Column: A Catholic pastor speaks out about Trump. Some parishioners walk out.
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The priest needs to be reassigned to a parish in Havana or at least San Francisco. I agree with those that said they don't go to church to hear political opinions. I thought what happened in DC was the reflection of those who committed the crimes and nothing else. Again I agree with the parishioner who said what about abortion, what about the murders, arson, looting, etc, that happened this summer? The bible doesn't take political sides so if a priest is legit he shouldn't either.On the Sunday morning after the deadly riot at the United States Capitol, Father William Corcoran put on his black suit and clerical collar and stepped into St. Elizabeth Seton church in the Chicago suburb of Orland Hills to celebrate the 7:30 a.m. Mass.
When it was time for the homily, he stood in front of the “celebrant’s chair” near the altar and removed his mask so that he could be clearly heard. He looked out at the 140 or so masked parishioners who sat in the sanctuary, which was still ornamented for Christmas.
He had a feeling this might not go well.
At the 5 p.m. Mass the day before, nine people had walked out as he delivered the remarks he prepared to say again now. He spoke without notes both times but figures he came close to the version eventually published in the church bulletin, which began like this:
“On this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we drink in the last goodness and glories of the Christmas season, and begin ordinary time on Monday.”
So far, so good. Then came the next sentence.
“Goodness and glory,” he continued, “are not two words that we would use describing our past week when we saw an angry and violent mob seize our United States Capitol and interrupt Congress in its duty of certifying the State Elector votes for President and Vice-President. Such an action has left many of us angry, and hurt. Since then we have entered a typical moment of finger pointing, blame, and holding people responsible for what happened. Such finger pointing is not new. In the very story of creation Adam points his finger at Eve for tempting him with the apple, and Eve points to the snake as the cause for all the trouble. Finger pointing often leads to avoidance of responsibility.”
Those words alone would have shaken some parishioners. The most remarkable part, however, was still to come.
“I too want to engage in finger pointing,” said Father Bill, as he’s known in the parish, “and point to myself, and accept personal responsibility in part for what happened in the Capitol this past Wednesday.”
Corcoran went on to name the many times he failed to speak out about Donald Trump’s ugly behavior. Like when the president talked about grabbing women. When he mocked a disabled reporter. When he dissed John McCain.
He talked about the German Catholic Church’s failure to condemn Adolf Hitler, about the failure of the American Catholic Church when faced with the sexual abuse committed by priests.
“As President Trump has lied about so many things,” he told the congregation, “I have never spoken out, and fear we are teaching the young that truth and facts do not matter.”
By Corcoran’s count, a dozen people walked out of Mass that morning. Nearly two dozen more at the 9:30 Mass. “Probably 30,” he estimates, at the 11:30.
Each time he was startled. Saddened. “Awful,” is how he described it later.
And each time he knew he was doing what he had to do.
Corcoran’s struggle with speaking out reflects the struggle many Americans have faced during Donald Trump’s tenure. If speaking out against the president hurts people you care for, do you do it? Do you do it at the risk of being misunderstood or vilified? If you do it, how do you do it, and when?
Corcoran is approaching 65 and he’s been a priest for nearly 40 years. He grew up as the older brother to four sisters in a South Side German-Irish neighborhood where people identified by Catholic parish. His was Little Flower. He has spent eight years as pastor at St. Elizabeth Seton, a large congregation he describes as middle to upper-middle class.
“Solid citizens,” he says. “Very nice people.”
Corcoran sees one of his jobs as “keeping people together.” Until recently, he worried that denouncing Trump’s behavior would divide the congregation unnecessarily. The Capitol insurrection changed his mind.
“To remain silent now, in the face of this violence,” he says, “was to give tacit permission that this is how we settle some things.”
After he spoke out, Corcoran received calls and emails from several upset parishioners. Some said they come to church to find peace and instead they’d found confrontation. Some had questions: Why hadn’t he condemned the looting that sprang from last summer’s racial justice protests? Why doesn’t he speak out more against abortion?
“One that struck me very hard was someone who didn’t feel welcome or that, because they support Trump, they don’t belong here anymore,” he says.
In the past week, as he talked to distressed parishioners, he has questioned himself: Could he have called out the violence without naming Trump? Should he have waited a couple of weeks when feelings weren’t so raw? He keeps coming back to one word: no.
Still, he’s “sorrowful” over the hurt felt by those who walked out.
“The people who walked out are my parishioners,” he says. “I’m obligated to care for them as well.”
But maybe, he thinks, caring for them means speaking the truth.
“When you lance a boil, it’s messy, it’s painful, it’s smelly,” he says. “But it lets the poison out. We need to let some poison out of the system for the process of healing.”
Corcoran has taken consolation from the many parishioners who are relieved that he finally spoke up. Some have thanked him for being courageous, a word he waves away.
“I didn’t think it was courageous,” he said. “I thought it was necessary.”
Column: A Catholic pastor speaks out about Trump. Some parishioners walk out.
Priest's struggle with speaking out reflects the struggle many Americans have faced during Donald Trump’s tenure.www.chicagotribune.com
Again, why didn't call out the crimes this past summer? Because he is a political hack.
But of course you missed the point of the parishioners who walked out. What about the crimes committed by those on the left? crickets. I to agree it is the job of the church to stress morality and right and wrong but when you take sides you lose all credibility.
My dad and a few other ronnie raygun idolators were pretty pissed at our church in 2002/2003 because the priest was against invading Iraq. An anti-war priest, how unreasonable right conservatives? Conservatives have always been the biggest pansy snowflake crybabies.
You don’t want your clergy to take side in issues of morality? Interesting.
Nice try twisting my statement. I expect the church to take sides on morality, I don't expect the church to decide that only moral failures from those on the right deserve to be chastised. Morality pertains to everyone including those on the left.
Your dad was a Ronnie Reagan fan? He must have dropped you on your head when you were a baby.
I haven't known many people belonging churches that are ambiguous on their stance on abortion. The parish (or whatever y'all call it at your church) members who aren't fanatically pro-life and think the current policy is the best secular policy and who wouldn't get abortions themselves don't complain when their churches make statements or organize and demonstrate for pro-life issues.
Agreed. And every clergy person I know preaches on morality regardless of political party. (I’m an ordained Mainline Protestant pastor, I’m not speaking for fundamentalists) That doesn’t mean that you should ignore their warnings just because it goes against your politics. You don’t have to agree with them, but it’s probably wise to listen and discern for yourself if where they are coming from is a place of truth. It’s possible your politics have gotten in the way of faith.
Pretty clear who the 30 or so truly worship.....now they don't have to waste their time being there and the congregation is better off for their absence. Win/win
The "Church" is pro-birth, not pro-life. There's a huge difference.
By the same logic, though, would there be any doubt who he was talking about if he hadn't mentioned his name?
You are clearly very ignorant regarding the Church.
Good for Father Bill and the courage, and devotion to his beliefs, it took to say that
Now find a Baptist preacher who had the faith and balls to say as much.
Now find a Baptist preacher who had the faith and balls to say as much.
Yep. It is proof of how hard it will be to get these people back to normal. Their minds are fragile and to admit the obvious is to admit they have been conned very very badly for years. And that they were on the wrong side of history. It is very embarrassing and shameful and hard for the ego to accept. It’s not much different than confronting a kid, a spouse, or even a coworker about something wrong they have done and they go storming out of the room. At that point it is a major admission of guilt and them knowing they screwed up.
Executing more people in the last six months than had been executed by the federal government in the last 60 years is certainly not pro-life.
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According to Roman Catholic theology, the seven deadly sins are the seven behaviors or feelings that inspire further sin. They are typically ordered as: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth.
Trump in a nutshell?
Trump in a nutshell?
Sure
The old maggot on death row is the same as a unprotected fetus argument re
ro choice. Good logic.
Sure
The old maggot on death row is the same as a unprotected fetus argument re
Good logic.
Not a very Christian sounding statement.
Sure
The old maggot on death row is the same as a unprotected fetus argument re
Good logic.
Lol - on the first page you posted:
“The church is pro-life.
The leads to it being against capital punishment”
Take a seat, dipshit.
Let me slow this down for you.
You said the church is pro-life, which means they are against the death penalty.
I said the federal government under Donald Trump has executed more people in the last six months than the previous 60 years combined. That’s not very pro-life behavior.
The federal government under Donald Trump has also increased federal funding for Planned Parenthood to record highs.
It kind of, sort of, seems like Donald Trump isn’t really much of a pro-life President.
The other side of that coin are the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. My question for the Christians who have claimed that Trump is a man of faith has long been what about his behavior looks like the fruits of the spirit? Literally nothing.
That is patently false. The Catholic Church values life "from the womb to the tomb."
The Bible also says you can identify a man by his fruit.
What kind of fruit do people believe Donald Trump has produced the past four years?
Since he is no longer a candidate, I guess he can call it out. However, had he still been a candidate, I believe he would have put their tax exempt status at risk. As I believe there is a law that prohibits non-profit organizations from engaging in activities that “participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.
If he was in some parts of Texas or Florida, he may well have seen more people walk out than stayed.
I have been in a Catholic Church in Florida where a priest did not name any candidate specifically, but was talking about various political topics like abortion and gay marriage where one could easily infer the political references and a few people also walked out.
If he was in some parts of Texas or Florida, he may well have seen more people walk out than stayed.
I have been in a Catholic Church in Florida where a priest did not name any candidate specifically, but was talking about various political topics like abortion and gay marriage where one could easily infer the political references and a few people also walked out.
Pro-life, folks!! Can I quote this at the next abortion party?Sure
The old maggot on death row is the same as a unprotected fetus argument re
Good logic.
