Deadening the Intellectual Life of the Church: Crazy-making
The papacy and hierarchy’s very act of demanding that the faithful not talk about certain issues (e.g., women’s ordination) as a prerequisite to being a “good Catholic” is crazy-making; it boggles the mind and demeans the Church.
Imagine going to see your crazy old Uncle Tootie. In order for Uncle Tootie to talk to you, he requires that you wear a hat and hop three times on your left leg before you enter his room. Now you may be fond of Uncle Tootie, and you may remember when he had a few more marbles than he does today, and you may respect him for the work he as done in his life, so you are happy to wear the hat and hop three times on your left leg in order to get in there and pay your respects. But you certainly don’t look to him for any wisdom any more, and you certainly wouldn’t want him running anything.
The more the papacy and hierarchy enforce this policy of certain topics that may not be talked about (e.g., women’s ordination), the more they look like crazy old Uncle Tootie.
That would be cute and funny except for the fact that people are being forced out of their roles in the Church merely for talking about things, as Sister of Charity Louise Lears found out when she forced out of all church ministerial roles and forbidden to receive the sacraments in the archdiocese by Saint Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke. Cutting someone off from the sacraments because they talk about women’s ordination? It’s no wonder people flee the Church.
