Who are Catholics?

Given such clear-cut social and moral issues at stake right now - abortion/partial-birth abortion, gay marriage among the most prominent - you might think that Catholics would be united behind the candidate that's strongest on these issues.

Interestingly enough, that's not the candidate that claims to be a Catholic himself. After what appears to be a long record of supporting abortion rights and Planned Parenthood, Kerry came out during the campaign to say he personally believes in the teachings of his Church. I imagine that sort of contradiction would leave even his abortion-rights friends scratching their heads.

But doesn't Kerry sort of reflect a deeper problem in the Catholic Church? As an adult convert to Catholicism, one of the things that has troubled me most about the Church is their apparent weakness on issues of morality. Even though the Church officially strongly teaches moral principles of respect for life and personal chastity and responsibility, their membership is reported to be just as likely as the rest of the public to have an abortion.

How can we reconcile this contradiction? Let me try to suggest my own theory of the multiple reasons for Catholics who aren't really Catholic:

1. They really don't know any better: I'm surprised at how many fellow church members I've encountered who really don't know their Catechism. There isn't much emphasis on study of the faith or the Bible in the Church, which I believe results in an uninformed body.

2. They don't embrace the Church's teachings: The contrast is that there are lots of Catholics who nominally understand what the church believes, but don't feel obligated to follow those teachings. Many will pick and choose based on their own personal feelings or convenience; a great example is a majority of Catholics who oppose abortion yet use contraception. It seems that once the door is open to make individual choices on issues of morality, there's no limit to what teachings will be rejected because of thinking clouded by cultural norms.

3. They lack exemplary leadership: Incredibly distressing are the many stories of priests who have molested children, people who have become atheist at least partly due to experiences with sadistic nuns as children, and priests and religious today who publicly flaunt their apostacy without consequence from the Church itself.

A prominent argument taking place among Catholics today relates to ordaining women and accepting married priests. Both are aimed at addressing a near-crisis shortage of priests in our country. Before action is taken on these questions, I would hope that the Church will first ask the question, "Does this change serve God or is it just a capitulation to popular secular ideas?" Might I suggest that the real cause of the shortage is directly related to a Church that has lost its voice and moral authority, standing up for very little for fear of offending an increasingly secular congregation.

A Church focused on being a light to the world and a commitment to the fundamental teachings of Jesus Christ never need fear a lack of priests. As soon as our Bishops gather the courage to discipline their parishes and teach their congregations what God wants from His people, there will be no more shortages.