Opinion by E.J. Dionne Jr.: A fragile truce in Catholic bishops’ war over Biden
Yet the outcome at the meeting in Baltimore was more of a truce than a resolution as American Catholicism continues to struggle over fundamental questions related to the church’s relationship with modernity, declining religious affiliation and attitudes toward the secular world.The relatively desultory debate was anticlimactic and reflected the exhaustion of a church riven by politics.
The split about the relative priority of the abortion issue vs. church teachings on economic and social justice mirrors a larger argument about Pope Francis himself and his effort to highlight the church’s mission toward the poor and its obligation to join the fight to protect a dangerously warming planet.
Votes during the meeting for various positions of leadership in the conference suggested the bishops are closely divided between supporters and critics of the pope — a sundering over Vatican authority that is itself unusual in American Catholic history. The Vatican representative to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, made clear in an address to the bishops on Tuesday that Francis does not welcome how the church is recapitulating the rancor of American politics.“A divided Church will never be able to lead others to the deeper unity desired by Christ,” Pierre said. “The Church needs … attentive listening now more than ever if she is to overcome the polarization afflicting this country.
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