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Friday, March 29, 2024

Better than believing

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ONE of the reason the current head of the Catholic Church is so popular is that he is not afraid to talk about social issues that plague the faithful.

It is arguable whether he or the institution he leads has done enough to challenge that injustices that prevail in the world—clerical abuse, environmental destruction, divorce, same-sex relationships, religious intolerance. Pope Francis, however, has certainly been bold enough to raise these issues, telling us all that he at least recognizes them and their effects on the way we live.

Most recently he spoke about the scandal of leading a double life—saying one thing and doing another.

“There are those who say ‘I am very Catholic, I always go to Mass, I belong to this or that association,’” he said. They should also admit, however: “My life is not Christian. I don’t pay my employees proper salaries. I exploit people. I do dirty business. I launder money.”

Earlier on, the Pope had said Christians should see atheists as good people if they do good. This week, referring to those who lead a double life, he said: “There are many Catholics who are like this and they cause scandal. How many times have we all heard people say ‘if that person is a Catholic, it is better to be an atheist?’”

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Make no mistake about it: The Pope did not say it is better to be an atheist than to be a Catholic. There are those who will twist his words for their own purposes. Perhaps even those less liberal would castigate the pontiff for the mere suggestion. We know what the Pope, leader of a 1.2-billion strong religious force, said, plainly. Lead truthful lives and do not pretend to be who you are not.

Some people mistake religiosity for spirituality or even humanity. Secure in their affiliation with a powerful group, and faithful to their nominal obligations therein—hearing Mass, donating money, participating in outreach programs or church activities, keeping close ties with church figures and uttering the right prayers at the right time—they believe they are doing more than enough as members of the church.

They think these would compensate for their duplicity and worse, their propensity to judge others not quite as zealous as they are.

We know too many of these. Sometimes, we ourselves slip.

That it is the Pope exhorting the faithful to remain true to the life they profess gives us hope. Faith, after all, is never a state of perfection but a process. It is wanting to become our best versions, failing, and struggling yet again. Ultimately this is better than believing—or putting up appearances of believing—and then smugly declaring we do so.

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