A Blog for Dallas Area Catholics

Dietrich von Hildebrand on the collapse or authority in the Church January 13, 2014

Continuing with the series of posts from Dr. Dietrich von Hildebrand’s extremely important analysis of the crisis in the Faith, The Devastated Vineyard, some excerpts from Chapter 21, Fear of Using Authority in Holy Church:

One of the false claims made to justify the failure on the part of so many in positions of authority in the Church to actually use that authority to rein in all manner of abuse, “dissent,” and even out and out heresy, is that somehow authority no longer works.  Somehow, all those tools that served the Church so well, from removal from office to the Index to excommunication are either “not appropriate” or ineffectual with “modern” man.  von Hildebrand explodes this self-serving claim, and shows quite convincingly that what has really occurred is a collapse of zeal, charity, and faith among those in positions of authority.  At least, that’s the only explanation that is sensical.  Begin quote:

[Due to our fallen natures, people have always rebelled against authority…..] And so the assertion is false that authority is ineffective today when exercised by legitimate superiors.  As far as formal intervention goes, such as suspending or expelling someone, the use of authority is thoroughly effective, especially the authority of bishops and religious superiors. We do not deny that resistance to authority and unwillingness to obey is especially prominent today and is fostered by all kinds of demagogues (and quite often by communist agents who are themselves slaves of  a brutal and illegitimate totalitarian authority).  But the failure to use the authority which has been given by God in a special way, really comes from human respect, from feeling more responsible to public opinion than to Christ, and from the fact that one fears the reputation of being reactionary more than the offense against God which lies in not using the authority which derives from Him, and fears this reputation more than harm to souls. Now this, too, is a result of this-worldliness.  [It certainly seems to be.  Some may say that it would cause scandal to remove a heretical priest, or to sack an apostate theologian, but what of the scandal of allowing them to remain?  And what of the damage they inflict on souls? Is that not greater?  There is a mentality in the Church that completely eschews what it calls the “negative ecclesiology” of the past.  This “negative ecclesiology” means things like enforcing discipline, excommunicating intractably wayward souls, even mentioning sin and damnation as realities, but it is simply a short-hand for being far more concerned about worldly affairs than eternal ones.  We are told that it is better to use the honey of mercy than the “vinegar” of discipline.  What is left unsaid is that doing so is a tacit rebuke of 1500+ years of Church belief and practice, and that “mercy” has been incredibly ineffective in converting any heretics over the past 50 years.  How many souls fall away under the influence of those who should be disciplined?]

Of course revolutionary propaganda and the spirit of the times can make it more difficult than in earlier times to intervene effectively with authority. But is this a reason for making cowardly compromises?…….[I don’t think we comprehend the extent to which our thinking, virtually all of us (myself included), has in many ways been shaped and distorted by the cultural left.  From politically correct writing to notions like sexism and racism, all of these were developed by communist agents to attack and undermine the morale of the West.  They are so omnipresent many of us incorporate these corrosive ideas into our thinking without even being aware of it.  That is who the left continues its march through the institutions, including the Church.]

…..The right use of the sacred authority of a bishop or a religious superior is much more necessary, more urgently called for by God when it is not just the deviation of an individual which is at stake, but rather the sperading of a terrible spiritual plague by one who is either malicious or ignorant. The failure to use God-given authority against such a person is a betrayal of Christ.  Anyone who, from cowardice or insufficient moral courage, fails to take up a fight, brings a terrible responsibility on himself….

…..The betrayal of God-given authority, by keeping silent or by not intervening where this is a sacred duty before God, is always a very great fault. Sometimes it comes from the ostrich-policy of burying one’s head in the sand and not wanting to see the evils which authority can and should eliminate; sometimes it comes from the slogan “Authority is no longer effective today, it belongs to the Middle Ages.” [As an example of how our thinking has been warped by the cultural left, even going back well over 200 years, it was “enlightenment” philosophes, in their intractable hatred of the Catholic Church, that first developed the ideas of a “dark ages” and the Middle Age as a time of unremitting backwardness, religiously-based stupidity, and almost endless suffering.  The Middle Ages were actually a period of great intellectual and artistic flowering, all carefully fostered by the Church.  The dark ages, to the extent they existed, were caused by the breakdown of civil authority with the collapse of the Roman Empire and then, later, almost entirely due to the depridations of muslim and pagan marauders who wreaked great havoc and brought trade to a near standstill – none of which had anything to do with the Church.  But the left has been so successful,  This is much more dangerous than the abuse of authority which we just discussed; it is an even worse naturalism than this abuse, it is a failure to see what is demanded of the sacred office of a bishop or a religious superior. One looks upon authority as uncharitable and harsh because one looks at it “from without,” and fails to understand that it is a deed of the greatest love, that it is true love of neighbor to use God-given authority in the spirit of Christ and with the full awareness of being responsible before God.

Thank God there are still some orthodox bishops who fight courageously against the devastation of the vineyard of the Lord. They are all the more to be admired because so many other bishops do not have this courage, and because their effective intervention is made much more difficult by the new bureaucracy in the Church and its “legalism.” [The Church is far more bureaucratic than it has ever been.  The Church employs orders of magnitude more people than it did 60 or 70 years ago, even accounting for change in population.  Episcopal conferences are often dominated by progressives, lay people with no special charism who have, over the past 50 years, foisted their agenda on the Church.  Transferring “doctrinal” authority to episcopal conferences will only see the few orthodox bishops further undermined and the entire doctrinal structure of the Church sundered, or at least gravely threatened. I frankly don’t see how such a transfer could be done. Can you imagine what the German bishop’s conference would do with the power to set doctrine?  I would think the experience of the past 50 years would demonstrate, conclusively, just how deadly and problem-prone bureaucratization of the Church is, and how contrary it has been, in practice, for the good of souls.]   For by establishing national episcopal conferences, individual bishops are made dependent on the majorities of these councils in a way which often hinders them from acting and intervening according to their conscience. [Why do you think Cardinal Burke is in Rome?  Why was Bishop Bruskewitz ostracized?  Why was Bishop Finn thrown under the bus?]  Then there are the priest’s councils, which in the name of democracy often make it more difficult for the bishops to act, and parish councils, which often hinder orthodox pastors from carrying on their struggle against “progressivism.” 

The energetic struggles against the ever-increasing work of satan to undermine Holy Mother Church from within demands not only holy courage – it also demands a burning faith in Christ and His Holy Church, a faith which cannot be shaken by any trend of the time…….by the press and public opinion.

It is clear what great strength of faith is required for martyrdom. To be ready to die for the true Faith  reveals and immense strength of faith…….

————-End Quote————–

And that is precisely the degree of Faith we desperately need from all pious souls, but especially those entrusted by God with sacred authority.  It is far to easy to look for worldly reasons not to enforce authority, or even reasons masquerading as “what is best for souls.”  But submission to the Truth Christ has revealed through His Church is the foremost duty of faith.  It is absolutely foundational.  Without that submission, or acceptance, the Faith is built upon a lie.  Error can never be a sure foundation for the Faith.  In fact, error consumes the Faith and ultimately destroys it.

That is why we must pray passionately for our bishops.  After every Mass our parish has a list of prayers and thanksgivings we all offer, together, publicly, and one of those is for true faith, zeal, and courage for bishops and civil leaders. That is a practice we should all take up, even if individually.  Make prayers for your bishop and all bishops one of your permanent, every day Mass and Rosary intentions.  Offer up Novenas, or other special prayers.  Offer mortification for the sanctification of your bishop.  There is much we can do.

Ultimately, we get the bishops we deserve.  When there are  many pious and devout faithful, the Church tends to have better leadership.  When the faithful are themselves lukewarm, sinful, or half-hearted…..well, it’s difficult to expect great bishops to arise from such a sea of unfaithfulness. Now, many of today’s bishops may have been around from before some readers were born, or at least active in the Faith. Yes, much destruction has already occurred. But that does not mean that our prayers today cannot work a miracle of conversion, or assist in bringing forth great leaders in the future.   It is really the very least we can do, if we are so concerned about the leadership in the Church.

The other thing we must do is raise up very zealous, faithful souls: ourselves and our children.  If we are to see the Faith restored, we must start with ourselves.