The Catholic Labyrinth : Power, Apathy, and a Passion for Reform in the American Church

Sexual abuse scandals, declining attendance, a meltdown in the number of priests and nuns, the closing of many parishes and parochial schools--all have shaken American Catholicism. Yet conservatives have increasingly dominated the church hierarchy. In The Catholic Labyrinth , Peter McDonough tells a tale of multiple struggles that animate various groups--the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, Voice of the Faithful, and the Leadership Roundtable chief among them--pushing to modernize the church. One contest pits reformers against those who back age-old standards of sexual behavior and gender roles. Another area of contention, involving efforts to maintain the church's far-flung operations in education, social services, and healthcare, raises constitutional issues about the separation of church and state. Once a sidebar to this debate, the bishops' campaign to control the terms of employment and access to contraceptives in church-sponsored ministries has fueled conflict further. McDonough draws on behind-the-scenes documentation and personal interviews with leading reformers and "loyalists" to explore how both retrenchment and resistance to clericalism have played out in American Catholicism. Despite growing support for optional celibacy among priests, the ordination of women, and similar changes, and in the midst of numerous departures from the church, immigration and a lingering reaction against the upheavals of the sixties have helped sustain a popular traditionalism among "Catholics in the pews." So have the polemics of Catholic neoconservatives. These demographic and cultural factors--as well as the silent dissent of those who simply ignore rather than oppose the church's more regressive positions--have reinforced a culture of deference that impedes reform. At the same time, selective managerial improvements show promise of advancing incremental change. Timely and incisive, The Catholic Labyrinth captures the church at a historical crossroads, as advocates for change struggle to reconcile religious mores with the challenges of modernity. American Catholicism Has Been Rocked By Sexual Abuse Scandals, Declining Attendance, A Meltdown In The Numbers Of Priests And Nuns, And The Closing Of Many Parishes And Parochial Schools. Yet The Church Hierarchy Is Increasingly Dominated By Conservatives. In The Catholic Labyrinth, Peter Mcdonough Tells Of The Struggles That Animate Various Groups - Such As The Survivors Network Of Those Abused By Priests, Voice Of The Faithful, And The Leadership Roundtable - Pushing To Modernize The Church. One Contest Pits Reformers Against Those Who Defend Traditional Standards Of Sexual Behavior And Gender Roles. In Addition, The Church's Far-flung Operations In Education, Social Services, And Healthcare Raise Constitutional Issues About The Separation Of Church And State. Once A Sidebar To This Debate, The Bishops' Campaign To Control Terms Of Employment And Access To Contraceptives In Church-sponsored Ministries Has Added Fuel To The Conflict. Mcdonough Draws On Behind-the-scenes Documents And Personal Interviews With Reformers And 'loyalists' To Explore How Retrenchment And Resistance To Clericalism Have Played Out. In The Midst Of Growing Support For Changes Like Optional Celibacy For Priests And The Ordination Of Women, The Flood Of Defections From The Church Continues. Nevertheless, Immigration And A Lingering Reaction Against The Upheavals Of The Sixties, Together With The Polemics Of Neoconservatives, Have Helped Sustain Acceptance Of Traditional Authority Among Catholics In The Pews--book Jacket. The Matrix Of American Catholicism -- The Dynamics Of Tradition -- Prisoners In The Promised Land: Neoconservatism As Culture And Strategy -- Feminism Versus The Family? -- Welfare Reform, American Values, And The Triumph Of Catholic Neoconservatism -- Conciliarism And Other Dormant Traditions -- Managerialism And The Catholic Deficit -- Snap And The Strategy Of Confrontation -- Voice Of The Faithful And The Struggle For Catholic Pluralism -- The Leadership Roundtable And The Long March Through The Institutions -- Futurechurch And The Fog Of Reform -- Two Steps Forward ... -- In The Labyrinth -- Conclusion -- Conjecture. Peter Mcdonough. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 304-367) And Index. ## Abstract In the wake of revelations about sexual abuse that scandalized the Catholic church, several groups came to prominence in the United States, some as advocates of reform, others as defenders of clerical governance. Three considerations have shaped their strategies. One is the connection between the sexual teaching of the church and its hierarchical structure of authority. Catholic neoconservatives succeeded in wedding traditional concerns about sexuality and gender roles, heightened in reaction to the upheavals of the 1960s, with support for family values and a turn away from progressive economic and social policies. Such polarization and retrenchment have encouraged some reformers to explore a second venue, putting their efforts into less contentious areas like the schools, social services, and health care programs affiliated with the church. A significant constraint on this generally popular strategy is that efforts to secure funding for the good works of Catholicism can run up against constitutional principles regarding the separation of church and state. Third, while Catholic opinion increasingly favors changes like the abolition of the celibacy requirement for priests, a legacy of deference, indifference, and selective adherence, together with the conservative leanings of recent immigrants, have slowed the dynamics of modernization. Managerial improvements show greater promise of advancing change than challenges to doctrine. Yet it is doubtful whether reforms stressing administrative performance over fairness—notably, with regard to to the status of women—can reverse the exodus and dimming of commitment among ordinary Catholics. Cover 1 Contents 10 Acknowledgments 12 Prologue 14 Introduction 20 PART ONE 30 CHAPTER ONE: The Matrix of American Catholicism 32 CHAPTER TWO: The Dynamics of Tradition 48 PART TWO: OVERVIEW 66 CHAPTER THREE: Prisoners in the Promised Land: Neoconservatism as Culture and Strategy 70 CHAPTER FOUR: Feminism versus the Family? 86 CHAPTER FIVE: Welfare Reform, American Values, and the Triumph of Catholic Neoconservatism 100 PART THREE: OVERVIEW 118 CHAPTER SIX: Conciliarism and Other Dormant Traditions 124 CHAPTER SEVEN: Managerialism and the Catholic Deficit 140 PART FOUR: OVERVIEW 156 CHAPTER EIGHT: SNAP and the Strategy of Confrontation 162 CHAPTER NINE: Voice of the Faithful and the Struggle for Catholic Pluralism 181 CHAPTER TEN: The Leadership Roundtable and the Long March through the Institutions 200 CHAPTER ELEVEN: FutureChurch and the Fog of Reform 219 PART FIVE: OVERVIEW 238 CHAPTER TWELVE: Two Steps Forward... 246 CHAPTER THIRTEEN: In the Labyrinth 270 PART SIX 288 Conclusion 290 Conjecture 307 Notes 323 Index 388 A 388 B 389 C 391 D 394 E 395 F 395 G 396 H 397 I 397 J 397 K 397 L 398 M 398 N 399 O 401 P 401 R 403 S 403 T 405 U 406 V 406 W 407 Y 408 Z 408 At the heart of Catholicism's resistance to change in the U.S. is the equation of hierarchical authority with traditional gender roles, especially the subordination of women. This book traces the variably confrontational and incremental strategies of advocacy groups as they struggle to reconcile an age-old culture with the onslaughts of modernity.