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Rick Garnett maintains that Catholic liberals are not really put upon, but are welcome among U.S. Catholic Bishops. I do not think this is so. In its statement "Happy Are Those Who are Called to His Supper" (unfortunately the link to it is not working), the Bishops told the faithful that they are not to receive communion if they engage in an obstinate refusal (I believe that this includes well considered, but persistent refusal) to follow teachings of the Bishops. As I interpret this, liberal Catholics who as a matter of conscience cannot accept teachings of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in particular are obligated to follow their conscience (though the Bishops do not even concede this), but in doing so, they have separated themselves from the Church. On the same day, the Bishops in a separate document reaffirmed the Church's teaching on birth control (see here) and in a separate document its teaching on homosexuality (the link is not working). I find it unlikely that the Bishops were unaware of the juxtaposition of these documents.  I concede that the Bishops did not specify particular teachings (creating a loophole for the literal minded), but I think it clear in context that they had more in mind than the Nicene Creed. I also think that they had more in mind than the abortion issue. And one should not forget that the typical liberal Catholic disagrees with the Church on a wide variety of issues involving various facets of sexuality, divorce, and the role of women (and, of course, the same Catholic typically agrees with Church's general theology and most of its ethical teachings). I think the failure of the Bishops to specify the particular beliefs was probably caused by the lack of a consensus. But the notion that the liberal Catholic is welcome in the halls of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops is difficult for me to credit.

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