Knights of Columbus needs to show restraint in the political sphere

[rug]

Fifteen-month-old Charlotte Kerscher, held by her mother, Laura, watches the Knights of Columbus honor guard process during an outdoor Mass at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, Wis., Aug. 15, 2016 (CNS/Sam Lucero, The Compass)

Michael Sean Winters | May. 16, 2017

My colleague Tom Roberts' look at the finances of the Knights of Columbus sent shockwaves around Catholic circles yesterday. Like Roberts, I commend the Knights for all the wonderful work they have done since their founding in 1882. The questions raised by Roberts' reporting do not detract an iota from that work, yet they are important and they all come back to one larger question: Is it time for new leadership at the Knights of Columbus?

The first question is whether it is healthy for a Catholic organization to have so much money, and therefore so much influence, combined with an evident willingness to use that influence entirely in one direction. Most charitable organizations stay away from politics, but not the Knights. As Roberts' article demonstrates, they fund a variety of conservative political causes and organizations, especially those like the Ethics and Public Policy Center, which shape the public conversation about the role of religion in American culture. If the Knights are to maintain the common perception of them as a charitable organization, they need to demonstrate restraint in using their influence in the political sphere, or at least seek to strike a balance.

And the problem is not simply politics. The Knights deploy their influence within the church as well. Would Anderson serve on so many Vatican commissions if he did not have such a large checkbook? Will bishops challenge the direction the Knights are taking within the church, funding conservative media outlets like Crux and EWTN, when they know that the Knights have such large influence? Will staffers at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops more easily embark upon a conservative project, knowing they can get Knights money for it, but decline to initiate a more progressive project, mindful that they will have to raise the money elsewhere? The Knights jumped in to rescue the white elephant John Paul II Shrine founded and funded by the Archdiocese of Detroit. Other bishops noticed and made a mental note: If I am ever in trouble, I may need to turn to them too. That creates enormous influence.

As professors Massimo Faggioli and David O'Brien indicate in the article, the Knights represent that brand of Catholicism that believes Catholicism has "lost its edge, its identity and maybe even its integrity" over the past half century, as O'Brien said. And they have "come up with issues that create the difference between you and other religious groups and with the culture. These guys have figured out a way to build a popular following by combining their politics with the faith." The Knights are the bank for the culture wars if you will.

https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/knights-columbus-needs-show-restraint-political-sphere