On Appeasement

The clergy's recipe for mediocrity: care so much about how your enemies see you, about what The World thinks, but then take your own friends and loyal followers and ideological allies for granted.

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold, nor hot. I would thou wert cold, or hot. But because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold, not hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth."

It's really just starting to hit me how many of our clergy, even the ones I would consider theoretical ideological allies...are in practice such weak, dithering, ineffectual men, wringing their hands over petty decisions for fear that rocking the boat at all might upset someone.

Constantly working to appease the liberals or the Jews or the Protestants or the liberal Protestant Jews...but then not particularly caring for the concerns of conservative Catholics who want to see action taken against, say, pro-abortion politicians. Or stopping altar girls or communion in the hand in their parishes. Or even something as petty as wearing a maniple.

Because they know they can always count on the loyal Catholics continued support...and donations. So one strident liberal voice in a parish can halt a project that others might want. It's why "conservatism" is such an impotent philosophy of life: the Status Quo always wins out, dragging everyone down like a dead weight.

And there's also this constant fear of their own colleagues and superiors created by the authoritarian Institutional dynamic. And the fact that they're paid and so can be threatened with having their livelihood cut off, or being given a terrible re-assignment. That's a terrible system when it comes to open dialogue with and healthy critique and accountability of higher-ups.

Even those who have what I would consider the "right" convictions...lack the courage of their convictions, worried about the "delicacy" of their situation. It's like they handed their balls over on a platter when they're ordained.

It's so cowardly and unappealing. No wonder the priesthood is perceived of as effeminate and they have a vocations shortage...

They try to justify it saying they need to be "discreet". Well, there is nothing that disgusts me more than a coward, except a coward who hides it under the name of discretion, thereby both sinning against fortitude and defaming the true discretion of men braver than themselves.

They're so obsessed with sins against chastity, but the other virtues (like fortitude and prudence) are hardly emphasized at all.

So many of our clerics are just old women...