American Catholicism

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Catholics have lived in America since 1634, when the colony ships Dove and Ark arrived. Although there have been many changes in the circumstances for Catholics here, there has been one constant: a struggle to reconcile American and Catholic identities. How has this struggle manifested itself and how successful has it been?

Perhaps no other group has had as much difficulty in adjusting an Old World faith to New World culture and attitudes, but Jay P. Dolan has done an admirable job explaining their story. An emeritus professor at Notre Dame, Dolan argues that the ideals of democracy, liberty, and individualism have had a profound impact on Catholic practice and doctrines - not simply in America, but also for Catholics around the world. Because of this, Catholicism as a whole owes a great deal to the American Catholic experience.

The influence of American culture on Catholicism began very early. In 1789, John Carroll became the first American bishop, and by an election among the priests which was given papal approval. Through the following decades, Americans who were accustomed to self-determination in the political sphere also expected it in the religious sphere. They did not challenge religious dogma or church doctrine; however, they did challenge the traditional model by which their churches were run:

The spirit of democracy stamped Catholicism in this era with a distinctive mark by radically altering the manner in which authority operated in the church. Both clergy and laity had sought to reshape the traditional monarchial model of Catholicism by having the government of the local church mirror the democratic culture of the new nation. ...[This] was an important development in the search for an American Catholicism, a Catholicism in harmony with the culture of the new nation.

Unfortunately, this "republican Catholicism" did not survive far in the 19th century. More traditional ideas about original sin, human weaknesses, and the need for a strong, centralized church came to prevail. This was accomplished through a number of factors: the immigration of traditionally-inclined Catholic laity and of traditionally-minded Catholic clergy (especially from France after the French Revolution), the growth of anti-Catholic bigotry causing Catholics to turn inward (for example, by creating their own school system), and the reliance of immigrants on their local parish churches as the principal means by which they sought to preserve the religious life and cultural heritage of their home countries.

Matters took another turn in the late 20th century with the developments in the Second Vatican Council, as Dolan explains:

The experience of collaboration and consultation has conditioned a generation of Catholics to think that their religion nurtures a democratic spirit among its people. This expectation comes into direct conflict with an opposing model of church that envisions Catholicism as a hierarchical institution in which the clergy are the sole decision makers. Both of these visions of church were present at Vatican II and were apparent in the council document about the church. At the council sessions the more collegial model of church became the normative, operational theology that most council fathers endorsed. The hierarchical model soon fell into disfavor.

That, however, has not endured in the halls of power. Pope John Paul II has enthusiastically endorsed a hierarchical, traditional, and monarchial model of Roman Catholicism, leading to a myriad of conflicts with American Catholics. The Catholic community in the United States is now sharply divided over more issues than ever before, with those who support a monarchial church on one side and those who support a more democratic model on the other.

This is not an entirely academic problem, as recent scandals over the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy have demonstrated. Closed monarchial systems which foster secrecy and arrogance are much more likely to lead to abuse of power and authority than an open, democratic system. Religious leaders must be accountable to the people they serve rather than rule over them like a privileged class - otherwise, the religious organization will falter and fail.