US Catholic commentator Rev THOMAS REESE, in an article first published on Religion News Service, looks at what’s not on the agenda of US Catholic bishops during next week’s meeting…
When the bishops gather virtually for their June meeting next week, all the attention will be focused on whether pro-choice Catholic politicians will be banned from Communion.
The answer – spoiler alert! – is no.
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, left, of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, and Jose Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, speak during a news conference at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2019 spring meetings in Baltimore, on 11th June, 2019. PICTURE: AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana/File photo.
At the 16th to 18th June meeting, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops will only vote on whether to permit its Committee on Doctrine to draft a document “to help Catholics understand the beauty and mystery of the Eucharist as the center of their Christian lives,” in the words of the USCCB president, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez.
Any such document will likely not be produced until at least the bishops’ fall meeting and isn’t likely to produce a ban, which is the business of individual bishops, not the USCCB, as the Vatican has made clear.
“[W]hat is most telling is what is not on the agenda: nothing about global warming, racism or the economy, the topics most central to the future of America and the world. What about voting legislation that is threatening our democracy?”
But what is most telling is what is not on the agenda: nothing about global warming, racism or the economy, the topics most central to the future of America and the world. What about voting legislation that is threatening our democracy?
True, there are other items on the agenda besides the Communion draft. The bishops will consider a proposal to develop a pastoral framework for young people, but again, the vote will not be on a document but on whether to draft a document.
But a framework on young people will do little good if young people themselves don’t take bishops seriously. They won’t take the bishops seriously if the USCCB does not prioritise the issues about which they are most concerned.
A more developed pastoral framework under consideration is on marriage and family life ministry in the spirit of Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’ 2016 exhortation on love in the family.
Granted the centrality of family in Catholic life, the bishops’ document could be important as a framework for implementing “Amoris Laetitia” in the United States. On the other hand, the draft will probably avoid controversial topics like gay marriage and Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics.
But will the bishops say anything at their meeting about immigration and gun violence, which affect so many families in this country, including many Catholics?
The bishops will also be voting on a few liturgical translations up for approval, votes liturgical geeks will be watching to see whether the translations follow the new rules set down by Francis or whether they continue the word-for-word approach favoured by Benedict.
But what about issues of concern to Catholics around the world? What about religious freedom in China, India and elsewhere? What about our obligation to make COVID vaccines available to poorer countries? What about refugees? Afghanistan?
Some of these topics the bishops have spoken on in the past, but their urgency demands more. It’s sad that the U.S. bishops are so focused on the Communion war that they have no energy for anything else.
The silence on these topics is deafening.
Rev Thomas J Reese is a Jesuit priest and a senior analyst at RNS.
