America as a Place of Spiritual Renewal

'The American Church can be a bastion of hope, saving the European Church and strengthening the universal Church more broadly.'

From Crisis

By Connor Scully

Cardinal Sarah recently praised the American Church, indicating that she can impact the universal Church by rejecting the practical atheism the European Church has embraced.

The American Church is often at the center of ridicule and criticism from those at the top (see Cardinal Pierre’s interview with America magazine). But on the feast of St. Anthony, Cardinal Sarah highly praised the American Church in his lecture titled “The Catholic Church’s Enduring Answer To The Practical Atheism Of Our Age.”

Practical atheism, as defined by His Eminence, is “a loss of sense of the Gospel and of the centrality of Jesus Christ.” The practical atheist does not take the Faith seriously; he pushes it aside rather than keeping it as the center of his life. To him, the Faith is “treated as a hindrance to dialogue.”

Throughout his talk, Cardinal Sarah mentioned how this is clearly seen in the shepherds of the European Church, especially in Germany. Those in Europe who are called by Our Lord to lead souls to Christ by proclaiming the truth in how they live and what they preach are instead focused on how to appear more attractive and appealing to the world.

The German Synodal Way is an excellent example of this phenomenon, where there is a deep focus on “modernizing” and “catching up with the times.” Dogma and our tradition appear to be a hurdle to overcome rather than something sacred that must be defended. The debates on females receiving holy orders and accepting unnatural ways of life are examples of this disordered focus.

Cardinal Sarah mentions how a “false freedom and conformism” to the world is growing within the Church. This “false freedom” is the misconstrued notion that we have the freedom to change doctrine. Attempts to change doctrine (an impossibility) are done in order to conform with what is happening around us. Calls for female priests and LGBTQ+ acceptance are only being made because that is what the outside world sees to be right and just under the banner of “equality.”

This inordinate focus on appeasing the world can also be seen in the practical atheist’s obsession with “welcoming” and “accompanying.” The cardinal sharply criticized this movement, saying, “Welcoming everyone means ignoring Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium.” And how right he is.

The cardinal made numerous references to the Church in Europe as dying and, in some places, dead. Europe’s spiritual decline is a symptom of this practical atheism, where bowing down to the demands of the world has replaced defending the teachings of the Church. But he stressed that hope is not lost.

The American Church can be a bastion of hope, saving the European Church and strengthening the universal Church more broadly. The practical atheism that has taken over Europe and is spreading in our own country can only be defeated by an authentic spiritual renewal. Cardinal Sarah believes America has the ingredients to lead that renewal, and I wholeheartedly agree.
It is no secret that there is a decline in Mass attendance and a catechetical crisis in the most foundational principles of the Faith in the United States. This is vividly seen in Joe Biden, whom His Eminence referred to as a “cafeteria Catholic,” joining Cardinal Gregory’s criticism of the president this past April. Biden is an example of a Catholic who agrees more with the general population than his own Faith, something a large portion of Catholics in this country fall victim to. Cardinal Sarah characterized this trend by saying, “Catholics here are often American first, Catholic second.”

But despite these obstacles, the American Church is not the “dying and dead” Europe. The first reason His Eminence gives is our bishops. The orthodoxy of American bishops is a great source of spiritual strength that Europe is unfortunately lacking.

Cardinal Sarah praised that our episcopal leadership “is generally committed to the Gospel, faith in Jesus Christ, and a preservation of our Sacred Tradition.” While there are bad apples, I completely agree with the cardinal’s assertion on the orthodoxy of the American Church’s leadership, in part because of my personal experience with bishops both here and in Europe.

When I was a seminarian in the Diocese of Cleveland (a smaller diocese known for its liberal leanings), I saw this “commitment to the Gospel” in Bishop Edward Malesic, who last year made headlines for his policies against gender ideology in Catholic schools.

He, like so many bishops we rarely hear about, truly believes the Faith and is concerned first and foremost with the salvation of souls. I remember when His Excellency spoke to a local news outlet on the seminary’s audience with the Holy Father. Rather than fawning over the pope, he used his brief time to spread the Faith. He stated, “Our faith is about a man who was sent to us from God, who is God’s son and is God Himself, who died for the sake of our sins.” He went on to stress how the viewer, too, can rise from the dead like Christ “if we simply follow Him.” 

It is my belief that most bishops across the country are like Bishop Malesic—focused more on saving souls than appeasing the world, and rarely making the headlines. I saw the same care for souls in Archbishop Schnurr when I was a novice in Cincinnati.

In England, my experience was far different. I was studying at the University of Bristol in the Diocese of Clifton, famous for swiftly banning the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) across the diocese following Traditionis Custodes. Our campus chaplaincy offered the TLM, and we were devastated with the Lord Bishop’s abrupt decision. While cracking down on our tiny chaplaincy, he made it his initiative to have an “LGBT+ Mass” occur every third Sunday of the month at a local parish. This is an example of a much larger trend within that diocese.

What I experienced in Bristol is all too common throughout Europe: a rejection of orthodoxy by succumbing to what the world demands. While similar incidents are found in America, they are not nearly as widespread as in Europe because we have sound bishops like Malesic, Schnurr, Burbidge, and the many others we so rarely hear about.

This same commitment to orthodoxy is (naturally) seen in the priests and laity of the American Church (see the Associated Press article from last month). Cardinal Sarah applauded the dynamism of faith here, mentioning our reformed seminaries, successful lay apostolates, good young priests, and vibrant Catholic families.

Something the cardinal did not mention directly, but I think is worth noting, is the success of the TLM in America. Groups like the Institute of Christ the King and the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, among others, have grown like wildfire across the nation in recent decades, supporting the cardinal’s assertion of this life and vitality of the American Church.

As Cardinal Sarah concluded, he mentioned how “America is big and powerful politically, economically, and culturally.” He stressed: “with this comes great responsibility.” His Eminence instructed that the “[universal] Church needs to draw life from places like Africa and America where the faith is not dead.” The places where the Faith is alive are the sources for this spiritual renewal, necessary to combat the practical atheism of our age.

America has the ingredients to lead this charge against practical atheism within the Church and our culture. We are blessed to have so many sound bishops who understand that doctrine cannot be changed, and they are ordaining men to the priesthood who understand the same truths. Lay apostolates are thriving across the country, working to share the fullness of the Faith with those in their communities. The rise of the TLM across the nation is a testament to the vitality of the American Church, being hotspots for vocations and vibrant young families.

In the heat of constant criticism of the American Church, may we remember how truly blessed we are to have such a lively Catholicism, something that is missing throughout Europe. May we, too, be inspired by Cardinal Sarah’s assertion that our country can be a place of spiritual renewal and allow his praise to motivate us to be good stewards of this great responsibility that he speaks of. By doing so, it can be our vibrant Church that exterminates the practical atheism within the universal Church through a mighty spiritual renewal based upon a courageous witness to the fullness of the Faith.