On raising hackles

The clichéd phrase "raising hackles" is an interesting one because it sometimes gives away, inadvertently, more than the writer using it intends. For example, this headline from Reuters:

New Catholic archbishop of Brussels raises hackles in Belgium

The author's meaning is clear enough: someone is afraid of the new archbishop. But why? The piece states:

The long-awaited announcement of the successor to the retiring Catholic archbishop of Brussels, Cardinal Godfried Danneels, has sparked an unusual outcry in Belgium. The new archbishop, André-Mutien Léonard, is sometimes called  “the Belgian Ratzinger” for his conservative views. Danneels ranks as one of the last liberal prelates in a Church hierarchy that has turned increasingly traditional under Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict.

Léonard has beene [sic] a controversial figure in Belgium for his critical stands on homosexuality, same-sex marriage and condom use. He has been an outspoken opponent of abortion and euthanasia, both of which are legal in Belgium, and criticised the Catholic universities of Leuven and Louvain for their research into assisted reproduction and embryonic stem cells.

I know very little about the ins and outs of the Catholic Church in Belgium, but, taking this report at face value, there seems to be some concern that Archbishop Léonard not only adheres to Catholic teaching (stunning!), he has publicly defended and stood up for that same teaching (outrageous!), even going so far as to criticize Catholic universities for acting contrary to Church moral doctrine (who does he think he is?!). A most telling remark came from a high ranking political leader:

The most outspoken comment came from Deputy Prime Minister Laurette Onkelinx, who is the country’s health minister. “Church and State are separate in Belgium, but when there are problems in our society, all the social partners sit down around a table, including representatives of secularism and of religion,” she told RTL radio. “Cardinal Danneels was a man of openness, of tolerance and was able to fit in there. Archbishop Léonard has already regularly challenged decisions made by our parliament.”

Ah, there is the source of the raised hackles: Archbishop Léonard has already regularly challenged decisions made by our parliament. Well, that won't do, will it? Sure, there is talk of sitting down, talking, smiling, exchanging pleasantries and such, but apparently it has long been understood that Church leadership in Belgium would quietly refrain from rocking the Good Ship Secular. Until now. Hackles are raised, The Dictionary of Clichés (NY, 1985) notes, when an animal is frightened—and when the animal is eager for the kill: "One sees it in hounds as they are about to close in on their quarry..." It seems that folks such as Onkelinx have long thought, or at least hoped, that Christianity was dying, even dead. The prey appeared to be comfortably within the paws of the State. But now there are some small signs of life; the quarry's obituary, we can hope and pray, has been posted prematurely.

As Ratzinger/Benedict has been saying for decades now, Europe without Christianity is essentially a body without soul and spirit, a corpse held together by Euros, consumerism, and utilitarianism. In Europe: Today and Tomorrow (Ignatius Press, 2007), Ratzinger asked, "Does not Europe perhaps need, does the world perhaps need precisely some corrective elements derived from its great tradition and from the great ethical traditions of mankind? The inviolable nature of human dignity ought to become the fundamental, untouchable pillar of ethical regulations. ... Only if we see here something absolute, situated above all attempts to weigh goods, do we act in a truly ethical manner and not by means of calculations." Meanwhile, Reuters reports:

The Socialist Party said it “insists that Archbishop Léonard respects democratic decisions taken by the institutions of our country. For the Socialist Party, the rights and duties that people take on democratically take precedence over religious traditions and commandments, without any exception.”

Hackles are raised in Belgium because Benedict is making it clear he will fight for truth and faith and the soul of Europe. I have no idea what Archbishop Léonard will do, but the snapping and barking at his appointment is, I think, a good sign—a sign of life.

Related IgnatiusInsight.com Links/Articles:

• Faith in the Triune God, and Peace in the World | Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger | An excerpt from Europe: Today and Tomorrow
• "No Weighing, No Disputing, No Such Thing": Ratzinger and Europe | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• Pope Benedict XVI On Natural Law | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• The Two (And Only Two) Cities | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• Secularity: On Benedict XVI and the Role of Religion in Society | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• "A Requirement of Intellectual Honesty": On Benedict and the German Bishops | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• Intellectual Charity: On Benedict XVI and the Canadian Bishops | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• No Tradition? No Civilization! | Fr. John Navone, S.J.
• The State Which Would Provide Everything | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.

Comments

[Thomas]

The outrage against Archbishop Leonard, who it's coming from, and their positive appraisal of the former archbishop is rather damning of Daneels, no?

[Sharon]

This bishop will need our prayers as will the English bishop Malcolm McMahon who is holding hands with the zeitgeist.

In an interview with the Tablet aka the bitter pill Bp McMahon said that the Church has no problem with civil partnerships - in the context of exployment of head teachers in Catholic Schools.

http://marymagdalen.blogspot.com/index.html

[Éamonn]

Bishop Léonard is a very good man and had a similar savaging when appointed to the diocese of Namur. Before that he was rector of the seminary at Louvain-la-Neuve and a professor of philosophy at the ISP. He is solidly Catholic and loyal to the Holy Father; this is a wholly unusual state of affairs in Belgium where the visible Catholic presence is almost always African immigrant based. Native Belgian Catholics are virtually indistinguishable from any other Belgian.