[ The capitulation is complete. Without a whimper from any of his
fellow bishops, the cardinal archbishop of New York has inextricably
linked the Catholic Church in the United States to the Republican
Party and, particularly, President Donald Trump.]
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DOLAN DELIVERS CATHOLIC CHURCH TO TRUMP AND THE GOP  
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National Catholic Reporter Editorial
April 28, 2020
National Catholic Reporter
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_ The capitulation is complete. Without a whimper from any of his
fellow bishops, the cardinal archbishop of New York has inextricably
linked the Catholic Church in the United States to the Republican
Party and, particularly, President Donald Trump. _

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan celebrates Easter Mass at St.
Patrick's Cathedral April 12 during the coronavirus pandemic.,
CNS/Reuters/Jeenah Moon // National Catholic Reporter

 

The capitulation is complete.

Without a whimper from any of his fellow bishops, the cardinal
archbishop of New York has inextricably linked the Catholic Church in
the United States to the Republican Party and, particularly, President
Donald Trump.

It was bad enough that Cardinals Timothy Dolan of New York and Sean
O'Malley of Boston, joined by Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez,
currently also president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops, participated in Trump's phone version of a campaign rally
[[link removed]] on April 25. With hundreds of
others on the call, including Catholic educators, the bishops were
once again masterfully manipulated. They previously gave Trump certain
campaign footage when they delivered Catholics to his speech at the
March for Life rally in Washington early in the year.

Now Trump will have Dolan's language from the call, telling everyone
that he considers himself a "great friend" of Trump, for whom he
expressed mutual admiration as "a great gentleman." The cardinal went
on to say that he was "honored" to lead off the comments on the call.

The whole cringe-worthy exchange (yes, Trump did self-describe as "the
best" president "in the history of the Catholic church") was made
worse the next day when Dolan provided more campaign footage
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inside St. Patrick's Cathedral in announcing that the president was
"worshiping with us," purportedly livestreaming the Mass at the White
House.

Friendships have existed in the past between U.S. presidents and
princes of the church. How those affected the church's involvement in
politics and policy, negatively or positively, differed from one
circumstance to another. But it is rare, if not unprecedented, that
the church's leadership apparatus would be co-opted to the degree seen
in the case of Trump.

Certainly, it is without precedent that the leadership would cozy up
so cravenly to a president whose most consistent attribute is an
uncontrollable propensity for lying, continuously and about
everything. He is dangerously disconnected from reality and is defined
by characteristics that normally are condemned from pulpits.

In _People of Hope [[link removed]],_ a
book-length conversation Dolan conducted with journalist John L. Allen
Jr. published in 2012, a chapter is devoted to politics in which the
cardinal concedes that there is an understandable perception that the
U.S. bishops are in a "de facto," in the questioner's words, alliance
with the Republican Party.

The reality, Dolan contends, is more complex. "My experience is that
we bishops are actually fairly scrupulous in wanting to avoid any
partisan flavor."

One might reasonably conclude today that such scrupulosity has gone
out the window. For Dolan and his fellow episcopal travelers,
the all-consuming issue is abortion
[[link removed]]. That tops the agenda in any
political consideration. Allen asked: "Are you saying that the
perception of being in bed with the Republicans, or the political
Right, is the PR price that has to be paid for taking a strong stance
on abortion?"

"Yes, that's exactly right," Dolan answered.

Unfortunately, the bishops have paid a much higher price than poor
public relations in their political strategy the past four decades.
Abortion is a serious subject that they've turned into a political
volleyball in a game with no winners except the groups on the extremes
of the issue who cash in every four years, sustaining careers and an
endless debate.

In one interesting concession to reality, Dolan notes during the
conversation that no less a conservative hero than the late Jesuit
theologian and cardinal, Avery Dulles, often asked whether a legal ban
on abortion could be enforced, noting that Thomas Aquinas advised
against pursuing unenforceable law.

That is a reasonable question, particularly in the current context.
NCR has always held up the efficacy of church teaching on life issues,
especially as embodied in Cardinal Joseph Bernardin's consistent ethic
of life. At the same time, we have regularly and strongly objected to
what the bishops were doing in the public square regarding the issue
of abortion because the strategy has proven most effective in dividing
the Catholic community and turning the institutional church into a
partisan enterprise.

Whether a ban would be enforceable is a legitimate question. It speaks
to political reality, something even the bishops address in their
sadly dated voting guide, "Forming Consciences for Faithful
Citizenship
[[link removed]]." In
Paragraph 32 of the document the bishops acknowledge that flawed and
unjust laws may exist and changing them may be a gradual process
subject to "the art of the possible."

It is, finally, reasonable to note that at this moment, particularly,
the bishops have little credibility for two reasons. The first is that
survey after survey has shown over the years that they have been
unable to persuade even Catholics to their point of view in any
proportion different from the consensus that exists in the wider
public.

The second reason they lack credibility has to do with their own
behavior. This absolute rule for women comes from an all-male culture
that showed itself quite adept at accommodating a level of violence
against already-born children, covering it up and wishing to move
beyond the facts and the wrecked lives of thousands of victims and
their families.

It is quite a stretch to take the role of moral absolutist on the
matter of abortion when you've demonstrated a capacity to engage in a
degree of relativism that is truly breathtaking when dealing with
horrible abuse of children. Their own behavior over decades of
covering up abuse puts the lie to the sanctimonious posturing about
the absolute dignity of every person.

This unholy alliance with Trump, coupled with the GOP stacking of the
Supreme Court, may get the bishops the abortion ban they so covet, but
it will not end the debate. They may even get the federal money they
desperately need to extend the fading life of Catholic schools. But
all of it will have been purchased at the expense of a whole range of
other life and justice issues.

It will have been purchased in concert with a president whose primary
modus operandi is that of a bully devoid of empathy or concern for the
common good. If one actually believes Trump's current gushing about
Catholic schools and the right to life, Dolan might also be offered a
great deal on a bridge somewhere in the vicinity of the cathedral.

It need not be this way. The bishops themselves, in the conclusion to
"Faithful Citizenship," describe a different approach. It is worth
repeating the points here:

* "The Church is involved in the political process but is not
partisan. The Church cannot champion any candidate or party."
* "The Church is engaged in the political process but should not be
used. We welcome dialogue with political leaders and candidates; we
seek to engage and persuade public officials. Events and photo ops
cannot substitute for serious dialogue."
* "The Church is principled but not ideological."

The Catholic bishops' uncritical alliance with Republicans and Trump
obliterates those principles and allows Catholics to dismiss the
document as lacking any serious intent.

The alliance also further distances the church from any leverage it
might otherwise possess on a host of issues on the Catholic social
justice agenda deeply affecting life of the vulnerable and
marginalized, as well as from any hope of brokering modifications to
abortion on demand with Democrats.

The Catholic voice, capable of a priceless contribution to the public
conversation, has been sold for cheap to political hucksters.

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