We hear much from the Church of today about “dialogue.” Josef Pieper, in Abuse of Language—Abuse of Power, reminds us: “Any discourse detached from the norms of reality is at the same time mere monologue.
The time has come to reeducate our bishops, beginning with how they use—and manifestly misuse—the English language. Our Lord gave us a clear precept about language: “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from the Evil One” (Matthew 5:37). And likewise, from the Old Testament: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). These bishops, and sadly even the supreme pontiff, have, in proclaiming and teaching about immigration and other societal issues, fallen prey to the scourges of muddy thinking, faulty analysis, and false equivalence.
This woeful state of affairs recently came to my attention after some time spent in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament at my local parish church. On the way out, I spotted some literature on a table at the back of the nave. There were two documents: Pope Leo’s “Message of the Holy Father for the 9th World Day of the Poor” and, from the bishops of my home state (New York), “For You Too Were Once Aliens.” Add to that statements or interview answers coming from the Vatican and Pope Leo and the impression we are left with is that the institutional Church is confused about real distinctions in thinking about both secular law and sacred teaching.
Take first the pope’s comments regarding the USCCB statement on immigration. After stating that countries do have a right to control their borders, he went on to say: “When people have lived good lives—many of them for 10, 15, 20 years—treating them in a way that is, to say the least, extremely disrespectful, and with instances of violence, is troubling.” Here is the crux of the problem. The “good lives” he refers to are based on a transgression of the law. The U.S. bishops in their teaching document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship state: “The Church’s teaching is clear that a good end does not justify an immoral means” (20).
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