Religion & Law

Fr. James Martin believes that Catholics, including bishops, are more afraid of speaking out these days that in past eras:

Today in the Catholic Church almost any disagreement to almost any degree with almost any church leader on almost any topic is seen as dissent. And I'm not speaking about the essentials of the faith -- those elements contained in the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed -- but about less essential topics. Even on those topics -- for example, the proper strategy for bishops to deal with Catholic politicians at odds with church teaching, the new translations of the Mass, the best way for priests to address complicated moral issues, and so on -- the slightest whiff of disagreement is confused with disloyalty.

Fr. Martin doesn't indicate whether this pressure to conform is simply a form of self-censorship, whether it emerges from the laity, or is the product of a conscious effort by Church hierarchy.  As a relatively new Catholic who hasn't experienced much in the way of pressure to conform, I'm hardly qualified to compare today's climate with the past.  It's always a tricky project, though, to uphold a meaningful sense of community based on shared beliefs without jeopardizing the healthy forms of disagreement that contribute so much to any community's vitality.