings on subjects ranging from
celibacy to the role of Jews in the crucifixion. While capital
punishment is not an intrinsic evil, Pope John Paul II narrowed its
legitimate exercise. So if these changes, and many others, have been
made, why can’t there be more? There can be, at least on some teachings.
The question is whether there should be.
The Catholic League is positively
agnostic on these issues. We are not an advisory group, nor are we a
theological debating society. We are a civil rights organization. Our
job is to defend the right of the Church to proclaim the Gospel as it
sees fit. Moreover, we adamantly reject the notion that there can be
parallel teaching bodies: the Magisterium, which is the pope in
communion with the bishops, is the sole teaching body of the Catholic Church. It is their rights we defend. All we ask for is a respectful hearing.
Everyone, of course, is entitled to
offer advice. But those who are no longer practicing Catholics, or who
never were, cannot expect a serious hearing. This has to be said now
because over the next several months we are likely to witness an
explosion in voyeurism, as well as downright meddling, in the internal
affairs of the Catholic Church.
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