Conscience
Winter 2008 - 2009
Vol. XXIX
- No. 3
The Roots of Progressive Catholicism
Whose
Church? A Concise Guide to Progressive Catholicism
Daniel C. Maguire
(The
New Press, 2008, 162pp)
978-1595583352, $23.95
By
Theresa Padovano
One accusation that could never be made of
Dan Maguire is that he is an ivory tower theologian. In his latest book, he addresses
the hot button issues of our day with incredibly delightful humor, pithy sentences,
clarity of thinking and emotion that will touch your heart. It is contemporary
and prophetic. You will find he has been very engaged in our politics- both church
and state!
In the foreword, not to be missed, Rita Nakashima Brock describes
the audience the publisher wishes to reach, "the neglected Catholic majority,
the faithful who have been abandoned by the leaders." He reaches into his
knowledge of the tradition of the church, both biblical and theological, and reminds
us of our social justice teaching, part and parcel of the foundation and history
of Christianity. All the world's religions were "left-wing movements…powered
by passions of justice, hope and compassion for the powerless."
His
description of Mary is his first case in point. She is allowed "one little
speech" which was "a blockbuster" which "scared the guys!"
It was a call to moral, political and economic revolution. "No wonder they
never let her talk again." Maguire asks, "Where did all this good social
justice stuff go? And how did it get smothered in the pelvic orthodoxy obsessions
of much of contemporary Catholicism?"
Maguire credits the reactivation
of these traditions to the Catholic feminists and Latin
American liberation
theologians, as well as reform groups like Pax Christi, Call to Action
And
Voice of the Faithful. Professor Maguire knows how to get our attention. His opening
chapter is entitled "Good Sex (Even Catholics Can Have It)." He proceeds
to describe our history of dreary Catholic attitudes towards sexuality, laying
much of the blame at the feet of Augustine whom he dubs the "brooding neurotic"
who "after enjoying sex for a number of years, took an anti-sexual turn and
seemed thereafter hell-bent on making sure no one else ever enjoyed it."
He doesn't blame this bad attitude on Augustine alone, but points out the added
influence of our Puritan background plus the ramblings of bad science. Thankfully,
there have always been doubters and common sense has finally prevailed.
With
roots in a healthy spirituality coming from Jewish, Christian, Catholic and Islamic
spiritual resources, we have now turned toward a healthier understanding of our
sexuality. "Reality is bypassing dogma." A case in point is the church's
response to the HIV crisis in Africa. He recounts the bishop of Mozambique telling
his parishioners, "If you are HIV positive and you have unprotected sex…you
have in the eyes of God, committed murder. Or if you are HIV negative and you
have unprotected sex with someone who is infected, you have in the eyes of God,
committed suicide! So, my children, wearing a condom is not a sin…not wearing
one is."
He also credits women theologians who have influenced the
transition to a healthier spirituality and sexuality based on our hopes for justice
and for life. From this background, Maguire launches into an exploration of sexism
and "its soul mate, heterosexism."
Maguire points to some of the
tendencies that prevent men and women from developing humanity's full potential:
the propensity for violence, the hierarchical instinct, pernicious abstractionism,
bottom-line thinking (like saving a country by destroying it), hatred of women
("hatred is anger with tenure").
"So," he asks, "are
women perfect?" Of course the answer is "no" but the feminine positives
he notes include: contentment with bodily existence, integration of mind and affect
and association with children and what they have learned from alienation.
Heterosexism
becomes demythologized through the lens of science ("there are 450 species
of animal species that regularly engage in a wide range of same-sex activities")
and early church history when same-sex unions were celebrated liturgically. In
one of his most endearing lines he states, "In its sensible moments, Catholic
teaching, relying on the Bible, recognized that people are not prone to celibacy."
We can rejoice in the exuberant variety in the plant and animal world, why can
we not accept that it might also be true in the human species?
Maguire highlights
the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' pastoral letter of 1979, "Brothers
and Sisters to Us" as a sterling example of how the leadership of the church
could move us forward along the path to justice and hope. The bishops saw racism
as a structural evil calling for structural solutions and repentance on the part
of the whole church. Alas, this message has not been emphasized and the hierarchy
has returned to type in seeking to make every election about abortion.
Professor
Maguire's very practical side is at its best when discussing war. He looks at
all the waste and all the ways that our money could be spent to bring life-not
death! We seem not to be able to learn from history.
With his razor-sharp
wit, the author ends his book with a tragicomic description of our assault on
our planet. Placing ourselves above the rest of creation, we cut off the branch
we sit on: "human royal independence from the rest of the universe is a story,
but it is low-grade fiction." He names St. Francis of Assisi as patron of
the ecology movement. With the psalmist, he reminds us that we should join all
of creation, "let all the trees of the forest shout for joy." (Psalm
96)
Maguire assures us that we progressive Catholics have rightful ownership
of the church. It is time to hold our heads high and remember who we are and where
we've come from. He ends on a note of hope. If we love creation with all its beauty
and variety, we will fight to preserve it for our children.
Theresa Padovano
is co-founder and facilitator of the New Jersey chapter of Voice of the Faithful.
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