They do not see themselves as a fellow Catholic, a fellow Christian. They don not see that they came from within the Body of Christ, and that the rest of us are within the Body of Christ too. They see themselves as a reigning sovereign, a prince of a clerical caste.
Perhaps, the United States is the worst in this regard. Leopold von Ranke, the German historian, contended that John Calvin was the founder of the USA. The US worships success and power. Catholics were hated and despised as an unwanted foreign element. When enough of Catholics became assimilated after the Second World War, those who became prominent never led as Catholics in the church. This all added to the power of American bishops. In a Catholic country, where (nearly) everyone is Catholic, it is not special, nor dangerous to be Catholic. People remember their traditional rights, the communities and societies are centuries old. There is no need for a defensive cohesion. This 'American exceptionalism' is a fruit of Calvinism that is a foodstuff for the American soul and psyche. The position of bishop is elevated when the population is under assault. When a society honors success, those in power receive more power. Now, that sort of assault is mostly gone, but the structure remains, and with material, and social success that structure has intensified.
Perhaps, what has enabled American bishops (and those elsewhere) such license to dictate are those Catholics whom have become successful and do not speak up. Here, in Cleveland, we have such a bishop. Thomas Hobbes was a calvinist, and the author of The Leviathan, in that political work, he allows the sovereign everything (except your life). The sovereign is the oriental despot of ancient history. These Catholics that are multi-millionaires, and CEOs are the 'council' of laity that the bishop appoints, and "listens" too. They all approve of this sort of governance. They like to share in the prestige of the OFFICIAL church. Other Catholics that have celebrity (exception, Martin Sheen) do not confront such attitudes.
In St. John the Baptist Church Akron Ohio 31 October 2009, i heard the Bishop of Cleveland, Richard Lennon tell us: I am the tenth Bishop of Cleveland. You people are nothing. The Supreme Court of Ohio has put all the church's property in my name. There is the door, and there is the police.
http://rustbeltvoice.blogspot.com/2009/10/lennon-takes-possession-of-st-john.html
http://rustbeltvoice.blogspot.com/2010/02/keep-faith.html
http://rustbeltvoice.blogspot.com/2010/01/lennon-laughed-at.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
