Dear Congressman Kennedy:

or

What does it mean to be a Catholic?

By Deacon Nick Schwartz

Thomas Tobin is the bishop of Providence, Rhode Island. Patrick Kennedy, the son of the late Senator Edward Kennedy, is a congressman from the state of Rhode Island. According to National Right to Life, Patrick Kennedy has a 100% pro-abortion voting record. In February of 2007 Bishop Tobin sent a private letter to Congressman Kennedy in which he said: “In light of the Church’s clear teaching, and your consistent actions, therefore, I believe it is inappropriate for you to be receiving Holy Communion and I now ask respectfully that you refrain from doing so.” In the same letter the bishop said: “I am writing to you personally and confidentially as a pastor addressing a member of his flock . . . At the present time I have no need or intention to make this a public issue.” He also indicated, “I am available to discuss this matter with you in person at any mutually convenient time and place. I would welcome the opportunity to do so.” In my opinion the bishop’s letter was pastoral and appropriate.

But with the ongoing health care debate over the last 6 months circumstances began to change. In September of 2009 Bishop Tobin sent letters to the Rhode Island congressional delegation stating the Church’s position on health care legislation. He said the Bishops of the United States were in favor of comprehensive health care reform but were adamantly opposed to health care legislation that threatens the life of unborn children, requires taxpayers to pay for abortion, rations health care, or compromises the conscience of individuals. Again, I believe the bishop’s letter was appropriate; nothing out of the ordinary here.

But in October Congressman Kennedy chose to attack the nation’s bishops for opposing the health care bill that he supported. He basically said that the nation’s bishops were not pro-life for opposing pro-abortion healthcare. “I can't understand for the life of me how the Catholic Church could be against the biggest social justice issue of our time,” Kennedy told CNS News. “If the church is pro-life, then they ought to be for health care reform because it’s going to provide health care that are going to keep people alive. So this is an absolute red herring and I don't think that it does anything but to fan the flames of dissent and discord and I don't think it’s productive at all.”

Bishop Tobin responded by calling on Kennedy to issue an apology. “Congressman Patrick Kennedy’s statement about the Catholic Church’s position on health care reform is irresponsible and ignorant of the facts,” he said. “But the Congressman is correct in stating that ‘he can’t understand.’ He got that part right.” After this angry exchange of rhetoric the two men agreed to meet face to face.

Before this meeting took place, however, Congressman Kennedy, true to form, voted against the Stupak amendment, which barred the use of federal funding for abortion in the House’s health care reform bill. Kennedy then compounded his error by issuing a public letter in which he stated: “the fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.”

Bishop Tobin chose to respond by issuing a public letter to Kennedy in the Rhode Island Catholic, in which he focused on the congressman’s statement, “the fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.”

“That sentence certainly caught my attention and deserves a public response, lest it go unchallenged and lead others to believe it’s true,” wrote Bishop Tobin in the letter, which appeared in the November 12 edition of the diocesan newspaper. “And it raises an important question: What does it mean to be a Catholic?”

The bishop continued:

When someone rejects the teachings of the Church, especially on a grave matter, a life-and-death issue like abortion, it certainly does diminish their ecclesial communion, their unity with the Church. This principle is based on the Sacred Scripture and Tradition of the Church and is made more explicit in recent documents …

But let’s get down to a more practical question; let’s approach it this way: What does it mean, really, to be a Catholic? After all, being a Catholic has to mean something, right?

Well, in simple terms – and here I refer only to those more visible, structural elements of Church membership – being a Catholic means that you’re part of a faith community that possesses a clearly defined authority and doctrine, obligations and expectations. It means that you believe and accept the teachings of the Church, especially on essential matters of faith and morals; that you belong to a local Catholic community, a parish; that you attend Mass on Sundays and receive the sacraments regularly; that you support the Church, personally, publicly, spiritually and financially.

Congressman, I’m not sure whether or not you fulfill the basic requirements of being a Catholic, so let me ask: Do you accept the teachings of the Church on essential matters of faith and morals, including our stance on abortion? Do you belong to a local Catholic community, a parish? Do you attend Mass on Sundays and receive the sacraments regularly? Do you support the Church, personally, publicly, spiritually and financially?

In your letter you say that you “embrace your faith.” Terrific. But if you don’t fulfill the basic requirements of membership, what is it exactly that makes you a Catholic? Your baptism as an infant? Your family ties? Your cultural heritage?

The Bishop concluded:

In confronting your rejection of the Church’s teaching, we’re not dealing just with “an imperfect humanity” – as we do when we wrestle with sins such as anger, pride, greed, impurity or dishonesty. We all struggle with those things, and often fail.

Your rejection of the Church’s teaching on abortion falls into a different category – it’s a deliberate and obstinate act of the will; a conscious decision that you’ve re-affirmed on many occasions. Sorry, you can’t chalk it up to an “imperfect humanity.” Your position is unacceptable to the Church and scandalous to many of our members. It absolutely diminishes your communion with the Church.

Congressman Kennedy, I write these words not to embarrass you or to judge the state of your conscience or soul. That’s ultimately between you and God. But your description of your relationship with the Church is now a matter of public record, and it needs to be challenged. I invite you, as your bishop and brother in Christ, to enter into a sincere process of discernment, conversion and repentance. It’s not too late for you to repair your relationship with the Church, redeem your public image, and emerge as an authentic “profile in courage,” especially by defending the sanctity of human life for all people, including unborn children. And if I can ever be of assistance as you travel the road of faith, I would be honored and happy to do so.

According to The Providence Journal, Congressman Kennedy said that he wasn’t going to “dignify with an answer” the bishop’s letter. He also said that he found it “very disconcerting” that Bishop Tobin would not agree to keep private the discussion of his faith. His point is well taken, but we must keep in mind that it was Kennedy himself who made all of this a public debate, and the bishop was only responding to his public statements in a similar manner.

Sadly, Patrick Kennedy is just another in a long list of Catholics in public life who openly defy the Catholic Church’s clear teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death. We live in a free country and people like Patrick Kennedy can believe whatever they want. But please, don’t publicly support abortion on demand and in the same breath proclaim to the world that you are a member in good standing with the Catholic Church – you are not.

In conclusion, it was refreshing to hear such a clear, courageous and eloquent response from a bishop to a very difficult situation. Bishop Tobin is another example of a stiffening Episcopal backbone in our country. I agree with Dr. Jeff Mirus, president of Catholic Culture.org, who writes: “The bishops as a group are increasingly concerned that their lack of counter-cultural backbone over the past fifty years has come close to destroying the American Church, including its ability to save souls and influence politics. Episcopal verbal militancy…has recently been increasing year by year, especially on public moral questions. Many bishops are seeking to recover lost ground. Each act of individual courage seems to encourage more bishops to speak out. I believe this trend is unmistakable over the past five years.” All I can add is: “Hallelujah!”

(The complete text of Bishop Tobin’s letter to Congressman Kennedy can be found at http://www.thericatholic.com/opinion/detail.html?sub_id=2632