Metting Halfway

Something happened during the debate surrounding "radtrad" and "radical traditionalist." No, everyone didn't suddenly convert to the position they disagreed with before.  Instead, I think everyone is regressing to the mean after some initial bumps in the road.

Fr. Longenecker has a pretty solid post here for a variety of reasons.  He may state he still uses the term "radtrad", but I think he's meeting his critics halfway.  He realizes there is a serious tribalism problem in the Church, and it's not just traditionalists.  He also realizes that, contrary to the assertions of some, there really can be a legitimate traditionalist charism within the Church.

But wait, doesn't he tell us all to simply be "Catholic?"  He does, and I would certainly agree.  There are a lot of ways of expressing the Catholic faith.  Provided one holds to all the doctrines of Holy Mother Church, respects their station in life, and gives due obedience to superiors in lawful commands, Catholics should be free to express their Catholic faith as they see fit.  This kind of legitimate diversity is praiseworthy, and is diametrically opposed to the tribalism Benedict XV condemned in Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum, which tended to imply that the Catholicism practiced by this or that group was different, or being blunt, superior than the dreaded other.  Everyone always talks about how Benedict said "Let Catholic be my name, and Christian my surname", but I really think the more relevant quote is the one he says just before that:

As regards matters in which without harm to faith or discipline-in the absence of any authoritative intervention of the Apostolic See- there is room for divergent opinions, it is clearly the right of everyone to express and defend his own opinion. But in such discussions no expressions should be used which might constitute serious breaches of charity; let each one freely defend his own opinion, but let it be done with due moderation, so that no one should consider himself entitled to affix on those who merely do not agree with his ideas the stigma of disloyalty to faith or to discipline.

It is precisely for these reasons I think the term "radtrad" should be dropped.  Yet barring that, I think the good father offers some advice that if taken, will lead to that outcome.  He wants people to stop sitting in their tribes, and go out to others.  Get out of our comfort zones.  Think trads are just what you see on blogs?  Go meet them, talk amongst them, and see for yourself.  Think those attending the Ordinary Form "Neo-Catholics" are still one step away from a clown mass?  Go for yourself and find out, but barring that, actually speak to them, and see if you can really justify continuing to believe that.

I think in the end, this is a win win.  I'm convinced the more people spend time amongst the dreaded "other", the less these insulting terms are used.  That also means we traditionalists have to put our best foot forward.  That's for another time though.  This is just something to think about in the present.

There will be one more column at Catholic Lane about the issue (mainly focused as to how traditionlaists can do their part to eliminate the word, mainly start following Wheaton's Law!)  I wrote this stuff hoping to help others challenge the status quo, and I think we've seen some great success on that part.  These terms weren't invented yesterday, and there will be many tomorrows before they pass, if they ever do.  In th meantime, we can always just stand fast to what is good in all that we do, and slowly but surely purge out the bad with the help of God's grace.

I might come back to the issue a little bit next week after the Catholic Answers show (which started all this), but I honestly doubt it.  They won't bring anything new to the table.  I do think people should call in and challenge them when they have the show next week.  Challenge them why they use such terminology, and bring to light that even some of their allies, in the interests of making progress, have dropped the term.

All in all, this was a pretty productive week on the topic.