open book: Fr. Groeschel in the Times

March 26, 2007

Fr. Groeschel in the Times

(With a bit of a political angle, but that's okay. ) It gives us a good quote:

"I used to be a liberal, if liberal means concern for the other guy,” Father Groeschel said. “Now I consider myself a conservative-liberal-traditional-radical-confused person.”

Posted by Amy Welborn | Permalink

Comments

A nice profile, indeed. Any reasonably fair-minded attempt by the MSM to shed light on Catholics who don't fit nicely into either the "conservative" or "liberal" category should be applauded.

One sentence in particular caught my attention:

The church’s views on issues like abortion and homosexuality put Father Groeschel on the opposite side of the political spectrum from many who support his work for social justice.

I've often wondered, with a heavy heart, when exactly it was that the term "social justice" began to often prompt such polarizing reactions in the minds of its hearers.

Posted by: John Jansen at Mar 26, 2007 2:26:51 PM

Excuse me while I gloat, but Fr. Benedict gave the priest's retreat this year in our diocese (Fort Worth), which is a radical shift. Apparently he and Bp. Vann are old friends: Fr. B sat about about 20 feet away from me at the bishop's ordination in July, '05, and I suspected then a new day was upon us.

Posted by: Ken at Mar 26, 2007 3:13:13 PM

Posted by: Ken at Mar 26, 2007 3:20:14 PM

You have to love Commonweal for posts like this:

"...Groeschel is one of the clergy who put aside discretion and wisdom and unabashedly campaigned for W. "We have eight years" I heard him say at the start of the Bush term. Eight years of religious misdirection while taking care of the rich all the way.

His creative days were in civil rights, like his compatriot. Now he has lost it. He has a lot to answer as a person intimately involved with the Archdiocese of New York. What fruits can he brag about? He has done some good in the South Bronx and other places for the poor.

He looks more, to me, like the confused part of his personality he describes. A person centered on one issue and angry most of the time about that.

He is at home with RJN where they both were irresponsible on the war and sought to have their brand of religion made the law of the land. It is a better than thou type of spirituality which ends up fruitless.

Posted by: Emil Lowe at Mar 26, 2007 6:30:22 PM

"What fruits can he brag about?... He looks more, to me, like the confused part of his personality he describes. A person centered on one issue and angry most of the time about that.”

What fruits can he brag about? Probably none, since Father is not one to brag! IMO, if the person that posted this in Commonweal does 1/4 of the good that Fr. Groeschel has done and is doing in life, he should consider himself graced. Me, I would settle for doing 1/8, since that is about as far as my goodness extends.
Also, he should careful of such a priori judgments on another's character, lest one might accuse him of the same thing he states toward the good friar based on the tone of his writing. But, then again, one would be committing the same self-referential fallacy he did in his post!

Posted by: Rick at Mar 26, 2007 7:37:25 PM

I wrote Fr. Benedict a letter about the saintly (Protestant)African American woman who is the primary care giver for my 98 year old mother and how much she loves to watch him on EWTN. I was just hoping to get a book signed for her. Last month Fr. Benedict responded by calling us on the phone, speaking with our saintly friend and then inviting us all to lunch with him when he was in the area. Having lunch with him was an unforgettable experience. He is an amazing man. BTW, she got the signed book. :)

Posted by: William at Mar 26, 2007 7:52:54 PM

John Jansen quoted from the original article "The church’s views on issues like abortion and homosexuality put Father Groeschel on the opposite side of the political spectrum from many who support his work for social justice."

And added his own reflection, "I've often wondered, with a heavy heart, when exactly it was that the term 'social justice' began to often prompt such polarizing reactions in the minds of its hearers."

I believe the answer to your question "when did this happen?" would be "around 1917 (or shortly before) with the Bolshevik Revolution in what was shortly to become the Soviet Union."

The Bolsheviks presented themselves as very much proponents of social justice and equality for all - one half of the equation. The other half (sexuality, abortion and divorce) is well summarized in an article from Socialist Worker Online, which is quoted as follows:

"The Bolshevik-led revolution of October 1917 led to . . . a very different concept of how sexuality should be understood, . . . (the) modern idea that sexuality should be secularised, that all the religious hocus-pocus should be stripped away, and also that science should be the major factor that determined the approach to sexuality.

"This thinking lay behind the decriminalisation of sex between men in the (Russian) post-revolution penal code. Abortion was also legalised, while divorce was made available on the request of either partner."

Posted by: Marion (Mael Muire) at Mar 27, 2007 9:19:45 AM

Marion (Mael Muire) said: I believe the answer to your question "when did this happen?" would be "around 1917 (or shortly before) with the Bolshevik Revolution in what was shortly to become the Soviet Union."

Interesting. Thanks!

Posted by: John Jansen at Mar 27, 2007 2:10:55 PM

There is nothing unusual about Fr. Benedict's positions on both social justice and life issues.Mother Teresa, his good friend, was a passionate defender of the poor and the unborn. They are merely following Church teaching, which should rise above the liberal-conservative lines drawn by politicians and pundits.
It sometimes makes me uncomfortable to be around otherwise wonderfully pro-life Republicans when the issue of immigration comes up, and charity for the poor takes a back seat to meanspirited name calling.Likewise, I work with liberals on social issues in my community, like fair treatment of the handicapped, but walls go up when they see I'm pro-life.
Fr. Benedict gets it right. And manages to keep his New York sense of humor in the process!

Posted by: Leticia Velasquez at Mar 27, 2007 5:37:16 PM