Arlington, Virginia, sits opposite Washington, DC, across the Potomac River. The Catholic Diocese of Arlington is headed by Bishop Paul S. Loverde. According to the news story, the diocese has begun a policy of requiring
... all teachers in the Arlington Catholic Diocese to submit “of will and intellect” to all of the teachings of church leaders.Specifically, all teachers in Catholic Sunday and parochial schools in the diocese must now take a "fidelity oath," in front of a priest, in which they
... commit to “believe everything” the bishops characterize as divinely revealed, and Arlington’s top doctrine official said it would include things like the bishops’ recent campaign against a White House mandate that most employers offer contraception coverage. Critics consider the mandate a violation of religious freedom.I question the need for fidelity oaths. So do Kathleen Riley, left, and Alison Carroll ...
... who have resigned as teachers at St. Ann's Parish Sunday School.
"As a fifth-generation Catholic who went to a Catholic school and grew up to teach in one," the article says, "Riley feels the faith deeply woven through her." She felt called by the Holy Spirit to become a Sunday School teacher. But when she recently received a letter from the diocese saying she had to take a fidelity oath, the Holy Spirit then moved her to refuse.
My reaction is: Why is this happening? Why did this diocese, like several others around the country, decide to make their teachers take fidelity oaths? The diocese has presented no evidence that these oaths are necessary. Kathleen Riley says, according to the story, that "her beliefs on the male-only priesthood and contraception put her at odds with leaders of her church," but there is no tangible suggestion that her personal beliefs interfere in any way with what she teaches in Sunday School. Unless and until there is credible evidence to that effect, I think the fidelity oaths are a step too far on the part of the diocese.
2 comments:
You are absolutely correct. I would have had no issue whatsoever with a vow to ensure that my teaching conformed completely to that of the Church; as a parochial school teacher, I was comfortable with such a vow, and I knew that this was expected in CCD. In my CCD classes, we used a well-respected Roman Catholic curriculum, and I never had any issue whatsoever with the content. However, to be asked to "submit will and intellect" to the college of Bishops was to ask me to surrender the right to privately question the decisions of the Bishops, and, according to my understanding of the primacy of conscience, this was a violation of my Catholic faith.
Thank you, Kathleen, for posting your comment. You have stated your position well ... much better than I did in my original post. I absolutely agree with your understanding of the primacy of conscience, and I wish you and the other CCD teachers who have felt compelled to resign all the best.
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