The liaison between religion and society in America has been exceptionally multifaceted. Though there are many religions in America, Catholicism is the most dominant of all. There have been many forces that helped to shape the face of Catholicism in America. One key element was the presence that Rome had been trying to exert in America. The other force that was instrumental in shaping American Catholicism was the American culture that was first dominated by Protestants than by principally secular forces. The third and the most important force that helped to shape the face of American Catholicism was the pluralistic nature of America. America as a country has had one of the most pluralistic ethnic communities to exist anywhere in the world. Immigrants like the Irish, Polish, Italian and Portuguese though professing the Catholic faith had opposing views on the same. (Williams 293)This posed a big problem to the Catholic faith and there was need to adopt a common ground to contain all these groups. This paper looks at how the Catholic Church has adapted to the challenge of religious pluralism in the American republic by modifying European notions of religious tradition. The paper does this by looking at different aspects of the institutional Catholic Church that have had to change to conform to American Catholicism. (Williams 424)
The challenge posed by immigrants to the Catholic Church in America was great to a point where the institutional church could not neglect it. As Williams puts it in his book, America’s Religions: From Their Origins to the Twenty-First Century “this vast in pouring of Catholic people into the United States during the nineteenth century, much of the attention of the institutional church was directed toward accommodating their needs.” (Williams 297) One such group was the Irish immigrants. The immigrants whom majorities were Catholic took up key positions in the church forming the largest number of clergy. One thing that set the Irish American Catholicism apart was the prestige that the institutional church enjoyed in the Irish American Community. The immigrants believed in the absolute authority of the Catholic Church making them put up arrangements that elevated them from the rest of the society. The Irish Americans viewed the Catholic Church as the only true religion and were less tolerant toward other religions. Soon after, German immigrants began arriving in America in large numbers. (Williams 294)
The German Catholics had a different view on religion from that of their Irish counterparts. The Germans were more tolerant toward other religions, unlike the Irish. In trying to preserve their tradition, the Germans refused to adopt Americanization, which their Irish counterparts had readily embraced. This made them begin using German in celebrating the mass, something that was not common in the tradition of the Catholic Church. The Polish immigrants who arrived a little time after this also insisted on using their own language in celebrating the mass. Both the Germans and the Poles insisted that the world was moving on in a new order and thus change was in order. Traditionally, the mass was conducted in Latin. However, in recognition of the aspect of American pluralism, Vatican II adopted the use of English and vernacular in conducting the mass. (Williams 62) This has been a big break from the past and is a clear demonstration of how European traditions have adjusted to fit that of the American Catholicism.
Another area where the European notion of religion has been transformed to fit that of the American Catholicism is in separation of the church and the state. In the past, the church existed on a nationalistic level and had a great say on many matters pertaining to the state. The American Catholic liberals saw the American society as benevolent and therefore agreed to separate the church from the state as was stipulated in the constitution. The institutional church was advocating for the building of church-sponsored schools while the liberals on the other hand were insisting that children should be taught in government schools since they did not contravene religious beliefs.
Of all the different schools of thought within the Catholic Church, the most significant was that led by John Ireland the Archbishop of St. Paul’s. Ireland had the backing of other influential people in the Catholic Church and together they formed a group that was referred to as the “liberals” within the Church. Ireland together with his group viewed the American Society as kind and therefore supported Americans in their endeavors as long as they did not contradict the church rules. The position of the liberals was however attacked repeatedly by the conservatives led by the Irish immigrants. The conservatives thought that by relenting on some doctrines held by the church, Catholicism would lose its influence.
In recognition of the contribution that the American Catholic liberals were making in the Catholic Church, it came to a point where Catholic intellectuals began to vindicate Ireland on the stance that they had taken in religious matters. According to these intellectuals, “their fellow American Catholics had developed a ghetto mentality that was insulating them from the good that contemporary society had to offer.” (Williams 302) After Vatican II, many changes were effected to match this critical attitude and conform to the new American Catholicism.
One area where the European Church traditions were modified to conform to the culture of American Catholicism was on the issue of penance. Traditionally, the practice was administered on a very personal basis. In this process, those seeking penance would kneel in a specially made box known as the confessional. Usually, this box consisted of screens that divided the priest and the penitent. This was meant to create an air of anonymity between the two. The priest would then order the penitent to offer a set of prayers or observe other religious rituals for the forgiveness to take effect. However, American Catholic liberals have over the years criticized this move as too impersonal. The Vatican has since modified this trend and today the practice takes place with the priest and the person seeking penance facing each other. Unlike in the past, emphasis is now placed on transforming people and not merely on reciting some religious incantations. (William 61)This is just but another mode of adaptation to cope with the challenge of religious pluralism brought about by American Catholicism.
Marriage is perhaps another area that has gone through a few notable changes in the Catholic Church. Formerly, upon entry into adulthood, a person was allowed to choose between joining priesthood and getting married. Any choice that one made was supposed to be a lifetime commitment. In the case of marriage, the union could only be terminated if the marriage was not consummated. However, over the years, this too has changed and both practices are in question. Grounds for divorce in the Catholic Church have now been extended to incorporate psychological disorders among other things. Today, many Catholics are obtaining civil divorces something that was unheard of in the past. Many priests are now leaving the church due to the punishment meted out to those who do not stick to the rules of the priesthood. These scenarios show some tolerance on the part of the church that is doing everything within its power to remain relevant in this twenty-first century. The most notable thing is that nearly all these changes were implemented to adapt to the challenge that American pluralism was posing on religion.
The pouring of immigrants of Catholic nature in America brought with it numerous challenges for the Roman Catholic Church. The church was forced to make some tremendous changes in order to adopt the new trends brought about by the pluralism of religion in America. These changes have been experienced in the whole world and as things stand out currently, more changes are on the way.
Works Cited
Williams, Peter W. America’s Religions: From Their Origins to the Twenty-First Century. 3rd ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2008. Print.