In light of the thought-world in which Pope Benedict and the Catholic bishops live, it is not surprising that they would single out secularism to inveigh against, because secularism is a handy catch-all term for the tendencies in the modern world that run counter to their way of thinking (e.g., the supposed "natural law") and their thought-world (e.g., their supposed special gift of judgment as successors of the apostles of Jesus).
Now, would it be a catastrophe if the Roman Catholic Church were to change its teachings regarding not only masturbation but also artificial contraception, legalized abortion in the first trimester, marriage after divorce without the formal church annulment, same-sex relationships, and same-sex marriage? In the thought-world of Pope Benedict and the Catholic bishops, these changes would indeed truly be a catastrophe of the first order, because these changes would collapse so many of the teachings that the bishops hold dear. In addition, they fear that the church would lose face by allowing such significant changes after advancing them so strongly in recent years.
In addition, Pope Benedict has clearly indicated that he favors a hermeneutic (interpretation) of continuity, not a hermeneutic of rupture. In plain English, he is not inviting moral theologians to figure out any new positions regarding sexual morality that would be a rupture with the church's current teachings.
I rehearse these points here so that I can say that I do not expect to see Pope Benedict and the Catholic bishops allow any significant changes in the church's teachings regarding sexual morality -- or anything else (such as the ordination of women to be priests or the elimination of the celibacy requirement for diocesan priests or the ordination of married men or married women to be priests, all of which are examples of church law, not examples of moral doctrines taught by the church).
As a result, we Americans should expect to hear the Catholic bishops in the United States exercise their freedom of religion as American citizens to broadcast publicly the church's teachings regarding sexual morality whenever they can find a pretext for doing so.
At the same time, we Americans should expect to hear new volleys from Pope Benedict and the Vatican periodically about the church's teachings regarding sexual morality.
The current crop of Catholic bishops hold all the positions of authority and power in the Roman Catholic Church, and they select the Catholic priests who will be elevated to the position of bishop. In short, the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church is a self-perpetuating oligarchy.
However, individual Catholics may choose in good conscience not to follow one or more of the church's teachings regarding sexual morality, because in Catholic moral theory, one's conscience is the final arbiter of one's personal moral choices.
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