Chevalier de la charité

A first Communion Mass at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville, Louisiana, was disrupted May 11 after a teenager attempted to enter the church with a rifle. Parishioners prevented the young man from entering the church where 60 children were preparing to receive their first Communion. Police took the suspect into custody and moments of chaos were caught on the church’s live stream as they swept the premises to see if other threats were present.

The video shows an individual approaching Father Nicholas DuPre, associate pastor at St. Mary Magdalen, about 48 minutes into the service. After the man whispers a message into Father DuPre’s ear, the priest asks parishioners to sit and leads them in praying Hail Marys. Police shortly thereafter entered the church and told parishioners they did « apprehend a young man,” that « he is in custody » and to “calm down and just get next to your child and go slowly. »

Abbeville Police Chief Mike Hardy told local news that the 16-year-old boy was taken to Abbeville General Hospital Behavioral Center for a medical evaluation after questioning. He has reportedly been charged with terrorizing and two counts of possession of a firearm by a juvenile.

« We are thankful to God that a tragedy was avoided at the First Communion mass for the children of St. Mary Magdalen in Abbeville, » said Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel of Lafayette, Louisiana, in a statement posted on Facebook. « The quick response of the Abbeville PD and alert parishioners is a great example of caring for the most vulnerable in our community. Let us pray for an end to all threats of violence to innocent human life. »

An additional statement sent to the parishioners of St. Mary Magdalen stated, « this morning, our First Communion ceremony was interrupted when a suspicious person opened the back door. The individual was immediately confronted by parishioners, escorted outside and the police were called. The individual was quickly apprehended by Abbeville Police Department and is in their custody. Once apprehended, law enforcement entered the church to make sure there was no additional danger. This understandably caused panic. While we realize this was a frightening experience for those in attendance, we are incredibly grateful to both parishioners and police officers for acting quickly to ensure the safety of all. »

The statement continued, « Chief Mike Hardy is handling the investigation with cooperation of the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s office and assistance from the FBI. Out of an abundance of caution, we will have uniformed law enforcement at all upcoming Masses. We invite First Communicants to receive First Holy Communion at whichever Mass they choose to attend this weekend. We are grateful for all the prayers for our St. Mary Magdalen community. »

Later in the afternoon on May 11, DuPre posted an image of the church’s altar on Facebook with the caption: « I’m going back to the safest place on earth, next to His Holy Cross and His Mother. See y’all at the 4 pm Mass. »

He encouraged parishioners to comment which Mass they would be attending this weekend below the post, saying, « We will not give up the holy ground of our hearts or our St Mary Magdalen Catholic Church to fear. Thank you all for your prayers and support! »

Many New Testament stories appear to be variations of one another with minor adjustments. Not so Jesus’ ascension. What the different accounts have in common is that Christ appeared among his disciples and missioned them to continue his work. (In the Gospel stories, Mary Magdalene is the only person Christ appeared to individually.)

According to John, Jesus appeared three times, commissioning the disciples to forgive and instructing Peter to feed his sheep. John mentions no ascension. Matthew describes how Jesus called the disciples to a mountaintop from where he sent them to spread the Gospel to the whole world and to baptize and pledged to remain with them until the end of time. Luke ends his Gospel with Jesus departing from Bethany, telling the disciples to remain in Jerusalem until the promise of the Father would fall on them. In the Acts of the Apostles, the second volume of his Gospel, Luke begins where he left off, narrating the departure and presence of the risen Lord with more detail than anywhere else.

According to most scholars, Mark ended his Gospel with verse 16:8, saying that the women fled from the empty tomb and said nothing to anyone because they were afraid. Mark apparently ended this way to provoke his community. Writing around the year 70, not long after Peter’s martyrdom, Mark’s audience knew persecution and had reason to be frightened. Mark wanted to jolt them beyond their fear. Mark’s community knew that the women really did spread the word; the Gospel was being preached. Still, Mark was warning the community that if they remained afraid or used any other excuse to avoid giving witness to the risen Lord, the message would disappear.

Unsatisfied with Mark’s disappointing ending, later scribes wrote more « adequate » conclusions and added some spectacular signs among those who preached the Gospel message. We hear this version today.

Examining Luke’s account of the Ascension in Acts, we note that before saying that Jesus promised the disciples that they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit, he gave his followers « instructions through the Holy Spirit. » Then, as he was about to be taken up, Jesus again promised, « You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. »

Throughout his Gospel, Luke mentions the Spirit no fewer than 15 times. Luke depicts the Spirit’s presence from the moment an angel announced the birth of John the Baptist through Jesus’ ministry and beyond. Luke presents the reception of the Spirit at Pentecost as the apex, not the first or last activity of the Spirit among Jesus’ disciples. For Luke, the Spirit’s presence in and to the disciples is a process, not a once-for-all event.

In his Letter to the Ephesians, Paul gives helpful ideas about the Spirit-power the disciples received. Paul teaches that the power to carry out Christ’s mission bestows wisdom, revelation, knowledge of Christ, enlightenment, hope, and a share in the riches of Christ’s glory. For Paul, these qualities summarize the effects of following Christ and sharing his Spirit.

No matter how they depict it, each Gospel proclaims that the risen Christ made himself present to his disciples and handed over his mission with the promise that they would have the grace and strength to carry it out. This tells us that the feast of the Ascension is not about absence, but mission.

Luke’s narrative shows that the Spirit of God was uniquely active even before the angel gave Mary the mission to be Mother of God and continues working in all who are willing to let Christ become present through them. The feast of the Ascension commissions Christ’s followers through all ages, reminding us that Christ’s mission continues through us and that the grace to accomplish it remains ever available to us. This is the point Luke made by saying that Jesus instructed the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit. They knew the Spirit’s presence, but needed to grow in it as they started to do what Jesus did.

We might note that the message of the Ascension is particularly apt as we participate in the synod on synodality. Jesus gives us his mission, and also the Spirit that empowers us to accomplish it. Like the disciples sent to wait in Jerusalem, instead of planning and carrying out what we think is right, our times call us to listen to the Spirit Christ bestows on all disciples.

The Spirit of Christ calls forth an innumerable variety of expressions of Christ’s mission. To the extent that we are open, the Spirit will keep awakening us to the richness discoverable only in a community of believers on mission.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton revived his attempt to shut down El Paso’s Annunciation House, a Catholic nonprofit serving migrants, just a couple of months after his previous effort was blocked by a state judge.

Paxton’s office said May 8 it filed an application for a temporary injunction against Annunciation House, accusing it of « systemic criminal conduct in Texas, » including facilitating illegal border crossings or concealing « illegally present aliens from law enforcement. »

Annunciation House’s lawyer said those are false allegations.

In a statement, Paxton said, « Any NGO facilitating the unlawful entry of illegal aliens into Texas is undermining the rule of law and potentially jeopardizing the safety and wellbeing of our citizens. »

« All NGOs who are complicit in Joe Biden’s illegal immigration catastrophe and think they are above the law should consider themselves on notice, » he added.

Paxton’s effort to shut down Annunciation House comes as some Republican lawmakers have grown increasingly hostile toward nongovernmental organizations, including Catholic ones, that provide resources such as food and shelter to migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Paxton previously filed suit in February in an attempt to shut down Annunciation House, accusing it of « human smuggling, » in a move that was denounced by Catholic immigration advocates, including El Paso Bishop Mark J. Seitz. In March, District Judge Francisco Dominguez in El Paso issued an order blocking Paxton’s subpoena of Annunciation House, finding both that Paxton’s effort seemed politically motivated and that it must go through appropriate due process in the state court system.

Jerome Wesevich, a lawyer for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, which is representing Annunciation House, called Paxton’s latest effort « all heat and no light. »

« The Court set forth an orderly process for deciding this case, and Annunciation House intends to follow that process so that Annunciation House and other non-profits have a clear statement of their rights and responsibilities when the Attorney General serves them with subpoenas, » Wesevich said in a statement.

In its press statement, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid said Paxton « accompanied his filing today with a vicious press release restating the false accusations he made against Annunciation House in early February. »

« What matters here is what the Court does, not what the Attorney General says, » Wesevich said. « While the Attorney General drums up attention to his false claims, Annunciation House continues to serve refugees as the law allows and as the Gospel commands. »

Spokespersons for the Diocese of El Paso and Annunciation House did not immediately respond to OSV News’ requests for comment.

Annunciation House operates several shelters in the El Paso area, helping migrants and refugees with food, housing and other assistance, as well as providing information about how to fill out the required legal documents to seek asylum in the U.S.

Residents of this eastern town of Uganda are still in disbelief months after police arrested a 48-year-old pastor accused of hacking his 44-year-old wife to death.

« The pastor killed his pregnant wife because he suspected her of having an extramarital affair with another man in this area, » said Irene Mukasa, a resident of Bupoto, about the Jan. 4 slaying. « We are still in shock because no one is safe. Even men serving God at different levels have also become perpetrators of domestic violence. »

Mukasa said such crimes in the region and across the country have left the majority of women to live in fear and avoid expressing themselves freely before men and in public. « Such attacks instill fear in women so that they are not able to question anything or defend themselves against any accusations or abuse, » said the 38-year-old mother of three.

Regional police spokesperson Rogers Taitika confirmed the slaying, saying the pastor was arrested two months ago and charged with murder. Taitika lamented the increase in cases of domestic violence in the region, noting that his office had recorded over 70 cases of domestic violence and four murder cases from January to June 2023 alone.

« The situation is getting worse, and something needs to be done urgently to save lives and protect our families, » Taitika told Religion News Service. « I want to urge people, especially couples, to seek legal redress rather than resorting to violence. »

The case of the pastor’s wife has prompted religious leaders across the country to launch a campaign to fight gender-based violence, which takes many forms, including domestic violence, child marriages, sexual violence, partner violence, economic violence, and psychological and emotional abuse.

The first-ever stand-alone National Survey on Violence Against Women and Girls conducted by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics and supported by the U.N.’s Women Count program in 2020 revealed shocking findings, including that almost all Ugandan women and girls (95%) had experienced physical or sexual violence, or both, by partners or nonpartners since the age of 15. The findings also show that at least 43% of girls are married by age 18 and 33% of girls below the age of 15 report having been forced into their first sexual encounter.

Religious leaders have said that lack of awareness or knowledge prevents victims, who are primarily women, from detecting and reporting gender-based violence to the authorities and enables perpetrators, most often men.

In central Uganda, the Anglican Church of Uganda has taken its awareness campaign against domestic violence to schools, homes, markets, villages, towns and other public places to ensure people are educated on how to detect and report any form of domestic violence or GBV to the authorities.

The bishop of Mukono Diocese, Enos Kitto Kagodo, said church representatives are visiting schools to educate teachers on how to identify signs of abuse among children and how to appropriately respond. The bishop noted that children who have witnessed domestic violence are likely to experience mental health issues and have their education disrupted.

« Children suffer emotional and psychological trauma when they see their parents fight, divorce or kill each other as a result of intimate partner violence, » said Kagodo, noting that the church is constructing a rehabilitation center that will be used to accommodate children and parents who are facing domestic violence and abuse. « The center will also offer counseling to victims of domestic violence and help them seek justice in an effort to end the vice. »

In northern Uganda, some Pentecostal churches are sending representatives from house to house in some of the remotest locations to talk to men and community leaders about how to respect and love women and children. The church leaders said such conversations were meaningful because « these influential community leaders can pass what they have learned to others, » thereby expanding awareness that’s so critical to ending domestic violence.

Bishop John Babu of Arua Pentecostal Church said there were high numbers of GBV cases in northern Uganda, and most of the victims were women. He outlined alcoholism, poverty and power imbalances between men and women as contributing factors.

« We are involving men in our campaign to end domestic violence because most of them are the perpetrators, » he said, urging men to speak up when they see an abusive relationship in their communities. « Men should be the solution to this vice by reporting incidents of domestic violence to police and educating others on what a good relationship looks like. »

In eastern Uganda, religious leaders are also fighting to end female genital mutilation. This practice, though on the decline, is still considered a rite of passage for girls into womanhood in some regions, often leading to child marriages and girls dropping out of school.

Evangelist Ruben Okumu from Mbale, a town in eastern Uganda, said that apart from child marriage and education, FGM affects girls’ and women’s health, including risks of getting HIV, infections, birth complications, pain and infertility, and in some worst cases bleeding to death.

« We have realized that a high number of young girls are dropping out of school and getting married after undergoing FGM, » said Okumu, adding that FGM is a form of child abuse and should be condemned at all levels. « We are moving to the villages to talk to the people and educate them about the effects of the practice and how they should not allow it in their communities. »

Meanwhile, Okumu noted that GBV cannot be tackled in isolation and he urged church leaders to work with everyone to end violence against girls and women, assist survivors and secure equal rights for women and girls.

« We need to work together if we are to end gender-based violence. We need to involve the government, NGOs, parents, community leaders, women and girls, » he said, urging well-wishers to empower women and girls and legislators to advocate for stronger laws and policies against GBV. « We dream of a future where women will have a voice and girls will access their full rights, including access to education. »

While the forces of a market economy may obstruct people from advancing social justice, society cannot remain mute in the face of unjust labor practices and exploitative economic structures, Pope Francis said.

Modern society runs the risk of « passively accepting what happens around us with a certain indifference or because we are not in a condition to understand often complex problems and find adequate responses to them, » he said May 8.

The pope encouraged academics, employers, workers’ organizations, and faith-based actors participating in a Vatican consultation on developing fair labor practices to « focus on the relationship between dignified work and social justice. »

« This expression, ‘social justice,’ that came about in the social encyclicals of the popes, is a word that is not accepted by the liberal, leading economy, » he said.

Organized by “The Future of Work, Labor after Laudato Si’” project, the International Catholic Migration Commission and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the three-day consultation brought 60 participants to Rome from around the world to discuss the dignity of work, environmental transition, migration and social justice.

In his address opening the consultation May 8, Cardinal Michael Czerny, dicastery prefect, urged participants to adopt a « synodal » approach to their discussions, which could see « unlikely allies emerge » united behind the common good.

Francis told the participants that working conditions must be considered in light of the environmental impact of labor, noting in particular how extractive industries export raw materials « for the sole purpose of satisfying the markets of the industrialized North » but often produce dangerous working conditions, « including mercury or sulfur dioxide pollution in mines. »

The pope also addressed the problem of global food scarcity, especially in regions affected by war such as Gaza and Sudan, which he said is caused by extreme weather linked to climate change and exacerbated by « structural weaknesses such as poverty, high dependence on food imports and precarious infrastructure. »

He added that society cannot forget about the relationship of dignified work and migration.

Due to « prejudice and inaccurate or ideological information, » he said, migrants « are often viewed as a problem and a burden on a nation’s costs, when in reality, by working, they contribute to the economic and social development of the country that receives them and the one they come from » by sending money back to their families.

Migration also helps wealthy nations handle the « very grave problem » caused by falling fertility rates, the pope said, but often migrants remain excluded from their full rights in those countries, including by having no access to healthcare, financial protections and social services.

The Mexican bishops’ conference has questioned accusations of untoward behavior by retired Bishop Salvador Rangel Mendoza of Chilpancingo-Chilapa amid conflicting accounts of his disappearance and subsequent reappearance in a hospital bed — with the conference secretary general saying the situation had assumed political overtones.

« This situation has taken a turn toward a political orchestration that is far from seeking truth and justice, » secretary general of Mexico’s bishops’ conference, Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca, said in a May 5 video.

« In these times of fake news and polarization, we deeply regret that speculations are being made lightly about the appearance of Monsignor Salvador Rangel, which, far from clarifying (things), confuse people of good will and harm those who are currently unable to share their experience, » Castro said.

Rangel, who is well known in Mexico for his work brokering truces with drug cartel bosses, disappeared April 29 and reappeared two days later in a public hospital in the city of Cuernavaca, 50 miles south of Mexico City.

The circumstances of his disappearance have provoked controversy as the Morelos state prosecutor and local politicians — who analysts and press stories describe as being at odds with each other — offered conflicting accounts.

Morelos state prosecutor Uriel Carmona said Rangel was the likely victim of an express kidnapping, in which victims are abducted, robbed and released without a ransom being requested. He also revealed that toxicology reports showed benzodiazepines and cocaine in his system, suggesting he had been drugged.

But state public security commissioner José Antonio Ortiz Guarneros disputed those claims, telling reporters May 2: « The prosecutor must demonstrate why it was an express kidnapping. (People) in politics are taking advantage of this to undermine security in the state. »

He continued, « As far as we know, (the bishop) voluntarily entered the motel, with a person of the same sex, and that person left. But that is what we know, because we went to ask for information, however the prosecutor’s office had already arrived and they did not allow us. »

A hospital intake report signed by a social worker was also leaked to the media. The report said paramedics found the bishop « unconscious and naked » in a hotel room. The bishops’ belongings brought by paramedics included clothing, shoes, « lubricating gel and a small black case with six condoms (one open) and five blue pills, » according to the newsmagazine Proceso. « No identification, nor money or any object of value was collected. »

Details of the case appear confusing, along with the political dispute between the prosecutor and the Morelos state government. The state government — with help from the federal government — has unsuccessfully attempted to remove Carmona, whose office is autonomous.

Rangel left his home in suburban Cuernavaca — where he has resided since retiring as bishop of Chilpancingo-Chilapa in 2022 — on the morning of April 27. He left without his mobile phone, according to media reports. Luis Gasca, Rangel’s attorney, told journalist Ciro Gómez Leyva that the prelate stopped at a convenience store to purchase a drink « and that’s where he lost consciousness. »

Interim Gov. Samuel Sotelo Salgado told reporters that Rangel was spotted at a pizza parlor in a community south of Cuernavaca on the evening of April 27, where he met with an employee. He also said that two bank machine withdrawals were made that day, « but there are no witnesses or cameras that saw him kidnapped. »

Mexican media outlets cited the governor and security sources saying the Cruz Roja Mexicana, Spanish for Mexican Red Cross, which provides ambulance service, transported Rangel from a motel charging patrons by the hour to a public hospital.

The Red Cross chapter in Cuernavaca, however, released a statement May 3, saying it had no records of its ambulances transporting Rangel, « thus contrasting the version that the bishop had been found in a hotel and transferred to the general hospital of Cuernavaca, » Infobae agency reported.

Rangel has been released from the hospital and is being cared for by relatives, according to a person familiar with the situation. He is suffering from high blood pressure and post-COVID symptoms, according to media reports.

« Once Monsignor Salvador Rangel has the capacity to make a statement, we will do so in an institutional manner and rest assured that eventually, in line with our canonical norms, we will act accordingly, » Castro said in his May 5 video.

« We urge the competent authorities to carry out an exhaustive, objective, impartial, fair and illuminating investigation that contributes to justice, » the prelate added.

Rangel’s disappearance sparked widespread concern, along with fears for the worst, as he is known for his dialogues with drug cartel leaders in the state of Guerrero — which unfolds to the south of Mexico City and Morelos and takes in the glitz of Acapulco, impoverished indigenous communities and the country’s heroin-producing heartland.

The four bishops of Guerrero state helped broker a deal with drug cartel bosses in February.

Rangel, however, has been outspoken on the ineffectiveness of government security policy and alleged that politicians in Guerrero — and beyond — often colluded with drug cartels.

« At least right now in Guerrero, all the elections in my area are almost settled, » he told OSV News April 1, referring to drug cartels settling on candidates to back.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he welcomed the Guerrero bishops’ initiatives to pacify the state. Some of the president’s partisans in Guerrero objected, however.

Félix Salgado Macedonio, a senator from Guerrero for the ruling Morena party and father of state Gov. Evelyn Salgado, attacked the bishops for intervening, saying public security was a matter for the state.

He added caustically, « There are bishops that represent God and the devil, we no longer know who they represent. »

The controversy engulfing Rangel comes as Mexico prepares for June 2 elections, in which the ruling Morena party has campaigned on the proposition that Mexico has become less violent under its administration and chastised voices countering that narrative.

Morena candidate Claudia Sheibaum, who leads all polls, called the security diagnosis in a bishops’ conference peace proposal « pessimistic » but later met with the conference at its biannual meetings.

Castro said at a March press conference that the relations between the bishops’ conference and president were cordial, but not close.

He said in a May 5 homily: « Thousands of bots, of persons interested in damaging the church’s moral authority, which thanks to God has regained strength, have seen the opportunity. Thousands! Thousands! It’s a factory of bots from ‘you know who’ which is attacking the church. »

Mexican media interpreted « you know who » as President López Obrador, who has used the term in political advertising. A spokesman for Castro said it referred more to Morena and the « government apparatus. »

Dignitas Infinita, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s recent document on human dignity, has provoked a variety of responses, very few of which reflect the kind of engagement with the church’s teaching for which one might hope, especially where theologians and public intellectuals are concerned.

On the Catholic right, George Weigel was upset that among the document’s 116 footnotes, not one was to St. Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Veritatis Splendor. That might seem petty but it is instructive: A particular reading of that encyclical has been the American Catholic right’s calling card for highlighting the concept and category of intrinsic evil, which they then apply to the realm of politics in ways that distort Catholic moral theology egregiously.

Fr. Raymond de Souza similarly linked the current text to the pontificate of John Paul II, but chose to engage the document in terms of public relations. After noting the problems with the rollout of Fiducia Supplicans in December, de Souza writes: « Immediately, Cardinal Fernández began to maneuver, promising another declaration on human dignity that would mollify critics, as if the DDF was engaging in Clintonian triangulation rather than proclaiming the splendor of the veritas. Thus came Dignitas infinita earlier this month. » Alas, the introductory note explains that Dignitas Infinita has been in the works for years, making de Souza’s analysis implausible.

On the Catholic left, almost all the responses have suffered from a congeries of problems. Several have tried to invalidate the entire text with a false claim, others invoke experience and/or science as a trump card, and most take profound umbrage at the document, as if Pope Francis had betrayed them. Let us take these one at a time.

« Dignitas Infinita shows no evidence that its authors were informed by true encounters with trans, nonbinary and intersex people, » stated a group of theology students and alumni in an open letter to Pope Francis and Cardinal Victor Fernández. Holy Cross College theologian Mary Doyle Roche voiced a similar complaint: « The document notes the ‘immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity.’ … But the document reflects no such encounter with persons who are striving to live into the freedom to which they are called, a freedom that is not merely an exercise of control over body or identity, as the DDF suggests, but a freedom for authentic relationships with self and others. » Francis DeBernado, executive director of New Ways Ministry, faulted the document for its « stunning lack of awareness of the actual lives of transgender and nonbinary people. »

Many popes have voiced opinions on issues without meeting a person personally affected by whatever that issue is. Pope Francis is not one of them. We know he has met with and continues to nurture a relationship with a group of trans persons in Italy. It is not clear what constitutes a « true » encounter, the standard set in the open letter. Perhaps, an encounter that does not induce « false consciousness »?

Another line of criticism is that experience and science are trump cards, and that the Vatican document ignored both. « The Vatican’s misunderstanding of ‘gender ideology’ and trans experiences is fundamentally unserious theology that offers only base caricatures of gender theory and science while denigrating the sacred lives of trans and other gender diverse folks, » commented Jason Steidl, a teaching professor of religious studies. « Yet again, the many voices of trans people of faith, as well as contemporary sciences are ignored completely in favor of an outdated, heteronormative, and self-referential anthropology, » said Mara Klein, a member of the German Synodal Path and activist.

Experience matters but in the making of theology, experience can never be the only thing that matters. We have canonical Scriptures. We have a theological tradition. We have an authoritative magisterium. More importantly, there is not a human alive who has not at least once made a choice that seemed obvious at the moment given his or her lived experience, but the decision turned out to be a disaster. The same is true for nations. Every culture has its blind spots. A whole people can be sincerely wrong. Nixon won twice.

The Vatican text acknowledged that « scientific coherence is the subject of considerable debate among experts. » Appealing to « science » is complicated. As the Cass report for the National Health Service in the United Kingdom stated, « from the start, the Review stepped into an arena where there were strong and widely divergent opinions unsupported by adequate evidence. » Dr. Hilary Cass is not a member of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Her empathy with « gender-questioning young people » is evident. The report runs to 388 pages, but reading the 25-page summary suffices to demonstrate that the science is muddled at best. Cass recommended the NHS not prescribe puberty blockers to adolescents and, instead, provide counseling. Anyone who invokes « the science » without reference to the Cass report is not being serious. It is remarkable that I could find no mention of the Cass report on New Ways Ministry’s website.

Umbrage is the third characteristic of many of the criticisms of Dignitas Infinita, and not just umbrage but a deflecting umbrage. « With one breath, the document beautifully and powerfully declares that human dignity is infinite for all persons … and with another breath, it erases, invalidates, and — ultimately — violates the dignity of transgender persons, » complained Emory University’s Ish Ruiz. Fordham University theologian Cristina Traina voiced a similarly angry and dismissive verdict: « As others have remarked already, Dignitas Infinita‘s conclusions on sex and gender are sloppy and unfounded, which is insulting to LGBTQ Catholics. »

The document clearly and repeatedly affirms the dignity of every human person. These critics seem to suggest it is impossible to affirm the dignity of the person without also accepting the critics’ theories. As Pope Francis wrote to Sr. Jeannine Gramick, « Gender ideology is something other than homosexual or transsexual people. » For the critics, alas, the gender theories of Judith Butler are treated as if they were more canonical than Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

And the critics grow indignant if you do not agree. Reading through the postings at New Ways Ministry, it put me in mind of what Jason Blakely wrote in his book Lost in Ideology which I recently reviewed: « For the millions of people who are currently lost in ideology, political debate with opponents often consists of little more than bald assertions, condescension, haughtiness and moralizing. From deep inside a particular map, it appears self-evident that the world is necessarily ‘thus and so.’ Anyone unable to see by the blinding light of one’s own ideological sun is benighted, irrational, wicked or otherwise false. » That is precisely the way these invectives against Dignitas Infinita read.

This points to yet another point of controversy accentuated by Dignitas Infinita and the discussion that has followed, namely, what is gender ideology as the church understands it? That is a conversation for another day.

For now, it is enough to note how shrill the critics of Dignitas Infinita sound. They resemble nothing so much as the capitalist critics of this papacy, for example, the late Michael Novak and Fr. Robert Sirico, who objected to Pope Francis’ forceful articulation of Catholic social teaching. How dare he? We Americans understand economics, not the poor benighted Argentine who only knows crony capitalism. He should have consulted us before he opened his mouth.

The ideologues of both gender and capital make the same appeal to human choice, self-definition and autonomy as transcendent values, but libertarianism in any guise is not compatible with Christian theology.