Cowardice Disguised as Unity

Some churchmen and some cops share an unfortunate trait. In their zeal for unity, they can lose sight of whom they serve.

To protect and serve means doing what is best and right for the community you police, not necessarily for fellow officers. Likewise, to serve the Church means to serve Christ, who is the truth. So serving the truth does not always mean getting along with—or standing in “unity” with—other clergy.

If a cop sees another cop mistreating someone they are supposed to serve, the right thing is to intervene and correct their brother cop. The same should be true if a priest or bishop sees another priest or bishop mistreating one whom they are to serve: they have a duty to intervene and correct their brother. But under the guise of unity and fraternity, this often does not happen because those terms have become covers for cowardice.

Fear has a way of helping us justify giving in to it. We can find all kinds of fancy words to mask what is at its root. Unity, compassion, and mercy are among the most popular right now. Who is against unity or compassion? To do so would be unkind, unless you can see past the fluffy words to the disturbing weakness beneath them.

Fraternal correction is one of the spiritual works of mercy. To correct someone in love is loving, though it is difficult and may make the person being corrected very upset. Leaders have to put aside their desire for acceptance so they may lead others into right living by living rightly themselves. In doing so, they must choose truth over comfort, even when unity is the easier excuse.

Human-Written, AI Spell-Checked 5/5/16/21 AD

Image From Wix AI