July 18, 2004

Unity and diversity

By Bishop Edwin M. Conway

 

Around this civil holiday time of the year (July 4), especially during political nomination campaigns, the theme of unity and diversity is often sounded as the great underlying richness of our nation. In some aspects, of course, it is true that the ability of people from various ethnic, racial, religious and economic backgrounds to come together to form one government and one nation is pretty remarkable and an historical event. It requires sacrifice and a sense of commitment to the common good. We also know that too often when one of the elements in society uses its power to dominate others, the resulting product is tension, struggle and sometimes strife. The deeper the commitment is to the common good the more unlikely will such misuse of power be successful.

We here in the Archdiocese have often professed the same theme of unity and diversity as one of our gifts and riches. I recently accompanied the Cardinal on his visitation to the six vicariates of the Archdiocese. He listened to the concerns of the assembled priests, answered questions and entered into discussions with them around various subjects. One sees very clearly that there is diversity in the Archdiocese and that it takes work on all of our parts, members and leaders of the Church of Chicago, to continue to call this richness of diversity to the gift of unity.

Much of the diversity of the Archdiocese springs from our different backgrounds. These backdrops can be racial, ethnic, economic, educational or familial. Sometimes the differences are so deep and distinct that the Church has honored separate Rites for the celebration of the Liturgy and the living out of religious customs. By and large however, the word “Catholic” in its truest sense calls us to adjust and move aside from our differing traits and customs to the unity of the Gospel message. This call still allows us to express that Gospel unity in many varied and warm familial and local ways. That is the richness of this diversity brought forth in unity.

Unfortunately, some of our diversity in the Church comes forth as power, seeking security as a challenge to our basic unity. This archdiocese has known the pain and struggle of these attempts. Our first few bishops labored in frustration trying to keep the “warring” ecclesial elements of the growing town from tearing the Church apart. Early French fur trappers, the few East Coast immigrants, the early Irish laborers and “lakers,” the more educated Germanic and central European peoples, African Americans and Native Americans and the growing business class, all saw themselves as “the” Church. It is no wonder that several early bishops asked to be relieved of the responsibility of governing and forming the Church of Chicago.

Our first Archbishop, Patrick Feehan, was faced with a “schism” between the American clergy of the Archdiocese and the Irish-born clergy who saw themselves as the would be leaders coming from their power base of historical presence in the Archdiocese. Archbishop James Quigley spent much of his time in Chicago striving to design the best way to serve the numerous newly arriving Catholics from Europe. He tried to balance their needs of custom and language with the reality that they were now residents in a new country calling for their allegiance. After years of struggle, the compromise he designed was the “national parish.”

Cardinals Mundelein, Stritch and Meyer faced the public need of the Church to speak out on the evils of racism, especially as it affected the Church. Subsequent Cardinals Cody, Bernardin and George have continued to call us to Gospel unity around facing the division of racism in the community and in the Church. Cardinals from Stritch through our present Cardinal have responded to the continually growing but changing Hispanic and Asian Catholic presence in the Archdiocese, balancing the welcome and the challenge of a large group of people adjusting to and assimilating into the community. While all these events and many more have been taxing, especially on the leadership of the Archdiocese, the outcome is a stronger and richer Archdiocese.

It seems to me that in recent years there is a new diversity that is being flaunted as richness. In reality it may have added to our struggles of disunity. Its origins are not the traditional diversity of national customs or status; rather it is man-made. It stems from the inadequate job we did as a Church for almost three decades in sufficiently and appropriately instructing and forming our Christian communities. We are now left with Catholics who, because of ignorance, misunderstanding or in a few cases rejection of Catholic teaching, claim to represent authentic Catholic thought and tradition.

What makes it difficult is that they claim their stance to be real, true and authoritative. It is described or cloaked in the terms of diversity and not as dissent. Hence in discussion and deliberation much emphasis is put upon celebrating the richness of diversity and unity, rather than on seeking truth and unity. I began to notice this phenomenon a few years ago when authors ceased using footnotes or endnotes. Authoritative teaching gave way to opinion. The new opinion soon became indisputable fact.

What is the way home again to legitimate diversity in unity? To me it seems to be the work of the Spirit. We are about to enter into a new Archdiocese-wide evangelization program, Spreading the Holy Fire. If we embrace this program in its entirety and internalize it, we will be heading in the direction of unity. It will take giving over of attitudes and ideas. It may mean being uncomfortable for awhile. It will mean conversion. Our forebears were up to task of building a Church out of diversity. They, like the members of the early Church, confined the dispute to the limits of the Church. We likewise will also have to discipline ourselves and avoid the temptation to use forces outside the Church, such as the media and the courts, to have our point of view prevail. I pray that we, you and I, will be no less committed to the same ecclesial tasks no matter what the source of the diversity or how distant the unity may seem to be.

(PS: Thank you for your continued prayers for me. Please keep them up. I am not at a fully healed place yet in my life.)