I find it ironic that as we celebrated the feast of St. John Paul II on October 22nd, two papal scandals erupted.  The second was the China deal.  The first has to do with Pope Francis endorsing civil unions for homosexuals.  The irony is that St. John Paul II taught more and better about human sexuality than any other pope.  He also was instrumental in peacefully bringing down communism in Eastern Europe.

     Good Catholics (including popes) can disagree on matters of prudential judgment.  They cannot disagree with the dogma and doctrine of the Church and remain Catholics in good standing.

     When it comes to political engagement with enemies, the Vatican has fluctuated between the prudential policies of appeasement & compromise and clever resistance & engagement.  Here are some examples...

     Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, Secretary of State, facilitated a concordat with Nazi Germany so that the church could continue to function.  He later became Pope Pius XII and quietly engaged in covert resistance.  If you look at the fruit of appeasing Germany, you see the Catholic Church in Germany on the brink of schism.  I think Pope Pius XII was a great pope, but his appeasement approach does not seem the best course in hindsight.

     Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, Archbishop of Krakow, chose to resist the communist Soviet Union.  He proclaimed the truth in charity.  He cleverly engaged the Polish communist government.  When he was elected Pope John Paul II, he changed the Vatican's approach to communism in Eastern Europe.  Instead of the appeasement approach under Pope Paul VI, he chose to continue what he started in Poland.  And it worked.  Communism in Eastern Europe peacefully fell 13 years after he became pope.

     When it comes to radical, atheistic, secular humanism, we can choose either appeasement or clever engagement.  JP2 chose the latter.  He answered Paul VI's appeal for someone to further explicate Humanae Vitae.  JP2 did so with Theology of the Body, Familiaris Consortio, World Youth Days, and so much more.  George Weigle describes his Theology of the Body as a theological time bomb set to go off sometime in the 21st century.  Our society is confused about many things including communism and human sexuality.  The teaching of JP2 is going to help us navigate these turbulent times and proclaim the truth in charity.

     Pope Francis has not changed any dogma or doctrine of the Church in his statement about civil unions.  He does not approve of sexual activity between persons who are not married.  He continues to teach that marriage is between one man and one woman.

     He did endorse the idea of homosexual couples being protected by law so that they could share job benefits and make health care decisions for one another.  He also appealed to the parents, siblings, and relatives of those experiencing same-sex attraction to continue to love their son, daughter, brother, or sister.

     What Pope Francis did say does contradict a prudential decision made by Cardinal Ratzinger before he became pope and while he worked under Pope John Paul II.

     A document of the Holy See dealt with this very issue on June 3, 2003.  Here's the paragraph that includes both official teaching and prudential policy:

   "11. The Church teaches that respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behaviour or to legal recognition of homosexual unions. The common good requires that laws recognize, promote and protect marriage as the basis of the family, the primary unit of society. Legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage would mean not only the approval of deviant behaviour, with the consequence of making it a model in present-day society, but would also obscure basic values which belong to the common inheritance of humanity. The Church cannot fail to defend these values, for the good of men and women and for the good of society itself."

     One of the dangers of approving civil unions for the purposes of benefits and medical decisions is that people will get the wrong idea.  This is what is happening right now.  The pope's statement has scandalized the laity.  "Scandal" means leading someone to sin.  People are wrongly thinking that the Church now approves of sexual activity outside marriage.  This is not what Pope Francis said, but it's what many people are thinking.  I would argue that Pope Francis chooses the way of appeasement with the Sexual Revolution.  And it doesn't work.  It won't work.  It's causing problems.  His prudential decision on this matter is leading to bad fruit.

     Can God bring good out of this scandal?  He sure can.  It has prompted me to address the topic.  I hope that many of you will begin to plumb the depths of JP2's teaching on human sexuality.  He taught wonderfully on God's divine plan for human love.

     On JP2's feast day, the Vatican renewed the secret deal with China for another two years.  It supposedly deals with the appointment of bishops.  The atheistic regime nominates priests to become bishops.  The Vatican approves or denies the recommendations.  The Vatican is trying to appease China so that the Church in China can have the sacraments.  Cardinal Zen, retired archbishop of Hong Kong, has repeatedly advised against it.  He says the Chinese government cannot be trusted.  The Church has continued to be persecuted by the Chinese government even with the secret deal these last two years.  It sounds a lot like the deal with Nazi Germany.

     Instead of appeasement, I'd recommend the approach of JP2:  respectful resistance and clever engagement.

     When he became a bishop in 1977, Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict) chose for his motto:  Co-workers of the Truth.  During his whole life, he has consistently proclaimed the truth in charity.  Pope Benedict retired several years ago.  In a sense, he responded to a higher calling:  a life of prayer and contemplation.  I'm sure he's praying for the Church even more fervently now than when he was pope.

     We live in an increasingly turbulent time.  We need Jesus.  Our Lord is eager to help us to know Him, love Him, serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next.

     Before I could write the above, I needed to do research.  Here are some of the resources I found helpful:

1)  Statement by Fr. Philip Bochanski, executive director of Courage International.  Courage is THE best Catholic apostolate for those who experience same-sex attraction (SSA).  Encourage is THE best apostolate for those who love people with SSA.

2)  "What Every Catholic Needs to Remember About the Pope's Opinions on Civil Unions" by Msgr. Charles Pope.  I personally found encouraging his acknowledgement that the Pope's confusing remarks make my job harder.  Please pray for priests as we have to drop everything and figure out how to teach the truth while showing respect to our Holy Father.

3)  "Pope Francis Didn’t Change Church Teaching on Marriage" by Fr. Raymond de Souza.  He mentions the San Francisco solution which is a clever way to deal with governments hostile to the truth.  When I talk about appeasement vs. resistance, it's more complicated that I suggested.  Prudential judgments can be tricky.

4)  "Pope Francis’ Homosexuality Comments Heavily Edited in Documentary, No Vatican Comment on Civil Unions" by Catholic News Agency.  Some news articles report on a lot more than what I've referred to.

5)  Scott Hahn's Facebook page, particularly his post on translations.  I find Scott Hahn to be a brilliant, faithful Catholic who has grown in humility over the years.  I enjoy seeing him on Franciscan University Presents.  I find his Facebook posts helpful.

God love you,

Fr. Jim