Archbishop Chaput: Dangers of Catholic Institutions Losing their Identity

Catholic identity is the heart of a Catholic institution, as well as its protection

In the wake of recent closings at Catholic Charities in the state of Illinois, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver, Colorado said that America is changing, that it is "likely to be much less friendly to religious faith than anything in the nation's past." 

P>KNOXVILLE, TN (Catholic Online) - Speaking before the Catholic Social Workers National Association (CSWNA) on June 21, 2011, in the wake of the recent closings at Catholic Charities in the state of Illinois, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver, Colorado warned of a growing hostility within government and society today.

The Archbishop said that America is changing, that it is "likely to be much less friendly to religious faith than anything in the nation's past," and that this "has implications for every aspect of Catholic social ministry." As a result, Catholic institutions are in danger of losing their religious identity.

If you are interested in reading a complete transcript of Archbishop Chaput's address before the CSWNA, you can find it on his website under the heading, "Renewing the Mission of Catholic Charities." The following is a summary of his talk.

America was something unique. For nearly two centuries, Christian principles and morality formed a foundation for "every aspect of American life--including the public square." It was a moral society which did not have an established Church. Thus, it "could afford to be 'secular' in the best sense, precisely because its people were overwhelmingly religious. The Founders saw religious faith as something separate from government but vital to the nation's survival. In the eyes of Adams, Washington and most of the other Founders, religion created virtuous citizens. And only virtuous citizens could sustain a country as delicately balanced in its institutions, moral instincts and laws as the United States."

However, Archbishop Chaput continued, this Christian foundation has been weakening for decades. "[W]e're watching the end of a very old social compact in American life: the mutual respect of civil and sacred authority, and the mutual autonomy of religion and state," he said.

This is dangerous, he explained, because religion gave this country a social conscience and a common moral compass. Then he gave another reason: communities, especially religious communities, "have a great deal of power in shaping attitudes and behavior. Churches are one of those 'mediating institutions,' along with voluntary associations, fraternal organizations and especially the family, that stand between the power of the state and the weakness of individuals."

For this reason, he said, "if you dislike religion or resent the Catholic Church, or just want to reshape American life into some new kind of experiment, you need to use the state to break the influence of the Church and her ministries." He prophesized  that in the coming years, we will see more attempts by civil authority to interfere in the life of believing communities. He said, "It's already happening with Catholic hospitals and adoption agencies, and even in the hiring practices of organizations like Catholic Charities."

Archbishop Chaput also pointed out that individuals have rights, but so do communities. He said, ". . . civil society consists not just of autonomous individuals. It also consists of communities. Those communities also have rights. Catholic institutions are extensions of the Catholic community and Catholic belief. The state has no right to interfere with their legitimate work, even when it claims to act in the name of individuals unhappy with Catholic teaching. The individual's right to resent the Church or reject her beliefs does not trump the rights of the Catholic community to believe and live according to its faith. . . . And if the state refuses to allow those Catholic ministries to be faithful in their services through legal or financial bullying, then as a matter of integrity, they should end their services."

Turning to the social workers, he told them that we become what we do, and this applies to individuals and communities. "A man who does good, usually becomes good--or at least becomes better than he was. . . . A man who steals from his friends or cheats his company, even in little things, eventually becomes a thief. He may start as a good man with some unhappy appetites and alibis. But unless he repents and changes, the sins become the man. The habit of stealing, or lying, or cowardice, or adultery, reshapes him into a different creature."

"We need to realize that what applies to individuals can apply just as easily to institutions and organizations. The more that Catholic universities or hospitals mute their religious identity; the more that Catholic social ministries weaken their religious character; the less 'Catholic' they are, and the less useful to the Gospel they become. Everything in Catholic social ministry begins and ends with Jesus Christ. If it doesn't, it isn't Catholic. And if our social work isn't deeply, confidently and explicitly Catholic in its identity, then we should stop using the word 'Catholic.' It's that simple.

"Faith in Jesus Christ--not as the world likes to imagine him, but the true Son of God as the Catholic Church knows and preaches him--is the only enduring basis for human hope. Real hope has nothing to do with empty political slogans. It has nothing to do with our American addictions to progress or optimism or positive thinking. Faith alone makes real hope possible. Because we believe, we can trust; and because we can trust in God's love, we can take the risk of loving and giving ourselves to others. This trinity of faith, hope and love echoes the nature of God himself. It's the economy of all Christian social action."

In other words, "Being faithful to Catholic teaching isn't something optional for a Catholic social worker. It's basic to his or her identity. We need to remember that Catholic belief is much more than a list of do's and don'ts. It involves much more than simply obeying a Catholic moral code--although it certainly includes that. Catholic teaching is part of a much larger view of the human person, human dignity and our eternal destiny. The content of this teaching comes from God through his son Jesus Christ. It's not a kind of humanitarian modeling clay we can shape to our personal preferences; and the power and consistency of Catholic social witness collapse when we try to do that. For Christians, the ultimate purpose of every human being is fulfilled by knowing God's love and being with God for eternity. All Christian charity is practiced with this goal in mind."

He added that pursuing these ideals will not be easy. They demand a belief in real human development "as understood in the light of Jesus Christ and the Catholic faith," and they demand "courage to speak the truth and act on it confidently, despite the 'humanism without God' that shapes so much modern social service thinking." There is no such thing, Archbishop Chaput said, as humanism without God. "It never endures, and it ends by debasing the humanity it claims to serve. The record of the last century proves it again and again in bitterly painful ways."

While admitting that he had just painted a bleak future for the Church in America, he indicated that our proper response should be one of hope, not despair. He put it this way, "We can't change the direction of the world by ourselves or on our own, but that's not our job. Our job is to let God change us, and then to help God, through our actions, to change the lives of others. That's what we'll be held accountable for, and it's very much within our ability - if we remain faithful to who we are as believers."
 
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Michael Terheyden was born into a Catholic family, but that is not why he is a Catholic. He is a Catholic because he believes that truth is real, that it is beautiful and good, and that the fullness of truth is in the Catholic Church. However, he knows that God's grace operating throughout his life is the main reason he is a Catholic. He is greatly blessed to share his faith and his life with his beautiful wife, Dorothy. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.

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