Neuhaus and McCarrick on Catholicism and Politics

Pittsburgh Catholic Newspaper has the story here.

They both appear to agree on more than they disagree. For instance:

To begin with, they agreed that separation of church and state does not require people of faith to take their beliefs out of politics. That was never the intention of the founding fathers and, in any case, is simply wrongheaded.

Politics deals with how we should live together and how we can create the best society, they said. Politics searches for the good, the best and the just, making the political inherently moral. And because faith is the surest basis for morality in culture, excluding religion from political debates runs counter to everything that politics is.

Both also agreed that Catholics have a particular witness to give in politics. As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops affirmed in “Faithful Citizenship,” last year’s statement on faith and politics, Catholic social teaching is unique in the emphasis it places on respect for life.

Respect for the dignity of the human person obviously involves the issues of abortion, stem cell research and euthanasia. It also encompasses a broader social agenda, including fighting poverty and hunger, providing quality education and health care, protecting family life, seeking peace and human rights, and protecting the environment.

While journalist Craig Maier puts this last sentence in Fr. Neuhaus' mouth as well as Archbishop McCarrick's, he fails to make the distinction I believe both men would make. Opposition to abortion, embryonic stem cell research and euthanasia is a more vital struggle than fighting poverty and other social justice issues. Innocent Life is clearly at stake. If that life isn't protected and honored, than the right of the living to enjoy a more prosperous standard of living, and all the rest, certainly won't be guaranteed.

While Catholics agree that "fighting poverty and hunger, providing quality education and health care, protecting family life, seeking peace and human rights, and protecting the environment" is important, many disagree on the best way in which to do so. Unfortunately, many in the social justice wing of the Roman Catholic Church would elevate Welfare Statism, like the kind that threatens Europe's economy, to the status of canonical requirement. In other words, oppose the Democratic party's economic platform, and you're supporting social injustice. This position simply can't be reconciled with Catholic Social Teaching.

Overall, Mr. Maier does a good job in presenting the views of both Neuhaus and McCarrick. I only wish that he could grasp the nuance that both men clearly believe. Isn't it time for the Catholic Church to end her own unique "culture war"? Doesn't the world deserve that?