Now What Have I Been Saying . . . ?

Haven't I been saying over the past several weeks that the Catholic church has sold itself over stock, lock, and barrel to the Republican party. And why should anyone be surprised? Isn't it ever the case that despite the saintly souls in the ranks who actually care for the poor and who make it their business to do acts of charity and goodness, which, in the gospel scheme of things is exactly what followers of Jesus are supposed to be doing . . . I say that despite this, is it not always the case that the official Church, the institution, is ever allied with the forces of reaction? I search history in vain for evidence that it was otherwise after 326 CE when the Emperor Constantine bestowed the State's blessing on Christianity. Since then, which I have often seen as one of the worst things ever to happen to the church, the hierarchy and Rome has allied itself with the rich and powerful of society.

I reiterate that this is not to say that the Church does a vast amount of good in the world to relieve the sufferings of people and to care for their needs, but when it comes to knowing where its bread is buttered, the Church does not miss a beat. It's palsy walsy with the money . . . everywhere.

And so we read that Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, is going to deliver the closing blessing the GOP convention at the end of the week. How appropriate.

"The cozy relationship between a sizable portion of U.S. bishops and the Republican Party should be cause for concern, and not just among progressive Catholics," Michael O'Loughlin wrote in a post on the website of America magazine, a leading Catholic weekly published by the Jesuits.

"Cardinal Dolan's appearance in Tampa will damage the church's ability to be a moral and legitimate voice for voiceless, as those who view the Catholic Church as being a shill for the GOP have just a bit more evidence to prove their case," O'Loughlin concluded.

Well, I should say so. To my knowledge, the official Church in the guise of one of its most prominent prelates has never publicly identified itself with a political party like this. So all pretense is off.