Michael Kelly
News of Boris Johnson’s weekend Catholic wedding has raised more than a few eyebrows. As my colleague Jason Osborne expertly demonstrates on page ten, the British prime minister has not received any special treatment that would not be available to anyone else. Neither is this a loophole, that has been exploited.
None of these facts have stopped some people raging against the ceremony rather than wishing the couple well. What has been interesting is that the anger has tended to come from priests and laypeople who would describe themselves as liberally-minded.
Some of the same people who have delighted in hearing Pope Francis repeat “who am I to judge” are in the front row in judging Mr Johnson.
Reflection
A pause for reflection on what causes this judgmentalism from people who would normally abhor judgmentalism would be useful. It seems to me that part of the reaction is motivated by who is involved. Mr Johnson has fast replaced Donald Trump as a huge figure of hate in the world. He is closely followed by the Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, but most people don’t pay enough attention to what goes on in Brazil to sustain permanent anger.
It is sad to witness some Catholics – priests, religious and laypeople – taking to social media to fume against Boris Johnson’s wedding without taking the time to try to understand the point of Church law that made the ceremony possible.
A depressing feature of life in the contemporary Church is that ecclesial dialogue has become so coarse and infected by the same malaise that makes political discussions difficult.
Patient
Instead of patient listening, sides are instantly chosen and lines drawn. People decide their stance on everything based on ecclesiastical or political ideology rather than a search for the truth.
We see the same with people cherry-picking from Scripture, Church teaching or even the Papal Magisterium to justify their own position and – what is much worse – craft a battering ram to attack those who have a different emphasis.
Some Catholics will say, for example, that some others think too much about abortion or marriage. Others will say that these issues are neglected by Catholics who fret about the environment or care for refugees.
The fact is that all of these issues matter and Catholics ought to work to eradicate abortion and poverty. We dent our witness as Christians when we fall into the trap of emphasising the teachings that interest us, but underplay others.
Discipleship is a demanding road, and yet discipleship is the ultimate call of every baptised person. Boris Johnson has embarked on a Catholic marriage now with Carrie Symonds. We are all-too-aware from reports about his apparent cavalier attitude towards matrimony in the past. Let’s hope – and pray – that this is part of a moral awakening.