The Knights of Columbus ended a convention in Dallas on Thursday with resolutions supporting a constitutional amendment to outlaw gay marriage and denouncing Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.
But the world’s largest Catholic laymen’s organization said it would not expel those politicians from its membership or take a stance on whether they should be given Holy Communion.
"We don’t tell the clergy their business, and who gets Communion is their business," said Patrick Korten, spokesman for the 1.7 million-member organization. Nearly 2,500 members met this week at the Hyatt Regency Dallas.
Now it makes sense that they wouldn’t talk on the Communion issue since the USCCB left it up to the individual Bishops. But it makes no sense that they don’t do something about people in their own ranks. Their membership rules on section 101 says.
"Only practical Catholics in union with the Holy See shall be eligible to and entitled to continue membership in the Order. An applicant for membership shall be no less than 18 years of age on his last birthday."
It definitely can be argued that those who support abortion, same-sex marriage, etc are not in union with the Holy See. Googling around I have seen two different version of this statement. One with practicing Catholic and the other with practical Catholic. Maybe a practical Catholic is a politician who votes with his party so as to get elected, which is very practical to them.
Update: Gregory Popcak and Phi Lawler make the same points I do.
10 comments
Jeff:
I don’t know if you are a Knight of not…I am, but I am certainly not a certified spokeperson for our order, so what I write below is my personal interpretation based on local council experience and the KofC documents I have seen and read in the past.
‘Practical Catholic’ is the word I have seen used in all KofC documents I have ever read. I guess that the word ‘practical’ can be read with a broad or narrow interpretation, depending on your view of the word. The KofC seeks to be fraternal and unitive in its internal nature, rather than divisive and oppositional as an internal organization. Fraternity is one of the four virtues of our order.
I can tell you that the initial requirements for membership in the KofC are really quite lenient, from what you might expect. Prior to other admission ceremonies and meetings, an admission committee reviews, with the applicant in person, the applicant and his application, to determine initial readiness and qualifications of the candidate. The application is also signed off on by the parish pastor as to the issue of communion with the Holy See, at least in the local council in which I am a member.
Forfeiture of membership, as stated in sec. 168 , can result because of failure to remain a practical Catholic, failure to pay contributions, dues, or assessments levied by the Supreme Council, conviction of a felony, among other things. Again, ‘practical’ I suppose can be read broadly or narrowly.
The Knights, at least around here, are at the forefront of the right to life and anti-abortion movement. We consistently sponsor marches against abortion, and we raise funds for Women’s Care Centers and other organizations sponsored by the Church that seek to provide alternatives to abortion, including free medical care, conseling, and other services.
Personally, I am not sure that it is the Knight’s ‘job’ to sit in judgment of other Knights’ behavior as it relates to membership, other than for those points specifically set down in the ‘Charter, Constitutuion, Laws’ briefly summarized above. As far as abortion and politicians’ votes, I guess the interpretation of ‘practical’ comes into play, and I just can’t see a local council asking a member to forfeit their membership based on their political vote or views. I could see members trying to convince the politician to vote differently or support a more Catholic stance in his politics, but that would be the limit, at least as I see it. Again, my personal views as a Knight.
God Bless,
John
3rd degree Knight
By the way, the 6 commonly accepted precepts of the Church, as accepted by the Knights at least, are:
1)To assist at Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
2)To fast and abtain on the days appointed.
3)To confess one’s sins at least once a year.
4)To receive the Holy Eucharist during Easter time and with more frequency if possible.
5)To contribute to the support of the Church.
6)To observe the laws of the Church concerning marriage.
A seventh is listed, but is not considered a traditional precept:
7)To join the missionary spirit and apostolate of the Church.
All above are from the book ‘These Men They Call Knights’ which is given to each member upon initiation into the order. I guess these might be used as a guide to the ‘practical Catholic’ issue, although, again, this is just my personal view. The precepts are pretty broad, probably purposely so, to say the least.
John
John,
Thanks for the info. I can understand the practical part, but there is also the union with the Holy See part and that would seem less broad.
While I am not looking for an inquisition of members, public sinners should be addressed as per the Book of Matthew.
1. Private rebuke.
2. If that doesn’t work get or two more people to do the same.
3. If that doesn’t work, take it to the Church and if that fails then they should be excluded.
Failure to do this for public members whose views are contrary to the faith results in scandal.
As I am only a 1st degree Knight, I am even more hesitant than John to speak up (and put forth the same disclaimer,) but the other aspect of the K of C that seems relevant to me is that our heritage of support for our priests.
As most would agree, no one should support heresy; but from a practical standpoint the K of C does not claim a teaching authority higher than the Church. So how would I, in my capacity as a Knight, go into my local meeting and presume to hold a fellow Knight to a different moral standard than our priest or bishop. (NOTE: this is a hypothetical situation; although our priest is not exactly outspoken on those ‘touchy’ topics.)
In such a situation, I’d rather speak as a Catholic standing on the Teaching of the Church than as a Knight standing on a fraternal rule. The real scandal isn’t that these people are Knights, but that they claim to be Catholics (in union with the Holy See) in the first place. Reconcile that, and the other scandal resolves itself.
Peace, Jeff.
Another point on which you might be on shaky ground is “It definitely can be argued that those who support abortion, same-sex marriage, etc are not in union with the Holy See.”
You and others can argue it, but you might find it harder to make the conviction, as it were.
You (or even I) might not agree with all the ramifications of the KC’s policy on this, but I respect their consistent application of this principle. Using the KC’s as a wedge on the abortion issue draws the discussion further away from the real point. And I’m becoming more convinced that the bishops and others who are focusing on worthiness, membership, etc., are just venting their feelings of impotence in the face of a grave moral issue. Time for another tack, I think.
Jeff:
Sorry, the ‘practical Catholic’ and ‘in union with the Holy See’ ideas are almost one in the same to me and most members. Most of what I posted above relate equally to the two issues, as far as the Knights is concerned.
Mark H.’s comments are right on the mark, in my opinion, about the relationship of the KofC and priests. We have always supported and defended the priests, bishops, and Pope, and supported the Church hierarchy throughout our order’s history. I suppose that if the bishops as a whole or the Pope have not large scale excommunicated Catholics for their abortion stances, then it is definitely not the Knights’ job to start doing so.
And I agree with Todd’s comments; I also think the KofC can be used in a positive way in the anti-abortion movement (as they already are used already, in marches, fund raising, etc.), rather than being used as a wedge to drive between its members, the people, and the RCChurch.
I think that a positive move, ‘trying to win over the hearts and minds’ to use a famous quote concerning Iraq, is the way to proceed on the abortion issue. No amount of excommunication, kicking people out of fraternal organizations, punishment, etc. is going to change people’s minds on the abortion issue. Until persuasive ways are found in this country to convince a majority of the citizenry, both Catholic and non-Catholic, that abortion is an important issue and that it is murder, not much is going to change legally concerning abortion in this country. And the only way to change people’s opinions on the issue is one by one, a long and arduous process, to be sure.
We as Knights do a lot of great work in the Church and the community, and the order is definitely subserviant to the Church. In our local council, we are always told to make sure that no Knight activities, fund raising, fraternal, volunteer or otherwise, take away from any Church or family obligations we had or have. We as an order are really an extension or tool of the Church’s and local parish’s missions, rather than the mission itself. We don’t want to take anything away from the Church that is already hers.
I agree with you, Jeff. Pro-abortion, pro-sodomy individuals do not belong in a Catholic organization. Period.
In line with what John said above, ‘practical Catholic’ is defined by the KC’s in the most ambiguous terms possible. Even ‘practicing’ Catholic would be a little more demanding. ‘Practical’ means nothing. Too often membership in the Knights requires simply a willingness to say you’re Catholic when asked and shell out the life insurance payments.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m often overwhelmed at some of the great stuff the Knights have done over the years – and they always highlight excellent causes. And local chapters can be incredible too. But as for expectations of members, you can only require so much when you’re organization is defined by being an insurance provider.
Jamie (first degree and never went back because they only served Bud Light at the bar)
Didn’t the old knight orders expel members found to be behaving and believing contrary to the codes set out?
I find the comparison of eviction from a religious group with a vision to excommunication to be flimsy.
Excommunication really must be approached with caution, because it is meant to cut one off from a path of salvation.
Eviction from a religious group, like the Knights, does not cut one off from the path to salvation, it usually simply means that you do not share the group’s vision or ethic. That’s why such groups can afford to expel when necessary, without the same exhaustive standards as excommunication.
“But as for expectations of members, you can only require so much when you’re organization is defined by being an insurance provider.”
I suppose, if it really is that…an insurance provider does not profit from demanding much from premium holders…
Jeff, it’s a jurisdictional thing. It’s not about what a “practical Catholic” is or even about whether “it can be argued” that supporting legal abortion makes you not one (of course it can!). It’s about where the jurisdiction to excommunicate (’cause that’s really what we’re talking about) lies. And that’s with the bishops, not with a lay organization, however large.
I suppose that could mean that the K of C State Councils in Colorado and Missouri are entitled to eject pro-abort members who reside in the dioceses of Colorado Springs and St. Louis, respectively.
Anyway, the Knights would need major air cover from the bishops to eject members for being pro-abort. They do not need such help to undertake scads of pro-life activities and fund major pro-life undertakings, so that’s what they do.