Theologian: "The Church is being pushed towards being a sect"

Theologian Sedmak: "The Church is being pushed towards being a sect".

Theologian and philosopher in "Oberösterreichische Nachrichten" on the growing gap between church and society, the Pope as a beacon of hope and dealing with ambiguity.

The Church should focus on issues such as human dignity, the common good or the integrity of creation in order to prevent it becoming a sect. - The theologian and philosopher Clemens Sedmak is convinced of this in an interview with the "Oberösterreichische Nachrichten" (Wednesday). It is not a matter of marketing the Church better, as it must serve the truth and not attractiveness, but of listening to the people and taking their realities of life seriously, stressed the professor of social ethics at the University of Notre Dame (USA). The growing gap between church and society gives him food for thought, because where issues like human dignity unite, the issue of abortion would divide. In terms of the sociology of religion, the church is being pushed towards a "sect".

According to the Church's teachings, abortion is considered "an intrinsic evil, an intrinsically bad act", the Salzburg theologian explained. In contrast, he said, are societies that see abortion as a human right. "The gap could not be much wider," Sedmak said about the different views of church and society. For some it is a heap of cells, for others "animate life".

As a bearer of hope, the philosopher named Pope Francis, who again and again finds ways to "convey the relevance of the Church, especially in dealing with the weakest and in dealing with creation". Sedmak gave a lecture at the Catholic Private University in Linz on Tuesday in which he promoted more understanding of what is "at stake".

Sedmak issued a warning to the Church on the subject of sexuality: "Institutional humility is needed here", as the Church had lost a lot of credibility through the abuse scandals.

Gap between doctrine and society

Religious traditions, he said, "live by giving people a sense of the weight of life", whereby it is worth distinguishing between personal religious faith, religious traditions and institutions. Institutions like the church, however, have the hardest time socially, since "a gulf opens up between what seems self-evident to society and the teachings of the church". An example of this is homosexuality, which is not considered acceptable according to the official teachings of the church, unlike in large parts of society. On the other hand, the Church's impulses on the subject of human dignity could have a positive effect. "The Judeo-Christian idea that every human being has dignity because he or she was created in God's image is too beautiful to withhold from a secular society," Sedmak said.

On the subject of religious education, the theologian said that knowledge and discussion of religious and ethical issues are needed. However, one should "not slap a position on the young, but must introduce them to the discourse". Regardless of whether students choose ethics or religious education, they need a form of "orientation instruction". Ultimately, "in our time with its plural society, it is about understanding what is at stake for religious people".

The danger is that many people cannot cope with ambiguity. This is evident both in the church and in politics. As an example, he mentioned lines of conflict in the course of the Synodal Way in Germany. Here, the Church had learned "that conflicts intensify when issues are addressed in a certain way". Silence is not an alternative, but the church has to decide whether it wants to deal with conflicts on the stage or internally. "If the church shows itself to be a quarrelling bunch, you have to work on yourself." Moreover, the church should not give the impression that it is constantly preoccupied with itself, Sedmak concluded.

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Cathcon: Pope Francis is part of the problem not part of the solution. The Church becomes a sect when it is no longer concerned with salvation.