One aspect of Catholic life which can become difficult and wearisome is what the Church does.  An irritable priest or a tired nun makes a cruel remark and 'the Church rejected me.'  A parish group studies issues of society and justice with which a parishioner has a problem and 'the Church is getting involved in politics.'  And lately the New York Times, which should know better, headlined an article by Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Shonborn 'Leading Cardinal Redefines Church's Views on Evolution.'  There's so much wrong with that headline--where does one begin?

 

I don't have access to my library and Catechism of the Catholic Church, alas, but I have a huge suspicion that there is no definition [theological teaching or doctrine] about evolution in the Catholic Church.  The late Holy Father, John Paul II, said evolution was 'more than a hypothesis' and appeared to accept it as the way God creates the cosmos.  He made no official pronouncement about the issue but like many educated people saw Darwin's theory as a good explanation of how we developed.  Of course, as the Jesuits instructed me in high school, belief in the theory of evolution must also be open to creation being initiated and sustained by God.

 

Cardinals, even those who participated in the composition of the Catechism as Cardinal Shonborn did, do not have the power to redefine the Church's teaching.  They are certainly free to give their opinions.  The former Cardinal Ratzinger got into some hot water when he said he was against Turkey being admitted into the European Union.  One can agree with him or disagree but his remarks had nothing to do with the Church.

 

Millions of people have purchased The Da Vinci Code, a good page-turner but embarrassingly inane when it comes to history, art or theology.  Sadly, there are not a few people who understood the events of the novel to be factual.  Who is the villain in the Code?  The Church!  For centuries the Church knew all about Jesus' marriage with Mary Magdalen and covered it up. [One can imagine centuries of popes and cardinals on their deathbeds whispering to their putative successors "Oh, and Jesus was married to Mary Magdalen.  But mum's the word!"]

 If there is one teaching of the Second Vatican Council it is this: we are the Church.  Obviously, there are different ministries, roles and vocations in the Church but the Church is us.  On occasion, the Holy Father or the Bishop will make an official statement about the Church's position; that is what leaders do, that's their job [or, as we say in the Church, their vocation.] I would be flabbergasted if Benedict XVI were to speak ex cathedra, i.e. infallibly, about evolution.  He is too good a theologian to do something so uncharacteristic and, really, so unnecessary.

 

Finally, as Robert Frost once said in one of his poems, 'good fences make good neighbors.'  Both religion and science have their purviews.  When a scientist says that God does not exist, she has gone over the line; when a believer says he knows exactly how old the universe is, as some claimed to know, he has hopped the fence.  God's gift of reason enables us  both to study scientific discoveries as well as ponder the truths of faith.  Ultimately, if they are both true, they cannot contradict each other. 

 

 

UPDATE: My cardiologist gave me very good news this week: I am off Coumadin, can resume exercise ['no rugby, soccer...'], and can proceed with negotiating my return to parish life after Labor Day.  He urged me to go slow, to listen to my body, as I discern how many days a week I can work, among other issues.  He counseled this approach because the 'last thing' I need is a set-back; he was also full of praise for the attitude of our bishop towards my recovery.  So, to take a page from Mark Twain, the rumors of my not coming back are highly exaggerated.  I continue to be grateful for the continual support of the parish as well as my family and friends.