PRIMACY OF CONSCIENCE
and
CATHOLIC SEXUAL MORALITY

On Thursday, April 15th about 30 people met for 2 hours at St. Stephens in Anoka to hear Bill Rose of Holy Name of Jesus in Wayzata speak on the “Primacy of Conscience and What Role it Can/Should Play in Catholic Sexuality Morality”. Bill Rose’s guide for the theme of this talk: Number 1778 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed. In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be just and right. It is by the judgment of his conscience that man perceives and recognizes the prescriptions of the divine law:

Conscience is a law of the mind; yet [Christians] would not grant that it is nothing more; I mean that it was not a dictate, nor conveyed the notion of responsibility, of duty, of a threat and a promise.... [Conscience] is a messenger of him, who, both in nature and in grace, speaks to us behind a veil, and teaches and rules us by his representatives. Conscience is the aboriginal Vicar of Christ.
 The entire evening was the expression of the dichotomy of opposites that most Catholics share whether they are clergy, religious or parishioners. Teaching versus Practice, Infallible versus Fallible, and Hierarchy versus Membership.

What is truth? What is the “best way”? Is it ok to simply follow one’s conscience or to always follow the church’s teaching even if it conflicts with your conscience? Bill Rose appeared to say following one’s conscience is the way but only if you let the church and scripture guide said conscience. He stated there is a need for the church’s teaching. He did not say: “anything goes if it feels good”.

Bill said it is important to have “an informed conscience”. I interpreted this to mean that you need to consider all sides of the issue before you make a decision. You must be familiar with the church’s teaching and scripture before you can make an informed decision. And likewise, you must be familiar with the present world situation.

Bill said a certain conscience is in error. The invincible: I know I’m right attitude is wrong. The role of preachers and theologians is to translate the scriptures into people’s lived reality, to help them form conscience.

Clergy and religious are both teachers and shepherds. On one hand, they must teach the rules of the church. On the other hand, they have the people right in front of them that that contradict church teaching asking for help. How many clergy when faced with John Kerry in the Communion line will really refuse him Communion because not all of his votes conform to Catholic teaching?

Archbishop Harry Flynn may agree 100% with the church’s teachings. Yet, when faced with dissent he chooses to follow the shepherd’s role. He met with Kathy Itzin after he refused her award because she’s a lesbian. He sat down with her and looked at pictures of her children.

Thou shalt not kill is an absolute teaching. It’s a Commandment. Yet, how many of us follow it? When faced with an intruder threatening our children would we hesitate or feel remorse if we killed them? If you were in the military would you kill?

Janice LaDuke was baptized at St. Joan of Arc but her parents left St. Joan's in the early 70's and went to a "less radical" Catholic church instead. She's very glad to have found her way back to St. Joan's in 1994!! Janice is a librarian by profession and has been working in the library of a healthcare consulting firm since 1997. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to all kinds of music and working on her home near Como Lake in St. Paul. Janice is also Echo Thoren's assistant every Sunday at the 11:00 a.m. service.
More duality: the attendees at Bill Rose’s talk were divided between those that think all teachings of the Catholic church should be followed to the letter and those who don’t. Anyone hoping for an immediate fix of an answer was undoubtedly disappointed. However, this was just the first in a series of presentations by Inclusive Catholics. The next session explores the role of Tradition.

Marlys Weber is a St. Joan of Arc'er with a passion for peace and justice issues. Marlys was one of the organizers of the anti-war bus trip to Washington D.C.
The Role of Tradition in Developing a Catholic Sexual Morality: Inclusive Catholics is hosting a presentation by Bill McDonough, author and professor of Moral Theology, on Thursday, May 13 at 7 pm at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in South Minneapolis. The discussion is free and is sponsored by Inclusive Catholics, a network of parishes committed to a vision of Church that is open and welcoming to all. FFI call Julie at the Parish Center.

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