Chris, you are talking about institutional decay. I don’t see a fruitful course here.

You will recall Voegelin’s description of what happens when Christianity saturates a society.  There are relatively few who are able to rekindle the original experiences while most content themselves with the conventional forms and and practices.

I don’t see how fixing blame will change anything. Prayer might help.  :  )

Be well,

Fritz

On Jun 13, 2018, at 8:07 AM, Chris Manion cm@... [evforum] <evforum@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Thanks Fritz. This calls to mind the permanent tension between private, voluntary charity – a theological virtue – versus the tendency by the powerful to insist that private charity is insufficient to address its desired goals, and thus mandatory government charity (an oxymoron on two levels: can government “love”?) is required to “fill in the gap.”

I am writing on the US bishops and their decision, especially over the past sixty years, to accept government (taxpayer) funding of their institutions. What consequences have resulted? 

— Attenuation of unpopular Church teachings (that might inform EV’s “values” below)? 

— A drift towards secular political positions to fill in the vacuum? 

— Hesitation (or total capitulation) in invoking Canon Law regarding pro-abortion politicians?

— Fifty million Catholics leaving the pews?

— Collapse of voluntary funding from the faithful?

I’d appreciate any suggestions regarding avenues to pursue in this regard. My study begins with Cardinal Gibbons (“Primate of America”) lending his support to Woodrow Wilson prior to US entry into WW I, and the resulting formation of the organization that is today known as the US Conference of Catholic Bishops..