Catholics at the Crossroads

The political and ideological polarization that has plagued the U.S. in recent years appears to have infected the U.S. Catholic church. While there have long been theological, liturgical, and even political disputes between “liberal” Catholics and their “traditionalist” counterparts, distances appear to have grown. This has been highlighted by widespread Catholic support for candidates explicitly opposed to traditional Catholic social teaching on immigration, war & militarism, and the dignity of all people — a turn which seems to signal a new era of divisiveness.  Many Catholics on all sides of the debate have lapsed or disaffiliated from the church entirely, putting blame on the “other side.”  Can the church rise above America’s “culture wars?”  How might those of us who choose to weather the storms and embrace the modern world as kin rather than enemy restore the U.S. church and welcome back the disillusioned?  How do we bring about the church outlined so beautifully in the Vatican II Constitution Lumen Gentium?