‘La Civiltà Cattolica’ Demolishes the “Benedict Option”

Last updated on: January 22, 2018 at 7:29 pm by Cameron Doody

‘La Civiltà Cattolica’ Demolishes the “Benedict Option” 2018-01-22T19:29:07+01:00 Cameron Doody

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The "Benedict Option" (Pixabay)

The “Benedict Option” (Pixabay)

Further evidence that the highest circles of the Church disapprove strongly of the “Benedict option”, the “historically-conscious antimodernist return to roots” gaining traction amongst American and European Catholic conservatives intimidated by the complexities of ‘post-Christian’ society. The influential Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica ran last week a strongly-worded article in which it alleged that the Benedict option “brings the risk of an exclusive focus on moral rigidity, doctrinal purity and the reestablishment of a parallel society rather than on the construction of unity and communion within the Church and with all people of goodwill”.

In a nutshell, the label “Benedict option” refers to American conservative Rod Dreher’s call for Christians to “withdraw” from the “toxins of modern secularism” and the “fragmentation caused by relativism” and to build “churches, schools, and other institutions within which the orthodox Christian faith can survive and prosper through the flood”. Last year the director of La Civiltà Cattolica, Antonio Spadaro, denounced the “option” as a “Masada complex”, and accused those who promulgate it of exploiting a “fear of chaos”, “exaggerating disorder” and putting forth “worrying scenarios that bear no relation to reality”.

Last week’s article in La Civiltà Cattolica, however, went further. The author of the same, Andreas Gonçalves Lind, therein accuses Benedict option proponents of suffering a persecution complex: of running the risk of thinking “that our ‘small’ group is the real Church and better than the others”. Of running “the risk of arrogance linked to an ecclesial sin against unity and communion”.

In short, Gonçalves Lind indicts Benedict option practioners on a charge of Donatism: a fourth-century heresy that promoted moral rigorism and taught the invalidity of sacraments administered by apostate priests. “By opposing integer to profanus as the main difference between belonging or not to the Church, Donatists tended to admit only irreproachable members”, observes Gonçalves Lind: a disciplinarian attitude against which this author places the “patience with respect to sinners and the value of preserving communion” promoted by Saint Augustine.

“Augustine notices the arrogance of those who want to separate good people from bad people, the “just” from the “unjust,” before the opportune time”, continues the Civiltà Cattolica article. “In this context, he asks for ‘humility’, ‘patience’ and ‘tolerance’. Humility appears as a fundamental Christian virtue, without which unity and communion are not possible within the Mystical Body of Christ”: qualities all under threat in Benedict option communities made up of “strong” Christians.

Not only does the Benedict option lack humility, patience and tolerance, however, but it also reflects, in Gonçalves Lind’s opinion, a worrying “hostility toward secular institutions”.

“Although Dreher does not want the isolation of Christian communities, his Benedict option requires ‘separation’ from secular political powers and institutions, up to the point of developing our lives as far as possible within Christian institutions in which Christian entrepreneurs hire workers predominantly from their own churches”, Gonçalves Lind observes: a problematic notion insofar as it would not only “close off” Christian communities but would also deny the “importance of true dialogue, springing from that human dignity in which all liberties are grounded”.

In sum: between this arrogant, perfectionist, escapist and heretical Benedict option Christianity and what Dreher has called, responding to Gonçalves Lind, the “assimilationist ideas of modern Jesuits”, I know what I prefer. And yes, I still call myself a Christian.

Little future for the "Benedict Option", according to 'La Civiltà Cattolica' (Pixabay)

Little future for the “Benedict Option”, according to ‘La Civiltà Cattolica’ (Pixabay)

Previous Post

January 18, 2018

IR Expert: Church Losing Culture Wars "All Over the Continent"

Next Post

January 25, 2018 What's the Pope's Alternative to "Fake News"?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Africa Albania Australia Austria Bosnia-Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Europe France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Slovakia Spain Switzerland Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does 2 Peter say scoffers will say in the last days?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Where is this 'coming' he promised? Jesus will never return The world will never end There is no God