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Bishops' vote to draft a document on the Eucharist
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June 22, 2021I have been asked what is my reaction to the controversy over the recent vote of the US bishops to draft a document on the Eucharist. My first reaction is that a long deep breath would be helpful.
Unfortunately, so much in our country today is viewed through the prism of polarized politics. This polarization has even bled into the people of the Church. For example, I remember last summer, when I announced that Catholic schools would be open for in-person education beginning in August and that there would be 10 requirements for all students and faculty (such as daily checking each person’s temperature, social distancing, sanitizing, etc.), a number of people wrote me angry letters/emails. That people would disagree with my decisions is not new. What was different was that the complaints were couched in political terms. For example, I was accused of giving into “Trump’s agenda” by having in-person classes, while others accused me of giving in the “left wing media’s agenda” by requiring masks. I assure you my decisions about schools were not influenced by my opinions of President Trump or the national media. However, many immediately thought so. It was striking that the complaints were not so much about any perception of bad judgment on my part but more about people’s suspicions of my political views.
Added to this polarization is the fact that there are those in the media who do not understand the Catholic Church. The media, both local and national, is comprised of many good people and provide an essential service to the community and the nation. However, I am sometimes struck at the questions I receive from media outlets. Some questions show a lack of knowledge about Catholicism. This unfamiliarity with the Church adds yet another challenge in the coverage some media sources are giving to the question of a bishop’s statement on the Eucharist. It is difficult to accurately report on something one does not understand.
I am convinced that few, if any, bishops base their teaching on a political agenda. Bishops consider themselves pastors, not politicians. (And there is nothing wrong with being a politician.) The statement on the Eucharist being drafted will not differ from the Catechism of the Catholic Church or from what the bishops previously stated. It will not be a new teaching. At the same time, there are a number of bishops who feel that in this time of considerable change in society and the Church the belief in the Real Presence of the Eucharist needs to be stated once again.
The Archdiocese of Mobile is currently observing The Year of the Eucharist and the Parish. This began the First Sunday of Advent, November 29, 2020. The Priests Council and I began planning for this in January, 2020. At all of our discussions which lasted from January through May, I never recall the word “abortion” or the name “Biden” being spoken. That was not on anyone’s mind. Instead, we know that studies have shown that many Catholics are either unaware of the constant teaching of the Church on the Real Presence of the Eucharist or are aware but do not embrace it. The priests and I unanimously felt that we needed to once again state the belief of the Church that in the Eucharist we do not receive a “thing” but a “person”, Jesus Himself. The Year of the Eucharist and the Parish is also being observed in the three other dioceses of the Province of Mobile (Biloxi, Birmingham and Jackson) and there are similar observances in some other dioceses elsewhere in the country.
Recently, a number of bishops from several parts of the country asked for a national statement in which the belief in the Eucharist would be stated again. It is felt that we as pastors need to clearly teach the belief in this time of great change or we will be perceived as implying that the belief has changed. Obviously, not all bishops agree, but the request was supported by 75% of the bishops at our June meeting.
Unfortunately, this has been portrayed by some, in and out of the Church, as being a statement against the President. No national bishops’ statement is going to single out an individual. That would not respect the authority of the local bishop. No bishop or group of bishops has any authority over another bishop or the people of his diocese. The Bishop’s Conference is not similar to a legislature or a congress; it cannot create statements which bind all bishops. A bishop is answerable only to the Pope. In addition, no one wants a controversy with the President of the US. However, the portrayal by some that the statement is solely about the President has served to bring about an ever escalating sense of confrontation. (As an aside, the President’s bishop, Cardinal Gregory of Washington, has already announced he would not deny Communion to the President.)
A concern which I have is that some will mistakenly portray the vote to draft a statement on the Eucharist for our November meeting in such a way to convey that the belief of the Church is determined by a vote of bishops or worse that the belief of the church is determined by political considerations. Nothing could be further from the truth. As I mentioned above, bishops view themselves as pastors who are compelled by their faith to teach the truth of the Gospel. There may be those who will criticize or congratulate the bishops for their stand, but in the final analysis there is only One whose opinion matters, and that is the One we will all stand before someday.
