How Obama Sees the Church: Vortex

I reported here on the last episode of the new ChurchMilitant.TV “Mic’d Up” radio show, highlighting the end of the show where Michael Voris responded to a listener’s question about whether Obama was trying to divide the Church.

On yesterday’s (October 7) Vortex, Voris elaborated on his answer to that question. Here’s my transcription of the last couple of minutes of the episode:

Why would Obama ever see a reason to create or foster schism in the Church?

He sees the Church as this almost monolithic structure that almost always votes majority Democratic; largely ignores its own moral teaching; whose bishops barely utter a word, if ever, against any of his Catholic buddies – who let them receive Holy Communion, allow them to keep calling themselves Catholic, let them keep speaking on Catholic colleges and campus and so on. He watches the Catholic governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo – and his mistress – sit in the front pew at Mass while the bishop there, Howard Hubbard, jokes and kids around with them and distributes the Host to them.

He hears the reports that the Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan, and his fellow bishops in New York, barely lifted a finger to fight against gay marriage in that state, and let it sweep into law. And then he hears reports that Cardinal Dolan actually apologizes for potentially hurting the feelings of any homosexuals because of stating Church teaching.

Then at the end of all of that, he comes walking downstairs in the White House, goes to the White House mailbox, and there he has, from the leading bishop of the United States, who is not only the Cardinal Archbishop of New York, but also the President of the entire US Bishops’ Conference, an invitation. He opens up the invitation, and it’s to the grandest ballroom gala dinner that the Church in New York has. He’s been invited to make a few jokes, kid around, and pose for a picture with this Prince of the Church, who is all smiles and joking and back-slapping and cigar toting.

Exactly where on earth would Obama ever get the idea that he is causing a divide or a schism in the Church?

What he sees is a Church that agrees with him on nearly every piece of legislation that he puts forward; happily shoots down traditional Catholics in a very public fashion, like GOP vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan and his budget; musters a somewhat limp defense of traditional marriage in New York; and launches a PR campaign against a very small portion of his new healthcare law.

No, what Obama sees is a pretty liberal Church, whose majority of members reject her morality; don’t believe it’s anything special; whose major bishops act that way; it has its fringe remnant of course, a little group clinging to the “old ways”…

In short…he sees it exactly like it is.

Sadly, it’s true – that does describe our Church in the US. I think most Americans probably see it that way. At least, non-Catholics are probably more confused than ever about what the Church actually teaches these days…because Catholics are confused about it.

I don’t think we need a “Year of Faith”; I think we need a “Year of Catechesis”. How can you have “faith” when you know so little about the object of that faith? Yes, I know, we are encouraged to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church during this Year of Faith, and I hope many pastors promote that idea and do something to facilitate it.

I’m interested to see just how this enfolds in my diocese.