UNITED STATES
Christian Catholicism
Jerry Slevin
* Pope Francis is now facing directly the need to make a crucial public choice, first in the Philippines. It involves papal infallibility, the cornerstone of the post-1870 “papal power myth” that is no longer credible to many Catholics, especially in light of the current scandals such as the priest child abuse cover-ups. Rethinking “infallibility” clearly is the essential key to curtailing the child abuse, sexual morality, financial and other scandals, namely, by Pope Francis’ accepting honestly that prior popes made mistakes that must be corrected. If he does not accept this, he cannot save the Catholic Church.
* This crucial choice arises most prominently with respect to the papal ban on contraception, a major matter among many traditional Catholic Filipinos, over 80 % of the population. The Church’s scandals are increasingly challenging the faith of many Filipino Catholics, especially younger ones as reported here:
* [Rappler]
* The Philippines present sharply for Pope Francis the need to reverse the contraception ban. This ban had been rejected overwhelmingly in 1966 by Pope Paul VI’s so-called papal birth control commission, including clear rejection by cardinals, bishops, top theologians and informed lay members, including women, scientists, psychologists and other experts. The commission studied the morality of the birth control “pill” and contraception thoroughly over a four year period
* The commission’s final report, however, was undercut secretively by conservative Cardinals with clout over Pope Paul VI. These Cardinals and the pope worried about undermining the case for papal infallibility, and thereby weakening papal power tied to infallibility If Paul VI approved the pill in 1968, less than four decades after an earlier pope in 1930 condemned birth control, apparently mainly for geo-political reasons, Paul VI would risk losing any future claim to papal infallibility. Paul VI was looking out for No. 1, it appears, so he rejected his own commission’s report.
* This 1966 commission’s still relevant story has been well described by Robert Blair Kaiser in his classic and superb book, “The Politics of Sex and Religion”. Kaiser is a former reporter for The New York Times, prize-winning foreign correspondent (for Time) and, later, for Newsweek in Rome. He has generously made this classic book available for free as an downloadable e-book at:
* [Smashwords]
* There was only one commission report. Please also note a recent effort by conservatives to undercut this papal commission’s final official report by resurrecting the last ditch ploy in 1966 by conservative Cardinals and the pope to create a misleadingly named “minority report” at:
* [National Catholic Reporter]
* For a defensible and responsible way that Pope Francis can readily resolve this matter now, if he really wants to, please see the important and compelling brief analysis by the world’s leading authority on Catholic sexual morality, Fr. Charles Curran, at:
* [National Catholic Reporter]
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