Thursday, August 22, 2019

Pharisaic Bravado?



Back in June Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, a Roman Catholic high school  in Indianapolis, Indiana, was told by the diocese that it would no longer be recognized as a Catholic school. Why? Because a teacher on staff is an LGBTQ person who entered into a same-gender marriage and the school decided to support this person rather than fire him/her, despite diocesan rules:

All those who minister in Catholic educational institutions carry out an important ministry in communicating the fullness of Catholic teaching to students both by word and action inside and outside the classroom,” the archdiocese said in a statement Thursday.
“In the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, every archdiocesan Catholic school and private Catholic school has been instructed to clearly state in its contracts and ministerial job descriptions that all ministers must convey and be supportive of all teachings of the Catholic Church.
The school has been told that mass will no longer be celebrated at the school, and that sports teams cannot participate within the broader school system. Now, this is a Jesuit school, and Jesuits have a tendency toward independence, so they are sticking to their decision, despite the cost. 
Through the years I've known Catholic school teachers who were not active in their faith outside of school walls and at least one who may not have believed in God, let alone RC doctrine. Yet they were baptized Catholics who were presumed heterosexual, so all was deemed well for their role in shaping young hearts and minds. This seems like hypocrisy to me, and a former Brebeuf school board member agrees. In a newspaper opinion piece about the controversy he says that the diocese has created an unnecessary "three-alarm fire" and observes that:“As a community of many faith traditions, yet proudly Catholic, those of us in the 50-year-old Brebeuf family hope for less Pharisaic bravado from the archbishop and more Christ-like gentleness.”
Well said, but sad as well. This is yet another reminder of churches defending principles which don't have any sense of the gospel in them. 
Thoughts? 


No comments: