Over at Twitter, in the #AskPontifex thread, there is an outpouring of animosity and ridicule directed at the Pope, the Church, and the Catholic Faith. On the internet in general, this type of animosity is found almost everywhere that Catholicism is discussed. And the same attitude occasionally rears its ugly head in the news industry and in politics. What is the basis for this animosity?

The Pope and the Church have teachings on important matters of morality. These teachings are contrary to the beliefs and practices of a majority of persons who live secular lives.

Abortion is intrinsically evil and always gravely immoral. Contraception is intrinsically evil and always gravely immoral. Divorce and remarriage is prohibited (without an annulment). Premarital sex and adultery are grave sins. Pornography is gravely immoral. Homosexuality is a disorder, and homosexual acts are intrinsically evil and always gravely immoral. Same-sex marriage is not a true type of marriage, and so no one should support it.

How many persons have violated one of these teachings? How many are violating these teachings on a regular basis? A large percentage of any nation’s population is living and believing contrary to these, and many other, teachings.

So when the Pope and the Church reiterate these teachings, people are offended. They rightly perceive that the Church is telling them that their own deeds are evil, and that they must change their behavior. But out of pride, most people refuse to change. Instead, they respond with personal attacks on the Pope, ridicule of the Church, and hatred for Catholicism.

Unfortunately, many persons who call themselves Catholic are essentially in the same situation.

They are living and believing contrary to the definitive teaching of the Pope and the Church on morality. It is not so unusual for a Catholic to have contempt for Catholic teaching, for the teaching authority of the Magisterium, and for the Popes. The reason is essentially the same as for non-Catholics. They are committing objective mortal sins in their lives, and the Church “offends” them by pointing out that these deeds are gravely immoral.

Worse still, there are some clever false teachers among unfaithful Catholics. They despise the teaching of the Roman Catholic Magisterium that intrinsically evil acts are always immoral, regardless of intention or circumstances. They reject the teaching of the Popes and Bishops that it is always gravely immoral to use contraception, even with a good intention (such as a medical purpose). They reject the teaching of the Church that unnatural sexual acts are intrinsically evil and always gravely immoral, and are therefore not moral to use within marriage, neither as foreplay, nor in the context of natural marital relations.

These unfaithful Catholics often go on the internet and teach falsehoods and distortions, contrary to Catholic teaching, to their fellow Catholics. They try to convince as many Catholics as possible that their own sinful deeds are actually moral and approved by the Church. They publicly claim, usually under cover of a silly pseudonym, that the Church approves of these grave sins. And if anyone contradicts them — especially with a theological argument based on Tradition, Scripture, Magisterium — they treat that person with animosity, malice, ridicule, and all manner of empty rhetorical disparagement.

They have no sound theological argument to support their ideas. They ignore the teachings of the Magisterium. They praise and glorify anyone who gives them an excuse to justify their own sins. They will always be able to find some priests, theologians, and authors who teach falsehoods and distortions, in contradiction to the teaching of the Church. They will always be able to find some unfaithful commentators who offer rationalizations to make their grave sins seem good and moral. But they are not thereby excused from culpability, since they do not sincerely seek the truth.

Ignorance of the teaching of the Church is ignorance of Christ. Rejection of the teaching of the Church is rejection of Christ. Ridicule of the teaching of the Church is ridicule of Christ. Hatred of the teaching of the Church is hatred of Christ. Malice toward any human person is malice toward Christ. He himself will judge and repay all these false teachers, who lead poor lost souls away from truth and justice in order to justify their own grave sins and their own refusal to repent.

Teachers shall receive a stricter judgment. (James 3:1).

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