Eric Bugyis Tells the Truth at Commonweal about Centrist Catholic Games in Contraceptive Coverage Discussion

Eric Bugyis tells God's honest truth today at Commonweal about why so many centrist Catholics are now falling all over themselves as they compete for the title of Catholicissimus Defensor Fidei.  As they kick into overdrive to defend the bishops--at any moral cost, at any cost to their own integrity and the integrity of the church--in the bishops' ugly political war on the Obama administration . . . .  

As Bugyis says (and I've said this ad nauseam as well), it's all about power, privilege, entree--about their power as "the" official liberal voices of Catholicism in the public square, their privilege to speak for the rest of us and to tell the rest of us to keep our inexpert and unconnected mouths shut, their entree to the bishops and to other choice power circles.

Bugyis writes,

What is actually at stake in all of this is the political influence of a “Catholic constituency” that needs to preserve both its official and authentic religious identity and its connection to a secular public through service and employment in order to be granted a seat at the table. In order to preserve the former, “liberals” cannot become too alienated from their Bishops, otherwise they won’t be seen as “Catholic” enough to represent a definable interest group. In order to preserve the latter, “conservatives” cannot be excluded from providing non-religious services to and employing non-adherents, otherwise they won’t be seen as having enough influence in the public sphere to be politically important. 

These political “Catholics” are more concerned with retaining their political viability than their theological scruples, and they publicly compete to be the token “Catholic,” for example, offering advice on things like the government’s “Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.” When the unbridled power to self-define as “religious” for the purpose of public representation is called into question, political “Catholics” worry that their political dance card is going to be revoked.

What is actually at stake in all of this is the political influence of a “Catholic constituency” that needs to preserve both its official and authentic religious identity and its connection to a secular public through service and employment in order to be granted a seat at the table.  And, These political “Catholics” are more concerned with retaining their political viability than their theological scruples, and they publicly compete to be the token "Catholic"  . . . .

As I say, Eric Bugyis tells the truth here.  And as recompense to him for telling much-needed truth--since a religious institution whose claims to be a credible moral teacher in the public square are shot through with dishonesty can't possibly teach credibly--the Catholic centrists are now going to eat him alive.  They're going to wrap him up in big truth-concealing clouds of abstract jargon to demonstrate that he has missed the point, that he's not privy to the top-notch information only they have, as official powerbrokers of the Catholic conversation who know someone who knows someone important.

What they're going to resent above all is his attempt to transfer the conversation to the level of honest-to-God lived truth--away from the religious freedom charade to the obviously central question of contraception.  A question that implicates their own lives.

Which they do not intend to place under the microscope in any shape, form, or fashion even while they argue that, in the name of religious freedom, the Catholic bishops of the U.S. should be able to prevent other people from having access to contraception in their health care plans.  Since--wink, nudge--it's only those other people, the little people outside the important circles of power, don't you know, who practice contraception and for whom access to contraception is important.

Just as--wink, nudge--it's only those other people, the little people outside the important circles of power, don't you know, who are gay or lesbian and Catholic.