The Associated Press Writes About the Hijacking of Catholicism in the United States by a Right Wing Fringe

The Associated Press has a story about how fringe Catholic conservatives have been taking over Catholicism and hijacking some Catholic parishes. For some its like going back to the Dark Ages. With these kind of changes happening in Catholicism does that mean that the Catholic church is still a refuge from those escaping the chaos of American evangelicalism? Or is one form of fundamentalism being traded for another form of fundamentalism?

“There are a lot of Christian fundamentalists; there are a lot of Muslim extremists. Every religion – Mormonism – has something way on the side that’s completely using the religion as some weird backbone for their twisted faith. It has nothing to do with their religion.”

Patrick Wilson

Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.

Romans 12:12 NRSVCE

Mass in the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, Louisiana.

On Christmas when in the San Francisco Bay Area my family asked me to go to Catholic Mass with them. While I was not enthusiastic, I was also committed to not having conflict so off we went. The mass was different from other Catholic services I went to, what stood out is its bold fundamentalism. The priest gave a homily, or sermon that was fire and brimstone. He used the homily to mostly rebuke people like me who left the Catholic faith or those who attend mass twice a year – Christmas and Easter. The priest preached that people like me were in danger of hell. And he also talked about people who were sexual, slept with others outside of marriage, looked at porn or engaged in other sinful activity. The priest carried on and talked about the state of the country (Yes in a Christmas message) and talked about how the Catholic church was under assault from the culture. He addressed people like me and said that we need to come to confession, repent of not being active Catholics, pray the Rosary daily and talk with Mary. In the pew I was livid but I have a MAGA family member who just beamed and glowed. I almost walked out in the middle of the homily, it was that upsetting. The Catholic diocese of San Francisco has taken a rightward turn especially on the culture wars. The Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone did not get vaccinated against COVID-19 and pushed conspiracy theories while also leading the charge to prevent Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden from receiving communion. Salvatore Cordileone has been the darling of fundamentalist Catholics. But on Christmas Eve I took to my computer and left one of the boldest messages that I have left on the Facebook wall of a Catholic parish in the Bay Area. No doubt I was most likely blocked for what I said. I am going off my memory but it was something similar to what I am about to write. “What the fuck was that? You call that Christmas mass? You honestly think Father ********** can threaten people like me into coming back to Catholicism? The political comments in a Christmas mass were deeply inappropriate. But I am the atheist, you have produced nothing that would compel me to ever come back to Catholicism. That has been one of the most fucked up Christmas services I ever attended in my life. But while we are talking morality I would love to know did Father ******* know of sexual abuse in the Catholic church and refuse to report it? And you think people like me are lost.” Back in December I planned to write about this, but that abusive hobby shop situation happened and that distracted me from addressing stories like this one.

The Catholic Church is in the Process of Being Hijacked in the United States by a Vocal Conservative Element

Many people who follow evangelicalism know about the take over by fundamentalists in the Southern Baptists decades ago. The question needs to be asked, is the same thing happening in the Catholic church in the United States by right wing fundamentalists? This blog has written a number of stories about fundamentalists in the Catholic church. This blog wrote about Franciscan University in Stuebenville being a hot bed of Catholic fundamentalist activity in the following blog post, “A Conference at Franciscan University Asks Should a Successive Government Enforce Far Right Catholicism on the Populace? Plus Michael Sean Winters Writes About How Catholicism is on the Ballet in Ohio.” Another topic this blog explored is the topic of Catholic Intelgralism and how some fundamentalist Catholics want the United States to trade its representative democracy for a monarchy. You can read about that in, “The Spiritual Tyranny of Mary Imparato and the Danger of Catholic Integralism and Fundamentalism.” Then there was a Washington Post article that detailed about how Jayd Hendrick led a Catholic group that was using cutting edge technology to entrap gay Catholic priests and out them in their community against their will. That can be read about in, “How Jayd Henricks is Allegedly Going to Keep the Roman Catholic Church Pure By Forcing Gay Men to Commit Suicide. This is Just What Pope John Paul II Had in Mind When He Published Evangelium vitae” and “The Washington Post Writes About a Fringe Catholic Group That is Using Cyber Technology to Identify, and Out Gay Catholic Priests.” Then this blog wrote about an effort by Catholic fundamentalists to defund a library here in Virginia over claims it was allowing children to access “pornography.” That can be read in, “Fundamentalist Catholics Declare War on a Library in Front Royal, Virginia.” And lastly this blog wrote about how two adult men met in a bar and shared stories of religious abuse. In the case of this individual its decades of guilt that he was not molested from a Catholic priest, but a friend was instead. For more read, “Two Men Mourn Religious Abuse in a Bar.“

The Associated Press Wrote a Story About the Growth of Conservative Catholicism and the Taking Over of Parishes

In evangelicalism you have no doubt heard about how Neo-Calvinsts have hijacked evangelical churches. This is similar to that but its coming from extremely conservative Catholics. In a story AP spoke about the take over of a Catholic church in Madison, Wisconsin called St. Maria Goretti. How the choir director fled and contemporary hymns were replaced by Medieval Gregorian Chants. Preaching about hell was emphasized and female alter girls were also banned. It was almost as if the church stepped back in time and couldn’t be recognized. In other situations there are some churches which are wanting to go back to Latin mass and not allow English to be used. Food pantries and social justice go in sharp decline or are abandoned. It also talked about how in some situations people decided to leave or pull their children from Catholic schools fearing a fundamentalist version of Catholicism. The fringe fundamentalist Catholics appreciate and even try and drive people away. “Liberals” are a threat to the Gospel and having them leave Catholic churches is embraced. While some leave, fundamentalist Catholics who prefer strict clothing guidelines such as suits and also having some women wear veils can take over these churches. The article talks about the changes in Catholic colleges and the creation of a fundamentalist Catholic media echo chamber that feeds this movement. I am not surprised, some of the articles I have written above point to these changes. You can read the AP story in, “‘A step back in time’: America’s Catholic Church sees an immense shift toward the old ways.“

In the Context of Evangelicalism Here is Why This Story is Important

Evangelical Christianity in the United States is broken. This blog has written many, many articles about the issues and problems inside American evangelicalism. From the endless evangelical culture wars, to the rejection of science, to the sexual abuse crisis, to authoritarian issues with pastors like James MacDonald to Mark Driscoll are all examples of how evangelicalism is in dire straits. After all in an effort to get away from the problems of evangelicalism some decide to leave and become Catholic. An example of that is Mark Noll who was the editor of Christianity Today. You can read about that in, “Mark Galli Crosses The Tiber. Why Do Some Individuals Leave Evangelicalism and Convert to Roman Catholicism?“

So here is the question…if Catholicism is going to start to make the same mistakes of evangelicalism where should one go? If its a crime to be a woman in a Catholic church to the same degree that it was to be a woman in a John Piper or John MacArthur church, what next? If you are tired of those stuck in Dayton, Tennessee because of the Scopes trial, but you have an Archbishop in San Francisco who pushes conspiracy theories and garbage about science, what incentive is there to join the Catholic church? Why leave an Acts 29 or Sovereign Grace or chaotic Southern Baptist church and find yourself in a Catholic parish wanting to go Latin, and have females wear veils, then what? In this situation the  Catholics have warped truth just as evangelicals have warped truth. And in the end all you are doing is trading one abusive system in evangelicalism for another abusive system in Catholic fundamentalism. For many people this is going to drive them into secularism and away from church. But if there is no where to go, than its going to leave some in shock. This situation has to be considered in the context of evangelicalism and its problems. But for many this is a story that deserves to be followed and explored in the context of the scandals and failings of American evangelicalism. But here is the take away to remember…in the end regardless of the religion those who cause the most harm are the religious fundamentalists or extremists. From the fundementalists involved in the Southern Baptist take over in the late 1970s, to what 19 radical Islamic terrorists did on September 11, 2001 to Catholic fundamentalists and what is written about in this AP story. It is the fundamentalists that need to be monitored and watched.