By Judie Brown
Pope Paul VI’s prophetic encyclical Humanae Vitae teaches about the negative effects of artificial methods of birth control, explaining that its use
“could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards.”
This “general lowering of moral standards” concerns us greatly.
Today we can see that the violation of the teachings contained in this prophetic encyclical has wrought a whirlwind of evils perpetrated against the human person, including abortion, homosexuality, and more. Every Catholic bishop, priest, and faithful Catholic lay person is called upon now as never before to stand in defense of truth. The Church does not accommodate the world and its so-called values. The Catholic Church shines a beacon lighting the way to Christ’s love and mercy.
The red-pilled bishops noted here understand this. According to the Urban Dictionary, “red-pilled” refers to those who “prefer the truth, no matter how gritty and painful it may be.” Thus, we acknowledge these men and pay respect to them for their clarity of thought and action.
Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, is one such champion of truth. On June 1, Tobin tweeted:
A reminder that Catholics should not support or attend LGBTQ “Pride Month” events held in June. They promote a culture and encourage activities that are contrary to Catholic faith and morals. They are especially harmful for children.
— Bishop Thomas Tobin (@ThomasJTobin1) June 1, 2019
Within moments he was verbally attacked by LGBTQ proponents. In response, he issued a statement expressing his love for people of same-sex attraction but saying:
“As a Catholic bishop, however, my obligation before God is to lead the faithful entrusted to my care and to teach the faith, clearly and compassionately, even on very difficult and sensitive issues.”
On June 20, another Catholic bishop stood up in defense of truth. When Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis, Indiana, refused to fire a teacher publicly known to be in a same-sex marriage, Archbishop Charles Thompson took action. He issued a decree stating in part that the school
“can no longer use the name Catholic and will no longer be identified or recognized as a Catholic institution.”
Such events are not surprising. In fact, Archbishop Charles Chaput saw this coming nearly a year ago when the bishops were preparing for the Vatican Summit on Youth. At that time he said:
“There is no such thing as an ‘LGBTQ Catholic’ or a ‘transgender Catholic’ or a ‘heterosexual Catholic,’ as if our sexual appetites defined who we are; as if these designations described discrete communities of differing but equal integrity within the real ecclesial community, the body of Jesus Christ.”
According to the National Catholic Register,
Archbishop Chaput said what “seems crucial” to any discussions of anthropological issues is “explaining why Catholic teaching about human sexuality is true, and why it’s ennobling and merciful.” . . .
Furthermore, he said “too often my generation of leaders” has abdicated its responsibility of passing on the truth of the Gospel through “ignorance, cowardice and laziness.” The clergy sexual abuse crisis is a result of the “self-indulgence and confusion” introduced into the Church, he explained, and young people have “paid the price for it.”
This crisis is steeped in the language of death, whether we are talking about contraception, abortion, homosexuality, or euthanasia. It is a condition that we must face head on as Catholics who strive to teach truth in charity but with conviction.
Catholic teaching on human sexuality is true, and frankly, it is the only clear road toward defeating the evils propagated by the culture of death. To find the roadmap to moral sanity, we only need to examine Church teaching. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that
“everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity. Physical, moral, and spiritual difference and complementarity are oriented toward the goods of marriage and the flourishing of family life. The harmony of the couple and of society depends in part on the way in which the complementarity, needs, and mutual support between the sexes are lived out.”
As Catholic men and women, we must stand with red-pilled bishops like Tobin, Thompson, and Chaput. We must learn the truth, and we must be willing teach it, whether or not we are reviled in the process. As pro-life followers of Jesus Christ, nothing less is acceptable.
Lives depend on it, not to mention souls.