The “Deep State” … the “Deep Church?”

I took in this article this morning:

Confessions of a Cancelled Priest, written in August of last year.

There is something going on in Roman Catholic circles that I should have anticipated. Like the Evangelical/Protestant world, the Catholic community is deeply divided in its understanding of both current social trends and the veracity of classical Christian theology.

In short, this article describes a convention of The Coalition of Cancelled Priests. At this gathering certain causes are championed. At first blush, I find myself encouraged that realities within the Catholic community – covering up sex crimes by clergy, blind support for the Democratic Party, blind support for the CDC during the Covid pandemic, a Pope who seems all too comfortable with syncretism and “wokeness”, a lack of appropriate influence on political policy – are being challenged by its people. If I were in this church (or a Protestant church with similar convictions), I would certainly want to see these addressed, and ultimately brought in line with the scriptures.

But, as the article went on, I started seeing the tin foil hats come out. Climate change is a hoax. Scientists developed Covid from aborted fetuses. You cannot be Catholic and a Democrat. Covid vaccines can kill children in the womb. Looming power outages and food scarcity. The devils of our age being Bud Light, Target and the Dodgers. There is a “Deep Church”. And their answer to all of this? A new Pope, yes … but also a return to pre-Vatican II days of offering the Latin Mass? These things, they say, constitute “the uncompromising version of the faith.”

Like politics, like church. The most vocal adherents to conservative ideas go overboard, making a mockery of themselves, and therefore of their best ideas. By the articles end, I found it obvious why Rome would want to distance themselves from this coalition.

Can’t there be an expression of classical Christianity that is marked by a thoughtful, intelligent love for the Word … AND love for those who think differently, AND an influence-building level social propriety? Can our best classical Christian ideas be advanced by this sort of coalition? If in fact this sort of coalition exists?

Lord, Your church, at its best, IS this coalition. May we be salt and light in the best ways possible. Purge us of the dross that keeps Your pure Word from shining in our world.

– EO