A reader writes:
I am a fauclty member at a private college associated with a Protestant church. I’m a convert to the Catholic Church.
There is a chapel service two days a week here and the opportunity has come up for me to speak at this service. Am I allowed to speak at a service like this?
Yes. Canon law does not prevent you from speaking if you are invited to do so.
If so is what are my obligations with regard to what I reveal to the assembled people?
You must not say anything contrary to the Catholic faith. Within that constraint, you should seek to deliver the kind of talk that your hosts expect. (E.g., if you are asked to speak on a particular topic or Scripture passage, you should do so.)
In addition, to the extent you can (without endangering your ability to make a living, for example) you should seek to introduce them to aspects of the truth (the Catholic faith) that they may not have considered. This may involve revealing the fact that you are a Catholic or it may not.
If you perceive that the topic you are asked to speak on could draw you into areas that would be problematic (e.g., if you couldn’t talk about the topic without getting into a subject that would cause you to lose your job) then you could ask for a different topic, a different day (i.e., one with a different planned topic), or simply decline the invitation to speak.
That’s about the best I can do with the limited information at hand (I don’t know, for example, whether people at the college would freak out upon learning that you are Catholic and demand your resignation or firing; that’s been known to happen at some Protestant schools, even when the administration is initially supportive of Catholic faculty members). The bottom line is: Do what good you can and be prudent as you do so.
Or as Our Lord put it: "Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matt. 10:16).
Would it be ok for me to intentionally not speak up about catholic issues in order to improve my job security? I’m not being snarky…I’m honestly curious about whether or not the Church teaches that that’s ok. As I understand it i’m not obligated to tell anyone that i’m Catholic. Personally, I’d rather give up the job (seeing as how I don’t have any kids to feed), but I want to know what to tell my friends if they ask.
Jimmy:
Thanks. I’m the original letter writer. Being a Catholic here isn’t a problem. My academic Dean is Catholic. We have Mass on campus every Saturday evening and a new Newman Club. Percentage-wise, there are more Catholics here than any other denomination (if you break up Methodist, Lutheran, etc.). But I do need to measure the prudence aspect of this all.
Thanks
To try and address the question raised by Curious Student: what does the Church teach about intentionally not speaking up about Catholic issues to improve my job security?
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2464: “The eight commandment forbids misrepresenting the truth in our relations with others. This moral prescription flows from the vocation of the holy people to bear witness to their God who is the truth and wills the truth. Offenses against the truth express by word or deed a refusal to commit oneself to moral uprightness: they are fundamental infidelities to God and, in this sense, they undermine the foundations of the covenant.”
The Office of Readings for today (Week 25, Sunday) is from St Augustine. It includes: “Yet a Christian’s strength includes not only doing what is good, but also enduring what is evil. Those, then, who seem to be fervent in good works, but are unwilling or unable to endure the sufferings that come upon them, are the weak.”
But also in the Catechism:
“2488. The right to the communication of the truth is not unconditional. Everyone must conform his life to the Gospel precept of fraternal love. This requires us in concrete situations to judge whether or not it is appropriate to reveal the truth to someone who asks for it.
“2489. Charity and respect for the truth should dictate the response to every request for information or communication. The good and safety of others, respect for privacy, and the common good are sufficient reasons for being silent about what ought not be known or for making use of discreet language. …”.