The estrangement between academic theology and the institutional Church is one reason many younger Catholics are now turning to neo-traditionalist circles for instruction. A new generation is re-examining what’s happened in the church since the 1960s and reacting against the theology that came out of the Second Vatican Council. Some younger Catholics are also questioning the legitimacy of the secular, pluralistic state. This is why the concerns of academic theology are no longer merely academic.
Those who have contact with young Catholics—for example, college students—may have noticed that this theological anti-liberalism is not just coming from a few marginal intellectuals. Catholic anti-liberalism is part of a broader phenomenon, a new quest for Catholic identity that takes various forms. It may be expressed as an enthusiasm for the Tridentine Mass and a distaste for the Novus ordo. Or it may take the form of an interest in countercultural communities—in some version of the “Benedict Option.” But it can also take the form of a theo-political imagination that rejects liberal democracy in favor of a new Christendom.
This rise of Catholic anti-liberalism marks a regression in the ability of Catholics to understand the problem of the state and of politics in our age. But it also says something about the state of Catholic theology, especially in America. I believe that the fate of Catholic theology in the Western world is inseparable from the fate of academic theology. In order to survive and flourish, theology needs universities, publishers, and journals. You can just about imagine the church surviving intellectually without academic theology, but I think it would be the poorer for it. Especially in the American system, where there is no constitutionally established church, academic theology is part of a religious and ecclesial Catholic establishment. But we cannot assume the institutions that support academic theology will last forever. And for Catholic academic theology to be healthy, it cannot depend entirely on a few great institutions like Notre Dame and Georgetown; it also needs the many smaller Catholic colleges, many of which are now struggling to stay open.
The present wave of anti-liberalism does tell us something about what’s happened to liberal Catholic theology and religious-studies departments in the past few years. As a faculty member in the theology and religious-studies department at Villanova University, I found what Archbishop Charles Chaput had to say after his lecture here significant. Someone asked him about the role of John Paul II’s apostolic constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae (1990) in Catholic universities today. He answered that the document, issued by the U.S. bishops in 1999 to implement Ex Corde, “had no teeth.” This was as frank an acknowledgement of the estrangement between Catholic theologians and the church as one could ask for.
What happened in the years between the Land O’Lakes Statement (1967) and the implementation of Ex Corde Ecclesiae emancipated theology from ecclesiastical control, but it also emancipated the Catholic Church from academic theology. There was a breakdown between bishops and theologians throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s having to do with the theology of sexuality. In 1979 a letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith criticized Human Sexuality: New Directions in American Catholic Thought, a study commissioned by the Catholic Theological Society of America and edited by Anthony Kosnik. Bernard Law, who was appointed archbishop of Boston in 1984, publicly criticized Cardinal Joseph Bernardin’s Common Ground initiative, which was an effort to build bridges between different elements of the U.S. church, including academic theologians. Then there was the controversy about the new Catechism between the mid-1980s and 1992. Many theologians feared the reduction of their critical academic work to catechesis; some also worried that the Catechism was nullifying the teachings of Vatican II “by forcing them into a conservative mold.” All these developments led to more separation between academic theology and the hierarchy. Today, few Catholic theologians who work in academia also advise their local bishop or help the bishops’ conference draft its statements.
The work of Catholic theologians became less and less important to many Catholic leaders (bishops, public intellectuals, big donors), who instead turned their attention to initiatives that addressed the “culture wars.” But even apart from ideology, there was a real turn away from contemporary Catholic theology toward Catholic culture. This means that many Catholic students in America learned about Catholicism not from theology professors, but from Catholic professors of literature, the arts, history, and politics. Such students likely do not appreciate the importance and coherence of theological thinking as such. The influence of the Catholic intellectual tradition on all the disciplines, not just theology, was one of the themes of Ex Corde Ecclesiae. But to many, this meant that one could get a Catholic education without studying much—or indeed any—current Catholic theology. Because of the left-right split that widened during the pontificate of John Paul II, many Catholics, including intellectuals and even academics, wrote theology off as a discipline corrupted by “liberal opinion.” Catholic scholars of literature, art, history, etc., could teach a kind of Catholic studies that focused on the high cultural ideals of the Christian West and largely ignored or rejected post-conciliar theology.
As a consequence, some of the most prominent young commentators on current Catholic affairs have little formal theological formation, though they may know a lot about other elements of the Catholic intellectual tradition. And in a perverse reversal of fortunes, at the very moment many Catholic colleges and universities were freed from episcopal interference, they happily surrendered to the influence of corporate donors, who were eager to fund conservative projects on Catholic campuses—projects that often combined theological traditionalism with neo-liberal or libertarian economic ideology.
This phenomenon should be a wake-up call for Catholic theologians in America, because in the long run it will threaten the intellectual vitality, if not the very survival, of academic theology at Catholic colleges and universities.
Full story at Commonweal.
Keeping the faith as it was given to us will not be done by Theological thinkers, an unintellectual Leftist Pope, cohabitation, fornication, or communion for all. Flectuamus genoa, we need it to survive in the times of mercy.
Perhaps the followink link will reassure. Th is a closing statement fron Cardinal Burke at tje conclusion of the conference regarding the direction of tje Church and an answer to the confusion:
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cardinal-burke-popes-authority-is-derived-only-from-obedience-to-god-67420
Here is the reassirance we need. The statement from the “Confetence on Confusuin in the Church, hraded by Cardinal Burke and Bishop Schneider:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/declaration-text
Cardinal Brandmueller’s statement at the conclusion of tje conference to address confusion in the Church sends a clear message. Remember, the laity is not obliged to follow any prelate who is in error and being in the majority of Church “intellectuals, whether lay or ordained, does not guarantee being faithful to the truth:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/cardinal-brandmueller-talk
thanks be to God for these young kids who are seeing through to the real and true Catholic church with all of its glory…the sacredness….the depth of its true holiness…I give praise and thanksgiving to God that finally someone is seeing what liturgy and the sacraments and the tradition of the real Catholic church is all about…..
In God We Trust…All others must have data. The author makes some bold assertions that are not supported with data. The conservatives have run the church for many, many years. Think St Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Young people left in droves during their pontificates.
What is needed is less polarization between the conservatives and the liberals. Perhaps, it is time for a more moderate approach. The young Catholics I have contact with (not a scientific sample) are looking for guidance to their questions about God and self, following Jesus, living an authentic Christian life in a pluralistic society and being a member of an imperfect Church.
Most of the young Catholics I know are not longing for the Tridentine Mass or interested in reading Thomistic theology/philosophy. They seem to be interested in the Bible and liturgy which connects with their lives.
Harold since you are probably a Vatican 2 liberal and travel in such circles and would not even come in contact with young Traditional Catholics. You liberals have failed the Church on a massive and you cannot even admit to it. The John Paul 2 and Benedict 16 may have been conservatives but the Church here in America was and is dominated by liberals and caused all of the crisis that we are now experiencing. The Church will continue to shrink because liberals like you tear down and destroy everything that resembles Catholic Identity from theology to parish do destroyed.
The problem with the Liturgy is its self center and not Christ center. The One true Faith isnt just the Bible or Faith alone. Most of the youth that I know want the Tridentine Mass or at the very least liturgy that isnt like a concert setting. As for Thomistic theology, thats one of the problems is that most Catholic dont even know about it. I’ll go with St Thomas Aquinas and those who said the Tridentine Mass, I did say Saint.
The Liturgy, whether Tridentine or Novus Ordo is still the Liturgy. The transubstantiation still takes place, and the Eucharist is still the physical presence of Jesus.
Except that the people don’t have respect for the Eucharist and all people stand in the line to get the white thing and put it in the mouth and then sing a song while the priest and his extra ordinary performers dance around the sanctuary.
The “white thing” is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
You, obviously, do not have respect for the Eucharist.
The priest does not dance. Neither do the extraordinary ministers of communion.
Apparently, the youngsters aren’t inspired by the intellectual and artistic fashions of the 1960s & 1970s… thank God!
(“Spe enim salvi facti sumus” — For we are saved by hope — Rom 8:24)
After Vatican II, young Catholics growing up, received little or no religious and moral training– almost no catechesis! Traditional religious devotions and beliefs were discouraged, and our centuries-old Tridentine Latin Mass, the centerpiece of Catholic life– was destroyed, forbidden— and replaced by a modern vernacular Mass, very similar to Protestant Eucharistic liturgies– wirh many new religious “customs” and secularized “novelties,” invented by unstable, rebellious, and irreverent liberals. Many of today’s younger and now-middle-aged Catholic parishioners, complain about all of this! And many of us older folks, have endured a lot— hoping and praying for a better Church– for many long decades!!
massimo sounds like he is still trying to make sense of a Church and culture he has been in only for about ten years. born in 1970, he has had to read the unique american struggle of vatican ii through a rearview mirror. the difficulty is that much of the struggle was not written down or recorded clearly. even as it happened, people struggled to make sense of what was happening. some of the actors played both sides, at different times(the cardinal of Boston found that Cdl Ratzinger had to have critical aspects of the new catechsim retranslated to remain faithful to the text he had been entrusted with). massimo does not seem to realize that rahnerism was defeated by the Wojtilan restoration.
Rahnerism, as you call it, was never defeated.
I agree that it is an intellectual exercise and that he is, in some ways, creating his own version of reality. He is concerned with academia and rightly so, but he does not address the wreckage that happens to individuals and the family by bad theology.
when massimo attacked ross douthat some years ago he was forced to refer to his own theology and canon law training in an attempt to ‘credential slap’ him but ross held the higher ground by gift and grace of a simple, blessed faith, and massimo could not respond at that level. austine’s ‘theology is faith seeking understanding’ tells us that without the gift of faith, theology will not have reality or light
harold, just maybe it’s not’ polarization’. the differences between catholics and liberals might be ,simply, differences. the word ‘polarization seems to suggest that strong differences of approach or opinion are aberrant or abnormal. the two ‘sides’ can coexist in a faithful tension. Pope Benedict had a vision in which the “traditional” just would have a place alongside the ‘evolving’ church. the lamb and the lion. under Francis’ papacy, the lion-lamb pact has been repealed and lamb hunting season has been declared.which of these ‘sides’ is, in fact, the tolerant one? Pope Benedict knew that the lion would wither away, and so chose to not fight him , while he put his hope in the lamb…
I have seen what he describes in the second paragraph. I think we were raised post WWII and there was a wariness of totalitarian government. This became a distrust of, and a need to rebel against, all authority. One way to undermine authority is to attack the beliefs which underpin it.
Our young people in their late teens and early twenties have no fear of totalitarianism and want strong leaders. I have heard the argument for Christendom’s return. I have heard an argument for the return of inquisitors. I have heard pleas for the excommunication of those who do not conform to Church teaching. They are tired of there being no consequences for bad behavior. They want to evangelize like the saints. They want to debate and argue and…
I was an altar boy back in the 1950’s so I have some familiarity with the Traditional Latin Mass and the pre-Vatican II Church. Also, I have occasionally attended the traditional Latin mass offered at my parish. It is mostly attended by older folks like myself. Nostalgia is not a good way to practice the Faith! The good old days weren’t always that great!
The current days are worse.
Oh Harold we can tell that you cannot stand Catholic tradition I will take Nostalgia over the disaster you liberals have caused the Church… The current days are dark
Ken: how do you know?
Harold we have priesthood filled with homosexuals, a hierarchy that protected pederasts, massive closings of parishes and schools, mass attendance under 20%, empty seminaries, lack of belief of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, I could go on and on.
This man works at Villanova. He calls Notre Dame and Georgetown University great Catholic institutions.
Theology courses at Villanova include:Wisdom of Sufiism; Islam: History, though t and Culture; Liberation theologies: Devotion in Hinduism and Christianity; “So Long Been Dreamin” Science Fiction, Theologies and Social Revolution
Why the young have no formal theological training:
What theologian can you trust?
Bohemond: you are mistaken my friend. My posting does not address my views on tradition in the Church.
It clearly does Harold, I highly doubt you would have a problem if the Pope abolished the Latin Mass, and started ordaining women
in his commonweal article massimo is restraining himself considerably from expressing his darker harsh take of the catholic ‘right. in many interviews and articles he warns and condemns american catholicism for harboring a sick psychologically needy group that prefers
to live in an’imaginary medieval catholocism’ that feels at home with fascism and authoritarianism. this neediness creates an ‘ideological reading of history’ that finds unity and stability where it didn’t exist in former times. american catholicism,he argues,is marked by a reduction of the catholic tradition to ‘neo-traditionalism
and to ‘neo-medievalism’. this problem seems to afflict only the american church, but is a problem for the whole world since america is an opinion leader and its illness ,having allure in times of uncertainty, could spread and infect other churches(through the funding power of wealthy catholics who need to see their global empires rake in cash). one article, titled ‘a return to Pius IX warned of P IX’s theological spies who made lists of lefty theologians. Faggioli has been studying the american church and reporting back on it to the vatican,no doubt. it is very alarming that he demeans the real, deep faith of ‘traditionalists’ and cannot see that scripture and tradition has bequeathed a priceless treasure to be…
defended, renewed, and for which to die. he would see us as hobbits in middle earth who are afraid to leave the shire.
I wonder where he is seeing this and the other phenomenon. If it is at Villanova University, that might be really good news.
I read his article “Democracy is the Problem?” about what he calls anti-liberalism and how millennials are losing faith in democracy as a viable system. He doesn’t really say where he is encountering this.
You might enjoy this article:
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2015/10/31/two-years-among-the-liberal-theologians/
Father Longenecker’s take on this:
https://dwightlongenecker.com/are-liberal-catholic-theologians-past-their-sell-by-date/