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Are there Sects in the
Catholic Church?
Archbishop Schönborn offers some thoughts and reflections on a
misleading use of language
by Christoph Schönborn, O.P.
Archbishop of Vienna, Austria
Taken from:
L'Osservatore Romano
Weekly Edition in English
13/20 August 1997, page 3
I. Clarification of a concept
For some time now the media have been reporting about "sects in the
Church" or "sects within the Catholic Church". This is what a number of
movements and communities are called which were founded over recent
decades. Early on, some of these new groups were labeled as
"conservative" or "fundamentalist"; now one tries to eliminate1
them as "sects within the Church". People are warned of them as of the
classical sects or the religious youth movements which make people
psychologically ill and in which they are inhumanly treated. Many
faithful are aware that there have been sectarian schisms in the
history of Christianity, including today. But the claim that groups
approved by and acknowledged in the Church are "sects" within her,
seems disturbing to many Christians.
Towards a theological clarification of the concept 'sect'
The notion "sect" is originally a religious term used by the Church.
Recently it has been broadened into a socio-political dimension at the
cost of precision and clarity. In everyday use it has become a slogan
defining groups considered "dangerous", since they offend against the
fundamental values of the liberal democratic society.
At present the following criteria are generally applied to a sect:
formation of an elite group, sealed off from social reality and
frequently in opposition to it; the development of alternative ways of
life, often so extreme that they lead to a loss of the sense of reality
and to unhealthy exaggerations. Besides following an aim in life that
goes against generally accepted conventions, or a spiritual idol with
occasionally utopian features, the following inner characteristics are
listed: renouncing today's basic values of personal freedom and
tolerance; occasionally fighting for fundamentally opposed attitudes; a
totalitarian way of life; oppression of the members' consciences;
ostracizing outsiders, as well as the tendency to dominate society or
aspects of it. If several of these characteristics are recognized in a
group, it is called a sect.
According to the religious (more apt and precise) usage of the term,
those groups are called sects which have broken away from the general
or national Churches. Often sects hold onto particular values,
religious ideas or ways of life of the original ecclesiastical
community. But these particular basic principles are understood in an
absolute way and are lived out in a community life that is strictly
isolated from the former body and that aims at self-preservation and
self-defense. The following characteristics arise from these basic
conditions: some one-sided religious ideas (e.g. holding that the end
of the world is near), refusing to exchange ideas with people of
different opinions; an over-enthusiastic promotion and pursuit of their
own ideas; fierce proselytizing, over-confidence in their sense of
mission towards an often despised world; a conception of salvation that
is exclusive to a certain number of people belonging the specific group.
According to Catholic theology, a sect is characterized by estrangement
from the common biblical-apostolic truth and the central contents of
faith. Therefore the Church considers sects always to be tantamount to
heresy (c.f. Gal 1:6-12) or schism.
Nobody needs to have studied theology to recognize the basic
contradiction in the slogan "sects within the Church". Their presumed
existence in the Church is an indirect reproach of the Pope and Bishops
who are responsible for investigating whether ecclesiastical groups are
in agreement with the faith of the Church in teaching and practice.
From a theological and ecclesiastical point of view, a group is
considered a sect when it is not recognized by the relevant Church
authority. Sects are outside the Church (and outside ecumenical
movements). They are isolated and as such do not want to be examined by
Church authority. Their statutes and ways of life are scrutinized. It
is therefore wrong if communities which are approved by the Church are
called sects (by institutions, individuals, or in media reports), or if
a life according to the three evangelical counsels is seen as a
sect-like practice.
According to canon law, the faithful have the right to found
associations. It is the duty of the Bishops or the Holy See to examine
new groups or movements — which St. Paul calls new charisms — and to
acknowledge them as genuine. The authority of the Church is obliged to
promote and support the work of the Spirit of God in the Church today.
The Church has to intervene and correct if there is an unhealthy growth
or a deviation in teaching and practice. This is different from a sect
which does not see itself to be under such an authority and does not
acknowledge any; Church groups submit consciously and freely to
authority, and are ready to accept corrections if needed. Many examples
show this.
Libero Gerosa summarizes the essential criteria of genuine charisms as
follows: "Charisms are 'special graces' granted by the Spirit to every
and any faithful. These gifts make them 'fit and ready to undertake the
various tasks' for building up the Church. Some of these gifts are
extraordinary, others simpler and more ordinary. Judging their
genuineness and proper use is a matter for those with authority in the
Church who have no right to suppress genuine charisms".2
No one needs to be uneasy if communities approved by the Church are
labeled as "sects within the Church" by the public. Should there be
doubts or questions, it is possible to ask the appropriate
ecclesiastical authorities for information.
Some remarks on 'fundamentalism'
"Fundamentalism" was originally the name given to a
religious-ideological movement that sprang up in the United States
before the First World War aiming at a strictly literal understanding
of the Bible (especially of Genesis), which developed into a collective
Conservative Protestant movement. Typical of fundamentalism in the
country of its origin today is the rejection of any historical critical
view of the biblical texts, an almost mythical orientation towards an
idealized past, the refusal of any positive evaluation of modern
development, a sometimes importunate moralism, above all directed
against prevalent consumerism, now and then some right-wing tendencies
and declarations critical of democracy. In modern philosophy and
sociology this American fundamentalism — though duly criticized — is
seen as a phenomenon that should be taken seriously as an expression of
the "American Civil Religion" in the view of the problems of extreme
liberalism.
Quite different from this term is the concept of a "religious
fundamentalism" which spread in Europe in the 80's, a rather vague and
woolly expression that is used for such distinct phenomena as an
extreme Islamic fanaticism inflicting the death penalty on dissenters
and for the adhering of Catholic Christians to the traditional faith of
the Church. Without any discrimination, groups within the Church that
are based on her teachings and especially on those of the Second
Vatican Council, and followers of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre who parted
with the Church, are suspected of fundamentalism.
Actually, the term "fundamentalism" is more often a slogan meant to
attack someone, than to describe a definite, precise spiritual
phenomenon. It is often found in connection with labels such as
"dogmatism", "integralism", "traditionalism", "mistrust of people who
think or live differently", or "being afraid to make one's own
decision".
Criticism of fundamentalism is directed against a rigid faith marked by
fear and insecurity, not acknowledging any development of dogma and of
the understanding of truth, attempting to hold on to rigid forms and
formulas, not daring to be exposed to the practices of changing times.
This form of criticism is justified. But some critics tend to label all
those communities and movements as fundamentalist who — acknowledging
the changes of the times — hold on to lasting truths and binding values
and do not want to swerve from "the fullness, the organized form and
the beauty of the Catholic world of faith."3
These critics should ask themselves whether they do not run the risk of
falling into a relativism of value and truth, while advocating, in
their own way, an absolutism that makes them the only ones to decide
about the valid principles of present realities of life and faith.
Asked about the significance and danger of modern fundamentalism,
Cardinal Ratzinger carefully differentiates in his new book Salz
der Erde:
"The common element in the very differing mental attitudes and
movements which are classified by us as fundamentalism is the search
for security and simplicity of faith. This is not bad as such; after
all, faith is meant very much for the simple and little ones — as we
are told repeatedly in the Old Testament. The search for security and
simplicity becomes dangerous only when it leads to fanaticism and
narrow mindedness. If reason as such becomes suspect, then faith is
falsified and becomes a kind of party ideology which no longer has
anything to do with trust in the living God, source and creator of life
and reason. Then pathological religious forms arise, such as a desire
for visions, for messages from beyond, and the like. However, instead
of attacking fundamentalism, the concept of which is becoming
progressively more inclusive and vaguer, theologians should reflect how
far they themselves are responsible, if more and more people are taking
refuge in narrow and unhealthy forms of religion. If one merely
questions and does not show a positive way of faith, then people will
inevitably resort to distorted forms of religion."4
II. Specific accusations
After this short clarification
of the concepts "sect" and "fundamentalism", we now turn our attention
to specific accusations against newer communities in the Church.
Communities and movements approved by the Church should not be called
sects, since their ecclesiastical approbation confirms their belonging
to and grounding in the Church. In spite of this approbation, the
charges made against the newer charisms in the Church are sometimes
considerable. It must be said generally that the teaching and practices
of communities approved by the Church should be distinguished from the
weaknesses of individuals. We are all familiar with our imperfect human
actions. Therefore, it should be stressed that ecclesiastical authority
must intervene in cases of unhealthy developments. Some accusations
leveled at these communities are: brainwashing as a method, isolation
and alienation from the world, estrangement from the family, dependence
on charismatic leaders, building up of their own structures within the
Church, violation of human rights, as well as the problem of
ex-members. What can be said of these accusations?
Brainwashing
This term cannot even be applied to the often
observed change of personality in sects, as brainwashing means the
inhuman methods which are used in totalitarian regimes to influence
people and change their personalities. It should not be used to
describe the formation of members of communities in the Church. The
latter is a freely accepted transformation of the personality into
Christ, respecting human dignity. It refers to the call of Jesus to
repentance and faith (cf. Mk 1:14). Whoever follows the call of Christ
will — in grace and freedom — have an outlook of faith on all
dimensions of life. St Paul, too, speaks about this transformation one
of his letters: "Do not model yourselves on the behavior of the world
around you, but let your behavior change, modeled by your new mind.
This is the only way to discover the will of God, and know what is
good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do" (cf.
Rom 12:2). In Christian tradition it is called "metanoia", conversion
of life. The transformation of life is brought about by a call from God
to follow Christ. It is a life-long process for a Christian, which has
to be freely renewed. Spiritual communities in the Church must make
sure that the decision to follow Christ is freely undertaken. This is
safeguarded by a series of canonical regulations.
Isolation and alienation from the world
In the Gospels we
read that Christians "do not belong to the world" (Jn 17:16), but that
they are "sent into the world" (Jn 17:18). Turning away from the world
means not turning away from people, their joys, sorrows, and anxieties,
but from sin. In this sense, Jesus prays for his disciples: "I am not
asking you to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the
evil one" (Jn 17:15). If Christians do not participate in everything
and are not fully one with the trends of their times, this does not
mean that they despise the world. They only turn away from what is
opposed to their faith and also from goods that they no longer consider
important, once they have found the "treasure hidden in a field" (Mt
13:44). Communion with Christ ought to urge them not to retreat into a
world of their own, but to sanctify the world from inside, transforming
it in truth, justice and love. In a society dominated by the media,
where the Church should be transparent, there is the challenge, as St
Peter says in his First Letter, always to "have your answer ready for
people who ask you the reason for the hope you all have" (1 Pt 3:15).
This applies also to contemplative communities who live behind the
walls of monasteries, and in prayer and sacrifice surrender their lives
to God for the good of all. On the one hand, the Church is an
alternative society,5 and on the other, is a missionary
community in the midst of the world.
Epistle to Diognetus from the very early Christian Church.
Written in the second or third century, it stresses that Christians —
as all other people — live in the world, but are opposed to the spirit
of the world; striving towards a goal beyond this world. Thus they
fulfill their mission as a blessing for the world.
"To put it
briefly, the relation of Christians to the world is that of a soul to
the body. As the soul is diffused through every part of the body, so
are the Christians through all the cities of the world. The soul, too,
inhabits the body, while at the same time, forming no part of it: and
Christians inhabits the world, but they are not part of the world. The
soul, invisible herself, is immured within a visible body; so
Christians can be recognized in the world, but their Christianity
itself remains hidden from the eye. The flesh hates the soul, and wars
against her without provocation, because she is an obstacle to its own
self-indulgence... Christians as the sojourn for a while in the midst
of corruptibility here, look for incorruptibility in the heavens.
Finally, just as to be stinted of food and drink makes for the soul's
improvement, so when Christians are every day subjected to
ill-treatment, they increase the more in numbers. Such is the high post
of duty in which God has placed them, and it is their moral duty not to
shrink from it."6
Estrangement from family members
Respect and loving care for
parents belong essentially to the Christian message. If however someone
is called to a closer imitation of Christ, then Jesus asks him also to
leave his family. The apostles left their families, occupations and
country. This kind of imitation of Christ has its continuance in our
time. Some parents rejoice at such a decision by their children. But
conflicts may arise with the members of some families. Jesus himself
talks about it (cf. Mt 10:37).
It is not always easy to let a child go, not even in the case of
marriage. If one leaves home for Christ's sake, freely accepting his or
her call, then it is not an escape from family obligations and may not
be attributed to the unjustifiable influence of a community. Criticism
is only justified if a deliberate break with the family were intended,
offending the other members of the family who often strive to live a
faithful Christian life as well. Every member of the family is free to
choose his or her own way of life. One must be tolerant and respect the
decision of each conscience.
There have been difficult situations in the past, of course, and
conflicts still arise today, for example when communities influence
minors against the will of their parents, or when parents have
difficulty in understanding and accepting the decision of a child to
enter an order or religious community. But if imitation of Christ is
lived with love, determination and Christian tact, respecting
everyone's free decision, then a relationship of trust can develop
between the "natural" and the "spiritual" family that brings abundant
graces, as many have experienced.
Dependence on charismatic leaders and personalities
Here one
has to distinguish between those who use their abilities in a selfish
and dishonest way in order to dominate others and make them submissive,
and truly charismatic personalities as they can still be found in the
Church today. In a "spirit of holiness" (2 Cor 6:6), they do their
utmost for the Church and the good of mankind. Throughout the history
of salvation there have been truly inspired leaders. The prototype is
Jesus himself, and countless men and women have found their way of life
and happiness as his disciples. Great founders and
charismatically-gifted men and women, such as St Benedict or St
Ignatius, St Clare, or St Angela Merici, have given their lives to win
others for Christ. They were God's gift to his people. They did not
bind others to themselves, but led them to Christ and his Church. In
the freedom of God's children, they passed on the supernatural riches
of their lives to others, always in obedience to the authority of the
Church. Should we not thank God that he is still giving us such people
who are filled with his spirit? While necessarily holding onto
historical structures, ought we not be open to the Holy Spirit, the
soul of the Church?
Building up their own structures within the Church
It is
often held against modern groups in the Church that they build "a
Church within the Church". To counter this danger, one has to make sure
that the relationship between the existing structures of the Church,
above all the parish, and new groups is always well balanced. As
Cardinal Ratzinger writes: "In spite of all the changes that will come
about, I am convinced that the parish will remain the essential cell of
the Christian community... As at most times in history there will also
be groups which are linked through a special charism, by the
personality of a founder, in a specific spiritual way. For the sake of
both, an exchange between them is needed: the movement needs the link
with the parish, so as not to become isolated and sectarian; the parish
needs groups and movements so as not to lose vitality. Now new forms of
spiritual life have already come into being in the world. If one looks
around, one can discover an astonishing variety of Christian ways of
life, in which the Church of tomorrow is already visible among us".7
Violation of human rights
To follow Christ in celibacy,
obedience and poverty has always been part of the consecrated life.
Whoever chooses this way of life and after several years of discernment
and prayer binds himself to it, renounces certain rights as a free
decision of his conscience: the right to marry, the right to
self-determination and the right independently to manage and acquire
property. The Second Vatican Council says: "The evangelical counsels of
chastity dedicated to God, poverty, and obedience are based upon the
words and example of the Lord. They were further commended by the
Apostles and the Fathers, and other teachers and shepherds of the
Church. The counsels are a divine gift, which the Church has received
from her Lord and which she ever preserves with the help of his grace"
(cf. Lumen gentium,
n.43). If this way of life is freely chosen, it does not go against
human rights, but in the answer to a special call from Christ. Those
responsible for the different communities are, however, obliged — in
pure conscience to support the vocation of the member for the fruitful
upbuilding of the Church and the good of humanity in the spirit of a
genuine "communio".
Ex-members
All religious communities know that their new members need a time of
mutual getting-to-know-each-other, of growing into the group and of
self-examination, as they prepare for a definite commitment. The
superiors have the right to dismiss someone for certain serious
reasons. But, unfortunately, departure or dismissal may also occur
after someone has already made a final commitment. Some of those who
have left a community keep in friendly contact, following their own way
by mutual agreement. Of course, communities approved by the Church will
— in case of conflict — offer their members and ex-members the
opportunity to approach the appropriate Church authorities.
Some ex-members cannot come to terms with their negative experiences
and make them known from the platform of the media. People living
together will experience their limitations and weaknesses. It is,
however, unjustified, to present personal difficulties within a
community as if they were a general experience. On the whole, negative
experiences of individuals are painful for the Church community.
Such experiences continue to be discussed in public. There is no
interest in questions of the teaching of the faith, but in ways of
behavior and their effects. In discussion it becomes obvious that the
Church in her various communities is an "alternative society" with
respect to a liberal secular society — "Whoever is ready to accept
religion only in the form of a civil religion which is compatible with
society, must be suspicious of anything more radical".8
Should criticism be based on real problematic developments in a group,
this will be sufficient reason for the appropriate Church authority to
undertake a thorough investigation. Criticism may give rise to a
purification and better growth of groups. In the Vatican Interim Report
of 1986: Sects and New Religious Movements - A Challenge for
Pastoral Ministry,
we read that attitudes adopted by sects (such as intolerance and
aggressive proselytism) are not enough to characterize a sect, since
these attitudes may be found in Church communities as well. To quote:
"However, these groups may undergo a positive change by becoming more
deeply absorbed in Christian formation and also through contact with
other Christians around them. Thus they may continuously grow in
thinking and acting with the Church".9 To think with the
Church is a challenge for both sides: the group has to learn to bring
its charism in as one among many (thus resisting the temptation to lay
claim to an ecclesiastical absolutism); those who have no direct access
to this form of life in the Church have to learn to see in such a
community a gift of the life-giving Spirit, whereby many can find a new
approach to faith.
In our time, a new desire is arising in
different countries of the world, in spite of all human frailty, to
live up to the message of Christ and to serve the Church in union with
the Holy Father and the Bishops. Many see new charisms as a sign of
hope. Others experience these new awakenings as something strange; for
others they are a challenge, by others again they may be experienced as
an accusation, against which they vindicate themselves — sometimes
reaching with reproach in turn. Some promote a kind of humanism that
has less and less to do with its Christian roots. But we should not
forget: "If the Second Vatican Council speaks of the 'ecclesia semper
reformanda', it speaks not only of the necessity to think anew about
the structures of the Church, but moreover about the constant renewing
of the life of the Church and about the querying of some
long-established and treasured ideas which may be too much in keeping
with the spirit of the age".10
NOTES
1 Cf. H. Gasper, "Ein problematisches Etikett: Mit dem Sektenbegriff
sollte man behutsam umgehen", Herder Korrespondenz 50 (1996), 577-580;
H. Maier, "Sekten in der Kirche? Es muß Platz geben für
unterschiedliche Wege", Klerusblatt 76 (1996), 208.
2 Libero Gerosa, Charisma und Recht, Trier 1989, p. 66; quotations in
text from Lumen gentium, n. 12.
3 L. Scheffczyk, Katnolische Glaubenswelt: Wahrheit und Gestalt,
Aschaffenburg 1977, p. 351.
4 J. Ratzinger, Salz der Erde. Christentum und katholische Kirche an
der Jahrtausendwende: Ein Gespräch mit Peter Seewald, Stuttgart
1996,
pp, 146f.
5 G. Lohfink, Wie hat Jesus Gemeinde gewollt?, Freiburg (Neuausgabe)
1993, pp. 142f.
6 Epistle to Diognetus, 5-6; trans. by Maxwell Staniforth in: Early
Christian Writings: The Apostolic Fathers, Penguin Books 1968,
reprinted 1987, pp. 144ff.
7 J. Ratzinger, op. cit., p. 283.
8 H. Gasper, ibid.
9 I. Kapitel, ed., Referat für Weltanschauungsfragen der
Erzdiözese Wien, 1986, p. 5,
10 H. Maier, ibid.
Taken from:
L'Osservatore Romano
Weekly Edition in English
13/20 August 1997, page 3
L'Osservatore Romano is the newspaper of the Holy See.
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