Senator Durbin Declines a Catholic Humanitarian Award



While I'm not a Catholic, I understand there are two broad categories of interest within the denomination. One is individual morality. That refers to birth control, abortion and homosexuality. The other is social justice, treatment of the poor and marginalized. Senator Durbin has been an advocate of the latter. He has supported abortion rights and is disliked intensely by the other faction. 

He was offered an award for the latter by the Chicago diocese but declined. The link criticizes his ever being offered the award but admits Catholics on either end of the spectrum pick and choose and are not consistently in one camp or the other. As a metaphor, he says both choose from the cafeteria.

I think the late Pope Francis realized that as we move through history, life gets more and more complicated. The simple rules of long ago no longer work. His solution inside a vast enterprise was to not discuss complex matters such as the two factions in his denomination. He, it seems, came from the poverty and social justice side. He knew, however, the other faction, individual morality, are impossible to reason with. His view that these differences not be discussed publicly was so strong he dumped Bishops who made public statements about these issues.

An enlightened branch of Catholicism in Chicago wanted to praise Senator Durbin publicly for supporting programs for the poor. Senator Durbin, wise and cagy from decades in politics, knew Pope Francis had this figured out and it best not to air the division in the denomination for all to see.

Other Catholic Democrats have been treated badly by the whacko wing of their Catholic denomination. President Biden was refused communion be at least one Bishop. Mostly, these Democrats do what Durbin did, quietly roll their eyes about tiny minds of some and carry on with their own understanding of the faith. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ancient God, Bel (Baal), the Main Character in an Ancient Play

Image
In a British museum is a preserved stone tablet from Babylon. It dates to about 2,000 BCE. Someone labored patiently to inscribe an entire passion play featuring the god Bel. I reiterate this is a stone tablet, not a recopied papyrus. The play begins with the god Bel arrested by soldiers and taken off the stage. He reappears at a trial in the Hall of Judgement. Bel is innocent but is sentenced to death. In the next scene Bel is accosted by a mob. He is despised and rejected. The actor playing Bel is then taken by guard to a hilltop in a sacred grove. Two criminals are taken with him. One of these is released. The the audience then leaves the theater and follows the actor Bel and his guards to the top of a hill where the death scene is enacted by hanging from a tree. The audience returns to the theater for the dramatic final scenes. The dead Bel is stripped and prepared for burial. On a theatrical hill to the side of the stage is a tomb where the body is placed. A stone is rolle...
Read more

What Was the "Argument" in the Election

Image
I hate to add my blog to the piles of blogs and pundits analyzing and pondering the meaning of the just passed election. But that's what I feel like doing today. I've always like Senator Ted Cruz's summary of politics. He once said, "First, win the argument. Then, win the election." I think there is a way of applying that to anti abortion Catholics and Protestants. The link talks of Catholics who now feel they have no political home because Republicans let them down with Trump but they remain against abortion rights. Taking Cruz's win-the-argument thesis, I'd call the past election about an argument between two groups. One group's argument was, "Trump's a jerk." The other's argument was, "Abortion is wrong." The group, "Trump's a jerk," won the argument and then the election.  While one can argue the election, or any election, it about more complex issues, I believe in the end elections hinge on very simple ar...
Read more

Time to Forget the Christian Nation Thing

Image
While women are forbidden from being priests/preachers in some branches of Christianity thank goodness they are not forbidden from writing and lecturing about Christianity. A great article about the "Christian nation" notion shows us the U.S. is not a Christian nation and hopefully never will be. It is written by a woman with nerve and was published on a very Christian site, Christian Post.  Among the pilgrims were a few that wanted to establish a utopian Christian society. Some of their brethren stayed behind in Europe hoping the push aside worldly forces there and bring sinners to God. Today, whether it is the anti abortion, anti gay/trans, anti immigration or the put prayer back in schools branch there are those who want a version of what some pilgrims wanted, a utopian Christian society. The pilgrims were disappointed. Today's Christian utopians will be also. Here is why. The children of pilgrims did not believe the same things as their parents. Parents were roundly d...
Read more