A Catholic Social Conscience

I found a paper by Father Frank Brennan, delivered to the Australian Catholic University last June. It made me feel quite hopeful about my newfound stance as "Catholic of Conscience." He was speaking on a specific topic, but I think that his statements can be taken to apply to many topics where advocates for social justice differ from the Church's traditional teachings.

My hope is that all these Catholics ... are on a journey of life developing a formed and informed conscience about the many complex issues confronting us all in our world. On some of these issues and decisions, we do obtain useful guidance from our church leaders; but on many we do not. That is not their fault. Life is just too complex and truth so multi-faceted. That's why there is a need to reclaim the Catholic social conscience.

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Of late there has been some suggestion that there is a competition between conscience and truth, only one of which can enjoy primacy. Some Catholics like Cardinal Pell think other Catholics would do better if they stopped talking about the primacy of conscience. Others think there is a need for more emphasis on the primacy of the individual conscience over against the directives, witness and actions of bishops and even the Pope if we are to have any chance of discerning and living out the complex truth of our life project. I am one of those others. Cardinal Pell, like me, often invokes Thomas More when it comes to limiting the competence of conscience. But some others have hailed Thomas More as the patron saint of the primacy of conscience. At his trial, he said, “Ye must understand that, in things touching conscience, every true and good subject is more bound to have respect to his said conscience and to his soul than to any other thing in all the world besides."

Presently, there is a conflict... about the primacy of conscience.

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We must always accord primacy to the conscientiously formed and informed conscience, regardless of the person’s place in the church hierarchy. The Christians’ contribution to the contemporary world would be greater if there were more attention to the formation of conscience and to the injunction: inform your conscience and to that conscience be true. For most people, the questions of conscience will not be: am I to believe this church teaching? But “Am I to do this particular act or refrain from it?”

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Though keen on the primacy of conscience, I do not equate it with simply doing one's own thing or doing what one feels like. I am obliged to follow my conscience in the same way that a bishop is obliged to follow his. Each of must ensure that we have a formed and informed conscience as we decide not only what we will believe, as that is probably the less problematic part, but also as we decide what we will do. Before acting we will search for the truth insofar as the truth is discoverable. But we will then make prudential decisions about what to do, having applied whatever moral principles might apply to the matter under consideration.
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There are many complex issues in the world today which are not susceptible of unequivocal answers about what is true and what is good or what is the greater good in terms of actions and outcomes. In these situations, I cannot acquit my conscience simply by pleading that I followed what the bishops said, did or failed to do. All of us, like the bishops, are obligated to play our respective roles in the societies of which we are a part, forming and informing our consciences, and acting according to our consciences.

It is encouraging to me to read that this debate about the primacy of conscience is something that is ongoing within the Church. From the context of his essay, I do not know if Father Brennan would go so far as to apply this principle to subjects on which the Church already has a clear dictum. Perhaps he means only to suggest that we must rely on our own consciences to determine our beliefs and actions on subjects on which the Church has no official stance. Either way, it does make me feel that there may be room for me in this Church after all. Below are further quotes, also taken from his essay.

Archbishop George Pell, in his 1999 Acton Lecture:

Catholics should stop talking about the primacy of conscience. This has never been a Catholic doctrine (although this point generally cuts little ice). Moreover, such language is not conducive to identifying what contributes to human development. It is a short cut, which often leads the uninitiated to feel even more complacent while “doing their own thing”.

Vatican II's Declaration on Religious Freedom:

In all his activity a man is bound to follow his conscience faithfully, in order that he may come to God, for whom he was created. It follows that he is not to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his conscience. Nor, on the other hand is he to be restrained from acting in accordance with his conscience, especially in matters religious.

The Church teaching on conscience gives no consolation to the uninitiated thinking they can simply do their own thing. But neither does it accord religious authorities the liberty of insisting upon wooden compliance with their instruction or view of the world. Good conscience must always be accorded primacy even by bishops who would act differently in the circumstances...

The Vatican Council said in Gaudium et Spes, its Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World:

In the depths of our conscience, we detect a law which we do not impose upon ourselves, but which holds us to obedience. Always summoning us to love good and avoid evil, the voice of conscience can when necessary speak to our hearts more specifically: do this, shun that. For we have in our hearts a law written by God. To obey it is the very dignity of the human person; according to it we will be judged.

Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a person. There we are alone with God, whose voice echoes in our depths.

Pope John Paul II, World Peace Day 1999:

People are obliged to follow their conscience in all circumstances and cannot be forced to act against it.

Pope John Paul II, World Day of Peace Address, January 2002:

Respect for a person's conscience, where the image of God himself is reflected (cf. Gen:26-27), means that we can only propose the truth to others, who are then responsible for accepting it. To try to impose on others by violent means what we consider to be the truth is an offence against human dignity, and ultimately an offence against God whose image that person bears.

Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes:

Let the laypeople not imagine that their pastors are always such experts, that to every problem which arises, however complicated, they can readily give them a concrete solution, or even that such is their mission. Rather, enlightened by Christian wisdom and giving close attention to the teaching authority of the Church, let the laypeople take on their own distinctive role.

Often enough the Christian view of things will itself suggest some specific solution in certain circumstances. Yet it happens rather frequently, and legitimately so, that with equal sincerity some of the faithful will disagree with others on a given matter. Even against the intentions of their proponents, however, solutions proposed on one side or another may be easily confused by many people with the Gospel message. Hence it is necessary for people to remember that no one is allowed in the aforementioned situations to appropriate the Church's authority for their opinion. They should always try to enlighten one another through honest discussion, preserving mutual charity and caring above all for the common good.