Pope John Paul II's New America: Ecclesia in America: Fr. Neuhaus should withdraw his Book by Mark and Louise Zwick [page 2 of 2]
Call to Change our Lives and Lifestyles Fr. Neuhaus must have been surprised to find that Pope John Paul II again asked as a part of conversion for Catholics a change in one's whole way of life and lifestyle in Ecclesia in America. Chapter III, "The Path to Conversion," tells us that "The encounter with the living Jesus impels us to conversion," a conversion which is "not just a matter of thinking differently in an intellectual sense, but of revising the reasons behind one's actions in the light of the Gospel." The Pope continues, "In order to speak of conversion, the gap between faith and life must be bridged. Where this gap exists, Christians are such only in name." The call to conversion, communion and solidarity is meant to turn our lives upside down, a conversion which must change our whole lives, "not a part of life, but the whole of life" guided by the Holy Spirit, so that we might "assimilate the values of the gospel, which contradict the dominant tendencies of the world." Call to Holiness Those who speak of the call to holiness today are often considered conservative by certain groups in the Church, although this was considered radical at the time when Fr. John Hugo and Dorothy Day of the Catholic Worker movement insisted that sanctity was for everyone. The Synod document spells out beautifully what holiness means in a way Dorothy herself might have done, a way that could not be called either liberal or conservative: The new way of living called for in Ecclesia in America depends on a genuine Christian spirituality, nourished above all by a constant sacramental life, "since the sacraments are the root and endless source of God's grace, which believers need to sustain them on their earthly pilgrimage," and prayer. "Prayer leads Christians little by little to acquire a contemplative view of reality, enabling them to recognize God in every moment and in everything; to contemplate God in every person; to seek his will in all that happens." (No. 29)] The document insists that this spirituality is not opposed to the social responsibilities of the Christian life: "On the path of holiness, Jesus Christ is the point of reference and the model to be imitated; he is 'the Holy One of God,' and was recognized as such (cf.Mk 1:24). "It is he who teaches us that the heart of holiness is love, which leads even to giving our lives for others (cf. Jn 15:13). Therefore, to imitate the holiness of God, as it was made manifest in Jesus Christ his Son, "is nothing other than to extend in history his love, especially towards the poor, the sick and the needy (cf. Lk 10:25ff.)" (No. 30). Fr. N. forgot to include this vision of love of the poor and the suffering in Appointment in Rome, as he encouraged joining forces with fundamentalists in what they sometimes call a theology of prosperity. Latin American Bishops Mocked One of the things which disturbed us most about Fr. N.'s book and the recent interviews he gave about the Synod was his denigration of the Latin American Bishops. These Bishops made frequent reference to the cry of the poor in their countries and even subjection of their people to an unjust economic system. Fr. N. described their comments as simply residuals left over from a failed liberation theology. The Holy Father does not speak in this harsh way of liberation theology in the document. The option for the poor, although not exclusive, is emphasized throughout. He does ask, in the section under "The Challenge of the Sects," as did some of the Bishops at the Synod, "whether a pastoral strategy directed almost exclusively to meeting people's material needs has not in the end left their hunger for God unsatisfied, making them vulnerable to anything which claims to be of spiritual benefit."(No. 73) As many Latin American Bishops spoke of the desperate economic situation in their countries, Fr. N. apparently became unnerved, and began to refer to Latin American Bishops and their "whining" and "complaining," describing them as cows who chew and re-chew their cuds. He emphasized their "muddled and repetitious rhetoric," their lack of training in economics and even their muddled theology. He felt that the Latin American Bishops exhibited a "siege mentality." In his book, Fr. N. ridicules the "hackneyed phrases" of the Bishops, such as "Economics that reduces man to a mere means," "Evangelize the economic order," "Put people before profits." Fr. N. forgot to point out, as the Pope did, that the "constant dedication to the poor and disadvantaged emerges in the Church's social teaching, which ceaselessly invites the Christian community to a commitment to overcome every form of exploitation and oppression." Fr. N. certainly did not mention that, "It is a question not only of alleviating the most serious and urgent needs through individual actions here and there, but of uncovering the roots of evil and proposing initiatives to make social, political and economic structures more just and fraternal." Pope Condemns Neoliberalism Fr. N. may have rushed his book out quickly as a counter argument to the Synod because it condemned the very economic system which he has canonized, a system which is celebrated as based on freedom and minimal government, but in practice depends on a powerful government to enforce its unpopular policies. Fr. N. felt that neoconservatism (known as neoliberalism in Latin America) took a bad rap at the Synod. Perhaps seeing the handwriting on the wall, he ridicules the term neoliberalism in his book, saying no one knows what it is. Pope John Paul II is very clear. In Ecclesia in America he defined it and condemned it, along with the drug trade, the recycling of illicit funds, corruption at every level, the terror of violence, the arms race, racial discrimination, inequality between social groups and the irrational destruction of nature," in No. 56 under "Social Sins which Cry to Heaven." The Bishops were not so muddled after all. They were also very clear. They knew that neoliberalism is the current economic system so harshly affecting their people. In the face of the Pope's condemnation, Fr. N. insists that neoliberalism is the only way. Phrasing his argument in the language of the Cold War, he states, "It would seem that the expansion of the market economy-whether called 'neoliberalism' or 'globaliz-ation'-cannot be stopped except by countries that adopt statist or socialist measures…." (Appointment in Rome, p. 135). The reality is that the "statist" measures are all supporting neoliberalism. Why is Neoconservatism also called Neoliberalism? Neoliberalism means new liberalism. The old liberalism was identified with the French Revolution, which proclaimed the Rights of Man, freedom, and economic liberalism (for this reason, the French word laissez-faire), but violently mowed down anything in its path. The new liberalism does the same, except it mows down people who are in other countries through maquiladoras, slave wages, international trade agreements and torture taught at the School of the Americas to ensure that "freedom" prevails. It is very violent. The assumption that neoliberalism is based on the classical idea of liberalism which consists of social, political and economical aspects, is not a reasonable explanation of what is happening in Latin America. There it is restricted to the economical part of liberalism. This economics became prevalent in the U.S. during the Reagan administration, but continues even more strongly under the Clinton administration. Its Catholic proponents glorify its emphasis on freedom and creativity. Michael Novak's books encouraging neoliberalism were published in Spanish and circulated in Latin America, presenting this economics as acceptable Catholic teaching. A copy of one of his books in Spanish arrived in the clothing donations at Casa Juan Diego, Este hemisferio de libertad (This Hemisphere of Liberty, published in the United States by the American Enterprise Institute and published in Mexico by Diana Publishers.) We found it laced with footnotes from Adam Smith and David Hume and with an Appendix touting St. Thomas Aquinas as the first liberal (p. 125). In reality the "creativity" of the neocons affirms wealth creation for the few. Incredibly, for followers of the Gospel, Fr. Neuhaus and fellow neoconservatives have faulted the Church for not developing a theology of wealth creation. They will not find it in this document. How will Business and Neoconservatives Respond? Commentators and business people very quickly noted that Ecclesia in America pointed out that the Church's option for the poor, while very strong, is not exclusive. Some may have concluded that this meant that business should go on as usual. George Weigel stated in a Chicago Spanish-language newspaper, La Raza, that the statement about evangelizing the rich proves that there is now a larger middle class in Latin America (the opposite, of course, is true). Fr. Sirico gave the impression that he was right all along in his support of neoliberal capitalism, because the document asks that the rich be evangelized. Others have begun to seriously study the document for guidance. Attachment to Wealth an Obstacle Ecclesia in America, like Veritatis Splendor before it, points out the story of the rich young man. This story shows that "The Gospels teach that attachment to wealth is an obstacle to accepting Christ's call to follow him fully and without reserve." The document does indeed recommend that not only the well-to-do be evangelized, but also society's leaders. The Pope mentions that "the damage done by the spread of secularism in leading sectors of society which might have been neglected--political or economic, union-related, military, social or cultural--shows how urgent it is that they be evangelized." Hopefully, the effort to evangelize these folks will result in a lessening of the problems of slave wages in maquiladoras with tax-free zones so that there is no help for the local community. Hopefully, it will result in fewer theologians defending the slave wage system as the only one available. Hopefully, it will discourage rich nations from trying to engineer the entire world economy in their favor and against the poor. Hopefully, as the Holy Father has requested for the Jubilee of the year 2000, crippling debts of the countries to the South will be forgiven by the World Bank. Bishops Begin Immediately on Social Teaching Compendium Several Latin American Bishops at the Synod called for a new encyclical on ethics and economics. Fr. N. insists in his book that that encyclical, "plus one on related questions to the just and free society," has already been written, that it is called Centesimus Annus, was published in 1991, and that "likely" the Pope was thinking exactly that as he listened to the speeches (Appointment in Rome, p. 74). Clearly, Pope John Paul II did not agree with Fr. N.'s depiction of him and what he was thinking at the Synod. Instead he has called for a new compendium or catechism of Catholic social teaching, perhaps to correct the misinterpretations of just such people as Fr. N. and other neoconservatives/neoliberals. The Bishops of America, meeting as a follow-up to the Synod in Cuba in February of this year, made a decision to proceed with the preparation of the compendium of Catholic social teaching, even though Fr. N. disapproved. One America? While one of the major themes of the Synod was that of one America--not
many Americas--Fr. N.'s book did not integrate this idea. References throughout
the book to "America" alternate in meaning, sometimes referring
to the continents as a unity, but usually meaning the United States. The
result was muddled, except that one received the distinct impression that
the term America, when applied to the United States, meant that North America
was better. Fr. N. raises his eyebrows about two Bishops speaking about immigration, quoting Galatians 3:28: "There is neither Jew nor Greek…slave nor free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus," adding that there is neither South or North. His commentary is, "In the life of the Church that is certainly true, but this is an odd application of an ecclesiastical truth to the question of national borders" (p. 79). Ecclesia in America, following the consistent teaching of John Paul II, asks that migrants always be welcomed, and that the Church in America be a "vigilant advocate, defending against any unjust restrictions the natural right of individual persons to move freely within their own nation and from one nation to another. Attention must be called to the rights of migrants and their families and to respect for their human dignity, even in cases of nonlegal immigrants" (No. 65). In other words, it the responsibility of Catholics to assist immigrants, those uprooted by the global economic system, as well as refugees fleeing persecution, and give them hospitality. Not for John Paul II the dualisms that privatize our faith, that would allow us to ignore our brothers and sisters in need only because they came from another border. Clearly, sometimes the law of God is higher than that of the state. Catholics may be called upon to listen more carefully to Holy Mother the Church than to blindly obeying "Holy Mother the State." (Dorothy Day). Ecumenism-Whose Style? The Synod recommends that ecumenism with Christians of the different confessions begin, "in the name of the Gospel in response to the cry of the poor, by the promotion of justice," and also by common prayer for unity, sharing the word of God and the experience of faith in the living Christ. This would parallel the experience of many in the United States when close bonds of ecumenical friendship were formed during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960's. Fr. N. recommends ecumenism with fundamentalists in Latin America in order to evangelize together with them and spread capitalism. He states that some Bishops forgot that this was the main goal of the Synod. The Synod specifically rejects the methods of many fundamentalists in evangelization, since they do not respect the dignity of the human person. Whole Synod Mocked While the Latin American Bishops were singled out for criticism, they were not the only ones. His constant criticism of Cardinals and Bishops and the organization of the synod would lead some to believe that Fr. N. really had little interest in a synod that wasn't run his way. It might have been better had Fr. N. shared with readers the wining and dining that took place at night in Rome during the Synod, which he mentions only sparingly, instead of focusing on his own version of what the Synod should have been. This would obviously been called Fr. Neuhaus' Table Talks. The Civilization of Love We regret being so harsh in criticism of a brother of the faith, but our hearts were torn by his lack of understanding of what is happening through these economic policies to the poor of the earth. We meet people each day who have suffered so much from what Fr. N. understands as freedom. So many of the poorest of the poor of Latin America have no chance to come the United States. They canot make their way, walking across several countries. We just wish Fr. N. could have met the Maria Elenas of Latin America. We pray that neoconservatives, neoliberals, whatever their political loyalties, can come to understand, as the Holy Father has asked, that this is one America, that we must take responsibility for what our country's policies do to others. May Father Neuhaus and all who read Ecclesia in America experience a change of heart. May they move beyond words of freedom and respect for the dignity of the human person in theory to build a new reality worthy of the Body of Christ. Ecclesia in America, the real document about the Synod, is an amazing statement. Its spiritual depth and its vision for implementation in the real world is breathtaking. Imagine a world where the leaders were guided by this Synod document!
It would not be the fullness of the Lord's Kingdom on earth, but it would
be close to the civilization of love asked for by Pope Paul VI and Pope
John Paul II and to the building of which Dorothy Day gave her life. Houston Catholic Worker, Vol. XIX, No. 2, Mar.-Apr. 1999.  |
