Certain few Bishops are guilty of hypocrisy, in that they say to the faithful, in effect: “Do as I say, not as I do.” They tell the faithful not to vote for politicians who support or promote intrinsic evils, such as abortion and same-sex marriages or civil unions. Good. I weigh these issues heavily in my voting. I am concerned to do as much good and as little harm as possible when voting. I reject all direct abortion (and contraception) as intrinsically evil and always gravely immoral. I reject same-sex marriage and civil unions. I adhere to the teachings of the Magisterium, on faith and morals, in word and in deed.

Certain acts are intrinsically evil and therefore always immoral, regardless of intention or circumstances. When the Bishops support and explain this teaching, they do well.

However, many Bishops do not act in accord with their own words. They tell us not to vote for pro-abortion politicians, then they refuse to excommunicate politicians who openly support abortion, as if it were a right, rather than a grave sin. They continue to give holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians, while instructing the faithful that they must not vote for pro-abortion politicians, because the politicians support and promote an intrinsically evil and gravely immoral act. Hypocrites! If I must not give my vote to a politician who supports abortion, why must you give that same politician holy Communion?

When a Catholic politician (or any other Catholic) knowingly chooses to reject the definitive teaching of the Magisterium that direct abortion is always gravely immoral, he commits the sin of formal heresy. All persons who commit the sin of formal heresy are automatically excommunicated under Canon Law, and under the eternal moral law of God. Yet the Bishops continue to give such persons Communion, and they refuse to make that automatic excommunication effective by public proclamation to the faithful and by denying the Sacraments to these unrepentant heretics.

And the same can be said of many theologians, even many who teach at Catholic universities, colleges, and seminaries. There are Catholic theologians who openly reject and argue against the infallible teaching of the Magisterium on matters of faith and morals, including abortion, contraception, and same-sex marriage or civil unions. The Bishops are strongly proclaiming to the faithful that we should not vote for politicians who support these intrinsically evil and gravely immoral acts. But they refuse to correct theologians — those who are under their authority and teaching at Catholic institutions in their dioceses — who approve of direct abortion, who justify even direct partial-birth abortions, and who teach the faithful that these horrific sins are moral.

Examples include M. Therese Lysaught, Fr. Martin Rhonheimer, and Germain Grisez. Each of these Catholic theologians approves of direct abortion to save the life of the mother. And there are many more examples of theologians, teaching at Catholic institutions, who openly reject or repeatedly and consistently undermine the definitive teaching of the Magisterium on matters of faith and morals. The Bishops seldom speak out against such persons or their errors. The Bishops tell you that you cannot vote for a politician who supports direct abortion, but then they permit persons who reject the teaching of the Church on abortion to teach at Catholic institutions.

The situation is just as bad when it comes to same-sex marriage and civil unions. The Bishops tell you that you cannot vote for politicians who support same-sex civil unions, since it is an intrinsic evil. I’m glad to hear any Bishop or priest speak against intrinsically evil acts, including abortion, contraception, and same-sex marriage/civil unions. But I am dismayed to hear about cases, in which a dispute arises between a faithful priest and a practicing homosexual, — and the Bishop or Cardinal sides with the homosexual against the priest.

For example, there was the case of a man who is a homosexual, living in a civil union with another man, and who ran for a position on the parish council at the local Catholic parish. He was elected. Only Catholics were voting, and this man was openly living in a same-sex civil union, yet he received enough votes to be elected. He also did not sign the Confession of Faith that Canon Law requires everyone to sign when taking a position at a parish or diocese. The parish priest objected to his election, and wanted him removed. But Cardinal Schönborn intervened, had lunch with the man and his gay civil union partner, and subsequently approved of this man’s election. The parish priest could not continue to lead the parish in that situation, so essentially he was forced to resign. See my post on the subject.

The Bishops tell us not to vote for politicians who support same-sex marriage or civil unions. Good. Well said. But then they turn around an approve of the election — to a parish council (!!!) — of a man who is gay and living with another man in a civil union. The Cardinal who is the local ordinary gave his formal approval to the election of that man. And the priest who objected was driven out of the parish.

In another example, a woman who is a non-Christian (a Buddhist) attended the funeral of her Catholic mother. She went into the sacristy before Mass and introduced another woman as her lesbian lover. She had been openly living in sin with this woman for many years. Her family, gathered at the mother’s funeral, knew of this grave public sin. The priest rightly attempted to deny the woman Communion. But after being denied by the priest, she went to one of the extraordinary ministers and received anyway. How did the Bishop of the diocese respond to this situation? He publicly apologized to the woman, refused to acknowledge or support the Law of the Church that persons persisting in manifest grave sin are not to be given Communion, and then promptly found an excuse to remove the priest from the diocese.

The Bishops tell us not to vote for politicians who support same-sex marriage or civil unions. But if a Catholic priest dares to deny Communion to a NON-CHRISTIAN (!!!) who is living in sin with a same-sex partner for many years, the Bishop drives him out of his ministry, and refuses to say a single word against the grave public sins in question. See my posts on this subject:

The lesbian communion incident: Canon law versus the Eternal Moral Law
The lesbian at a Catholic funeral incident

Now, what do the other Bishops say when a fellow Bishop or Cardinal commits the grave sin of scandal by approving of a practicing homosexual’s election to a parish council, or by publicly apologizing to a non-Christian lesbian living in grave sin when she was denied Communion? What do the Bishops say when a fellow Bishop or Cardinal forces a faithful priest out of his ministry because he acted in accord with the teaching of the Church on faith and morals? Nothing. It is like the blue code of silence among police officers:

“The Blue Code of Silence … is an unwritten rule among police officers in the United States not to report on another colleague’s errors, misconducts or crimes. If questioned about an incident of misconduct involving another officer (e.g. during the course of an official inquiry), while following the code, the officer being questioned would claim ignorance of another officer’s wrongdoing.” (Wikipedia)

Even the current holy Pope, Benedict XVI, does not correct these types of grievous errors among the Bishops. Then there is a whole cadre of online Catholic commentators who can find nothing wrong in any official act or decision of any Bishop or Cardinal. They can think up a dozen clever intellectually-dishonest justifications for anything any Bishop says or does.

All these types of hypocrisy will not go unpunished by God.

[Matthew 23]
{23:1} Then Jesus spoke to the crowds, and to his disciples,
{23:2} saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have sat down in the chair of Moses.
{23:3} Therefore, all things whatsoever that they shall say to you, observe and do. Yet truly, do not choose to act according to their works. For they say, but they do not do.
{23:4} For they bind up heavy and unbearable burdens, and they impose them on men’s shoulders. But they are not willing to move them with even a finger of their own.
…
{23:27} Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed sepulchers, which outwardly appear brilliant to men, yet truly, inside, they are filled with the bones of the dead and with all filth.
{23:28} So also, you certainly appear to men outwardly to be just. But inwardly you are filled with hypocrisy and iniquity.

by
Ronald L. Conte Jr.
Roman Catholic theologian and
translator of the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Bible.