The Catholic Thing has a brief synopsis on Anthony Fauci’s approach to his Catholic Faith and it isn’t pretty:
The famous Dr. Anthony Fauci told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that practicing the Catholic faith is a “thing that I don’t really need to do.” He said he doesn’t practice the faith for a “number of complicated reasons. First of all, I think my own personal ethics on life are I think enough to keep me going on the right path. And I think there are enough negative aspects about the organizational Church,” he continued. He noted that the BBC reporter was “very well aware” of these things, without naming them. “I’m not against it. I identify myself as a Catholic. I was raised, I was baptized, I was confirmed, I was married in the Church. My children were baptized in the Church. But as far as practicing it, it seems almost like a pro forma thing that I don’t really need to do.”
I think Fauci states in an articulate way what most fallen away Catholics feel. They don’t need the Catholic Church to guide them nor do they want or like its post-Vatican II banal liturgies and just plain silliness experienced in parishes. They don’t need Catholic fellowship either. Their secular existence is plenty good enough for them.
Yes, I believe that Jesus is the role model for the Church in going after the lost sheep and leaving the 99 who stay alone until the lost are brought back.
But you can’t force reintegration. At some point you have to let go and let God deal with the lost in His own divine way and time.
We need to focus on those who still attend Mass, maybe hanging on by a thread, but still there. We need to help people to know, love and serve Jesus Christ, first and foremost, but also understand the more difficult moral teachings of the Church and all of them have a potential to push people away, from sex to social justice to welcoming illegal migrants. Any of these will alienate Catholics who have different ideas about these moral issues, to include marriage.
Often the sexual moral teachings of the Church from homosexuality to birth control to women priests push more secularized Catholics out of the Church as their formation and understanding of these things are political and amoral. They are clueless as to the reasons why Jesus teaches what the Catholic Church believes is revealed by Him.
So, what to do? What to do? Oh, what are we to do in the face of not just lost sheep but apostacy?
30 comments:
Fauci really said, “I think my own personal ethics on life are I think enough to keep me going on the right path.” As the kids say, oof.
Nick
Here is the portion of his BBC interview during which he discussed his relationship with Holy Mother Church.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p6N6Lt3fo8
His comments in regard to the Church begin at the 3:40 mark. It is just a one-minute portion of the video.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Jesus give us the parable of the lost sheep. He also gave us the example of allowing dissenters to walk away. In Jn 6 (Bread of Life discourse) when people walk away, disgusted by what they interpreted as cannibalism, He simply turned to His disciples and asked if they wanted to walk away as well. So there is a time and a place for both approaches.
It is interesting as to how Catholics who have distanced themselves from Holy Mother Church refer often to Her as the "organizational Church." Or, the "institutional Church."
As soon as I heard Doctor Fauci employ the term "organizational Church," I knew that he had little use for the True Church/True Religion.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Fauci has taken up cliff Dives-ing.
His own personal ethics?....Those of us old enough remember the swine flu panic and how the vaccine killed a couple of hundred people and was withdrawn over safety concerns, and no megadeath insued.
Fauci pushed a vaccine made from abortion by-products which was FORCED on untold millions in the US alone which killed thoudands upon thousands in the US, crippled more, whose long term side effects remain unknown, and which proved entirely ineffective in preventing infection and transmission.
Where his personal ethics appear to be, "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Swine Flu Vaccine -
"Full Fact could not find a confirmed number of deaths reported after a swine flu vaccine in 1976, but reports suggest that a number of the deaths could not be directly linked with the vaccine. The rollout was halted because of a number of reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome, and the fact the swine flu cases never reached pandemic levels. https://fullfact.org/online/swine-flu-vaccine-1976-covid/
"The real victims of this pandemic were likely the 450-odd people who came down with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder, after getting the 1976 flu shot. On its website, the CDC notes that people who got the vaccination did have an increased risk of “approximately one additional case of GBS for every 100,000 people who got the swine flu vaccine.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/long-shadow-1976-swine-flu-vaccine-fiasco-180961994/
"In 1976, after the death of a US army recruit triggered fears of a repeat of the deadly 1918 pandemic, around 48 million Americans were given a swine flu vaccine. Of these, 532 developed Guillain-Barré syndrome, a paralytic condition caused by rogue antibodies attacking nerve cells. Most people recover from Guillain-Barré, but not all; 25 died after 1976 and others suffered lasting damage." https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18014-swine-flu-myth-the-vaccine-isnt-safe-it-has-been-rushed-through-tests-and-the-last-time-there-was-a-swine-flu-scare-the-vaccine-hurt-people-why-take-the-risk-to-prevent-mild-flu/
COVID Vaccine -
"Rare but serious cardiac disease side effects have been linked to COVID-19 vaccinations, especially in young people. Here, the authors find very little evidence of an association between vaccination and mortality, except for in females after a non mRNA vaccine, but show an increased risk of death following COVID-19 infection." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10043280/
No Evidence Excess Deaths Linked to Vaccines, Contrary to Claims Online
By Kate Yandell Posted on April 17, 2023 https://www.factcheck.org/2023/04/scicheck-no-evidence-excess-deaths-linked-to-vaccines-contrary-to-claims-online/
I commend watching the entire BBC interview. Perhaps Dr. Fauci might be more enamored of the “organizational church” if it more clearly stood up for truth in all things and condemned the lies and conspiracy theories about the vaccine, the Big Lie about the election, and the death threats and harassment against Fauci and his family. One wonders how many “lost sheep” engage in THESE abominations!
https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/catholic-bishops-dont-support-trumps-lies-silence-enough
https://www.ncronline.org/news/coronavirus/weak-response-some-us-bishops-priests-spread-vaccine-misinformation
Mark J.
I watched the interview, which I found interesting. It is a shame that Dr. Fauci requires body guards. It is disgraceful that among his detractors are those who harass his wife and children.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Another Jesuit educated (College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts), "we know more than you do" so, like Pope Francis, "shut up and obey". This poor man is a classic "cafeteria Catholic" who pridefully seems to claim "I was baptized, confirmed, and married in the Catholic Church" and then infers, I think, that he's "done that, got the T-Shirt". Very sad as he is in the waning days of his life and is so lost. All that said, as Fr McDonald would tell us, 'we don't know the mans state of mind at the end' so we can only pray for him and all the other arrogant like him, that somehow at "the hour of death" he/they will come around.
Mark said..."Mark said..."I commend watching the entire BBC interview. Perhaps Dr. Fauci might be more enamored of the “organizational church” if it more clearly stood up for truth in all things and condemned the lies and conspiracy theories about the vaccine, the Big Lie about the election, and the death threats and harassment against Fauci and his family."
Mark, I agree with you in regard to his BBC interview. I found the interview interesting.
I have never accepted right-wing nonsense directed at Dr. Fauci. I had wondered as to whether the nonsense directed at him has influenced his negativity toward Holy Mother Church.
However, I have learned that his negative assessment of the "organizational Church," — translation: "Catholic Church" — goes back decades.
Doctor Fauci has long disputed, for example, Church teachings related to sexuality. He has long rejected Church teachings related to the use of condoms.
Doctor Fauci stated decades ago: "Broadly and generically, I'm not a regular church attender. I have evolved into less a Roman Catholic religion person [to] someone who tries to keep a degree of spirituality about them."
In 2015 A.D., "Brian Lamb read the above statement to Fauci in a later interview (C-SPAN, Jan. 8, 2015) and asked him if that was still true."
"Totally accurate today," Fauci said. He also told Lamb that "there are a lot of things about organized religion that are unfortunate, and I tend to like to stay away from that. [T]he idea about the organization of religion is not something that I adhere to very much."
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Kavanaugh, look who you are quoting, while ignoring all the directly contradictory research from govt entities worldwide....unreliable and politically invested factcheck and the CDC, the CDC of course will want to own up to their debacle, right? Sheesh...quote Francis next.
Dr Fauci seems to be lost in his own self-referential enlightenment, with the light of Christ being but a faint glow emanating from his distant past. A sad state of affairs all too common among many non-practicing Catholics today.
There is always the invocation of hope and intercessory prayer though.
Mark,
Your point is well taken. However, I still wonder whether Dr. Fauci might now be more open to accepting the Church’s teaching on those matters if it also spoke out forcefully on the other matters I mentioned.
More broadly, why pick on Dr. Fauci as the “lost sheep” and not on those Catholics who spread conspiracy theories, buy in to and spread the Big Lie, and perhaps even perpetrate, or at least support, some of the death threats and harassment aimed at Dr. Fauci and his family? For example, I believe that Rudy Giuliani was raised Roman Catholic. Isn’t he another “lost sheep”? Or are his three marriages and divorces and his manipulations, bullying, and deceit in service to the Big Lie somehow less “sinful” than Fauci’s rejection of the Church’s teaching on artificial contraception and his support of the use of condoms, presumably because, during the AIDS epidemic, such use helped save lives, albeit the lives of sexually active gay men (I am speculating as to his reasons here)?
I am not trying to engage in whataboutism, just trying to seek some balance in what often appears to be an unbalanced selection of subjects (subject matter and people) for discussion. Let me be even more pointed: I am pretty sure that selecting Dr. Fauci as a “lost sheep” would be popular among this Blog’s readership, or certainly among many of its regular followers and commenters, but Rudy Giuliani not so much. Tell me if you think I am wrong about this.
Mark J.
Bob, post the links as I did.
Mark, I appreciate your reply. I understand as to why Dr. Fauci would find it disturbing that within the Church are those who promote anti-vaccination nonsense, assorted conspiracy theories, and (I hope that the following isn't the case) the harassment of he and his family.
But Doctor Fauci should recognize that such folks do not represent Catholicism. I hope that Dr. Fauci would not permit such behavior to color his opinion of the Church.
I hope that Dr. Fauci focuses upon Pope Francis' efforts to promote vaccinations. Pope Francis even filmed a Public Service Announcement to that end.
-- Pope Francis and six cardinals and archbishops from North and South America, including Archbishop José H. Gomez, say it is "an act of love" to get a COVID-19 vaccine in a PSA from Ad Council.
The USCCB web site presents that 2021 A.D. video.
https://www.usccb.org/resources/pope-francis-and-bishops-americas-promote-covid-19-vaccine
In 2021 A.D., Doctor Fauci participated in a Vatican conference that discussed Covid-19, as well as additional global health threats. Pope Francis had spoken at that conference.
Mark, I believe that Dr. Fauci recognizes the goodness that abounds within the Church.
Thank you.
Mark Thomas
I get it.
Like so many others, Dr. Fauci is "spiritual, but not religious".
OK--he didn't get it from a pope, but hey, isn't Oprah Winfrey an important theologian too?
Mark Thomas,
You state: "But Doctor Fauci should recognize that such folks do not represent Catholicism. I hope that Dr. Fauci would not permit such behavior to color his opinion of the Church."
One of the failures of the typical modern education is the inability to distinguish. I would hope Fauci would be capable of spotting the distinction, but he may never have been equipped to do so.
Nick
MT is a Soros paid troll like Father K Orwell. I have reported you and Fr K Orwell to the local bishop and Rome
MT is evil like Fr K Orwell his alter ego
Now I'm Soros Paid! Who knew? Where the heck did I leave that check?
Good St. Anthony, please come 'round. Something's lost that must be found!
@FrK, of all the things I’ve lost I miss my mind the most.
Dr Fauci has reached a pinnacle of hubris and mocks himself. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t well intentioned but that he placed himself above those he claimed to help to the extent that some could be sacrificed collaterally as he pushed toward his goals. There is an old saying that Catholics should be trained to ‘Pray, Pay, and Obey’. Dr. Fauci and most of the US Government has taken that attitude and, in cafeteria style, left behind humility and humanity.
rcg - Often people who are highly trained in a specific field are accused of hubris when they rely on their training and expertise and pay little or no attention to those who, without any training or expertise, question or denounce the well-trained. It's not hubris.
With that training and and in his field of expertise, he IS above those who lack the same.
Medical professionals know full-well that when pharmaceuticals are used, some people will have adverse reactions and that some tiny fraction of those using the drugs will die. The untrained read a headline such as, "Risk of death following COVID-19 vaccination or positive SARS-CoV-2 test in young people in England" (Nature Communications 27 March 2023) and says, "See! We told you it was dangerous!" Or worse, they read a headline intended to shock such as, "EXCLUSIVE: Embalmers Speak Out on Unusual Blood Clots" (Epoch Times, 23 Sept 2023) and they are convinced that there is a Soros-backed plot, assisted by the Illuminati, the Rothschilds, and the Jesuits, to kill everyone.
These are the people who buy their headwear in roll-up form. It's next to the Saran wrap in the grocery stores.
Yes, your integrity as a Catholic priest, Father K Orwell, maybe St. Anthony can help you find it.
The raison d'etre of the Democratic Party: Abortion
Transgenderism and mutilating children without parental consent
Attacking Religious freedom
You have to be willfully blind
By the way, Jonathan Turley says there is justification for impeaching Biden (Fake Catholic):
https://nypost.com/2023/12/13/opinion/dont-believe-democrats-myths-theres-clear-evidence-for-impeaching-president-biden/
Of course, you know more than Turley! Have a nice day!
Dr Fauci s hubris was in deciding to replace Church teaching with his own ethics. Since ethics are the practical application of a person’s values, it reveals more than he might like.
You are correct, of course, that medical professionals and scientists know that some number of people are at risk from a medicine that alternatively helps millions. What was distressing was government officials claiming that was not the case or simply overblown. The medical community not only didn’t correct that misinformation but supported it. Also as you note many people then took the exception to disprove the rule, having exactly the opposite effect on public compliance the government and medical community desired. I know many doctors that will lie about procedures and effects of medication because they believe that it is in the best interest of the public and patients. This is why we have absurd amounts paid in damages for medical injuries and why our medical costs are so high to pay for insurance and bonding. The ultimate irony is that the numbers of injury and death from both COVID and the vaccines for it were not evenly distributed throughout the population. While this was easily forecastable the lack of transparency by the government, including outright lying, lended credibility to eugenics conspiracy theories.
rcg - Given his Catholic background, I would suspect that Fauci's "own ethics" would be heavily influenced by what he learned growing up in the Church.
The claims of harm from COVID vaccines were vastly overblown, and no medical professional I ever heard said there was zero risk. Mercifully, I have not had to know many doctors, though as I age the number is growing steadily. No doctor has ever lied to me, and I would hope that every doctor would act in ways that he/she believes is in the best interest of the public and patients.
There are many reasons that absurd amounts are being paid out in damages and medical injury, a number of which have nothing to do with actual damages of real injuries.
Adverse effects from vaccines are rarely distributed evenly throughout the population. One reason is that not all groups (by age, by ethnicity, by income, etc) are vaccinated at the same rate. In Alabama for instance, vaccination rates varied widely. As of July 2022 49% of the white population was vaccinated while 83% of Asians were. In Georgia, 56% of whites got the jab, while 95% of Asians did.
So far crickets about the selection of “lost sheep” (specifically, Dr Fauci but not e.g., Rudy Giuliani). See December 11 at 8:33 p.m. I have to wonder: why the silence? Perhaps I should just infer that my intimation of an apparent double standard is irrefutable. Or perhaps we can look forward to a separate post about Giuliani? Not holding my breath, though.
Mark – Dr. Fauci is identified as one of the “lost sheep” not because of any sins he may have committed but because he has publicly announced his separation from the Church to follow his own ethical path instead of practicing the Catholic faith. Sins can surely result in separation from God and His Church, but practicing Catholics can restore the relationship through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Dave:
Thank you for your response. Your point is well taken and you make an important distinction, but I wonder whether the distinction is more theoretical than practical. I could be wrong, of course, but the sense I get is that in practice Rudy Giuliani is not so different from Dr. Fauci (except that he has not publicly announced his separation from the Church and that Fauci may in fact behave more ethically), that is, Rudy is guided by his own moral compass and not by the Catholic Church. Certainly, in the past he has been very coy about his religious practice and beliefs. Do you have any reliable information on whether he still considers himself to be a Roman Catholic?
Also, if Rudy does still consider himself to be Catholic, why pick on Biden (as has been done frequently on this Blog) and be silent about Rudy? If Rudy is indeed still Catholic, hasn’t he caused as much, if not more, scandal than Biden, despite his recent volte-face on abortion (assuming it was from genuine conviction rather than political expediency, that is)? Moreover, it appears that he is continuing to defame the two Georgia election workers, whom he caused to suffer immensely, despite last week's court ruling in their favor. Perhaps he is just very unwell. In any event, it seems to me he needs our prayers as much as Biden or Fauci does.
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