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Sifting the Wheat from the Tares: 20 Signs of Trouble in a New Religious
Group
Peter J. Vere, J.C.L.,
M.C.L.
Abstract
The author describes a presentation at a Canon Law convention by Fr.
Francis Morrisey and discusses reasons for the proliferation of new groups and
warning signs indicating that new groups may be violating Church standards.
Since the closing of the Second
Vatican Council, a number of new groups have arisen within the Church. Whereas
many new groups start off on the right foot and maintain solid footing, others
fall by the wayside. This may be due to poor doctrine or questionable practices.
As a canon lawyer, I am often
asked what the Church looks for when assessing new groups forming within the
Church. While the following is by no means exhaustive, it presents a pretty good
list of red flags and warning signs that would give any canonist pause when
examining a new association.
Fr. Francis G. Morrisey, OMI is
well-known to every student of religious law. As a lifelong member of the
Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Fr. Morrisey possesses much experience living in
religious community. He is also a professor of canon law at Saint Paul
University and a former consultor to the Congregation for Religious — the curial
dicastery in Rome that oversees various forms of consecrated life within the
Church. This has given him much experience examining and assessing numerous
religious orders and new groups within the Church.
Several years ago, Fr. Morrisey
proposed 15 criteria, or warning signs, when evaluating new associations within
the Church. While these warning signs are not law per se — that is, law
in the sense of legislation — most canonists accept these criteria as a solid
guide when examining and assessing new associations within the Church. For those
with access to a good ecclesiastical library, Fr. Morrisey presents and explains
these fifteen criteria in his article “Canonical Associations...” published in
Informationes, vol. 26, (2000), pp 88-109.
For those without access to an
ecclesiastical library, or for those looking for an explanation more accessible
to the average layperson, here are Fr. Morrisey’s 15 criteria along with my
personal explanation of what they mean:
1. “Total” obedience to the pope
Many will find this first
warning sign surprising. As Catholics, are we not all called to obey the Holy
Father? Indeed, we are. When a new association sincerely seeks to obey and
follow the teachings of the Holy Father, canonists are for the most part
satisfied the group is doing what Catholic groups ought to do.
Nevertheless, some new
associations abuse Catholic sensibility in this regard. These groups cite “total
obedience to the Holy Father” when what they really mean is partial obedience to
selected teachings of the Holy Father, without embracing the entire papal
message. Additionally, when challenged over their partial obedience, these
groups will appeal to their “total” reliance upon the Holy Father in an attempt
to bypass the authority of the diocesan bishop. This brings us to Fr. Morrisey’s
second warning sign.
2. No sense of belonging to the
local church
As Catholics, we belong to the
universal Church. Yet we also belong to the local church community, meaning a
local parish and a local diocese. Even the Holy Father is not exempt in this
regard; he is, after all, the Bishop of Rome and thus belongs to a local Roman
Church. Thus the ministry and apostolate of any association should focus on the
local church. If a new association or religious order has no sense of belonging
to the local church, then this becomes cause for concern.
3. Lack of true cooperation with
diocesan authorities
To
belong to the local church, one must cooperate with local diocesan authorities.
After all, Christ instituted His Church as a hierarchy. Within this hierarchy,
our Lord instituted the office of bishop to oversee a portion of Christ’s
faithful. Thus the local bishop, and not a particular religious group or
association, bears ultimate responsibility for the care of souls within a
particular geographical location. If a new association refuses or impedes
cooperation between itself and the local diocesan authorities, then its fidelity
to the Church is questionable.
4. Making use of lies and
falsehoods to obtain approval
As
Catholics, we concern ourselves with speaking the truth. After all, our Lord
denounces Satan as the “Father of Lies.” So any new association should be
truthful in how it presents itself to its members, Church authorities, and the
outside world. This is not just a matter of basic honesty; any group or
association that resorts to falsehoods to gain approval is likely concealing a
deeper problem.
The
Church understands that every association, particularly when the association is
new, makes mistakes when engaging in ministry or apostolate. When an association
is honest, however, these problems are easily identified and quickly corrected.
This in turn increases the likelihood of the new association succeeding within
the Church.
5. Too soon an insistence on
placing all goods in common
While
the Church has a history of associations and religious orders in which members
place all their goods in common, the decision to do so should come after a
reasonable period of careful discernment. Placing one’s goods in common in not
for everyone, and the consequences of such a decision are lifelong.
Additionally, the potential for abuse by those who administer the common goods
is great. Therefore, canonists frown upon any insistence by an association that
its new or potential members place their goods in common.
Due
to the fact that modern times see less stability in common life, with members
sometimes opting to leave after a number of years, the most prudent handling of
goods in common is to place them in trust until a member dies. That way, if the
member leaves, the goods are available to meet his or her needs outside of the
community.
6. Claiming special revelations or
messages leading to the founding of the group
Although this represents a warning sign, it is not absolute. The Church
recognizes the presence of many legitimate apparitions and private revelations
throughout her history. Yet not all alleged apparitions or special revelations
turn out to be true. Therefore, the Church must further investigate any claims
of special revelations or messages — particularly when they become the catalyst
for founding a new association. If, however, a new association refuses to
divulge or submit its alleged revelations or special messages to the Church,
then this immediately calls into question the authenticity of both the
association and the alleged apparition.
7. Special status of the founder
or foundress
Of
course, the founder or foundress will always enjoy a special role in the
founding of a new association or community. Nevertheless, in all other respects
he or she should be a member just like everyone else. This means that he or she
is similarly bound to the customs, disciplines, and constitutions of the
community. If the founder or foundress demands special meals, special living
quarters, special dispensations from the rules imposed upon other members of the
community, or any other special treatment, then this is a clear warning
sign. It is of special concern if the founder or foundress claims exemption from
the requirements of Christian morality due to his or her status (see point 15
below).
8. Special and severe penances
imposed
As
St. Thomas Aquinas teaches, virtue is found in the middle, between two extremes.
Therefore, any penances imposed upon members of the community should be both
moderate and reasonable. Special and severe penances are not signs of virtue —
rather, they are signs of extremism.
9. Multiplicity of devotions,
without any doctrinal unity among them
The
purpose of sacramentals and other devotions is to bring us closer to Christ and
the sacraments. Hence sacramentals are not superstitions. A new association or
community should insure that any special devotions or sacramentals unite its
members to Christ, the sacraments, and the mission of the association. For
example, praying three Hail Marys in front of the statue of St. Joseph while the
Blessed Sacrament is exposed does not offer such unity. Eucharistic Adoration,
Marian devotion and devotion to St. Joseph are all good in themselves, however,
they should be offered either individually or collectively as devotion to the
Holy Family. They should not be offered simultaneously.
10. Promotion of “fringe” elements
in the life of the Church
As
previously mentioned, every association or organization within the Church should
exist to serve the needs of Christ’s faithful. Therefore, canonists view any
association that exists solely to serve fringe elements — whether these elements
be special apparitions, private revelations, or extreme social or political
agendas, etc. — with suspicion.
This
is not to deny that extraordinary events may sometimes become the catalyst for a
new association or religious order. For example, St. Francis of Assisi founded
the Franciscans after receiving a locution from our Lord to “Rebuild My Church.”
Nevertheless, St. Francis did not found the Franciscans with the intention of
promoting his internal locution. Rather, the internal locution inspired St.
Francis to found an order that would serve the Church.
Within the Church, one finds the three traditional vows of poverty, chastity,
and obedience. Additional or special vows present numerous problems. Often,
special vows are reduced to means through which superiors unduly control members
of the community or association. The danger is particularly pointed where a
special vow cannot be externally verified. Take “joy” for example; one can
usually appeal to objective evidence that someone is not living a life of
poverty, chastity and/or obedience, but as a feeling, “joy” is too subjective to
be judged in an objective manner.
12. Absolute secrecy imposed on
members
While
some discretion and privacy is necessary within any Church community or
association, secrecy should never be absolute unless one is a confessor
preserving the seal of confession. Therefore, any association or organization
that imposes absolute secrecy upon its members should be approached with the
utmost caution. Members should always be free to approach diocesan officials and
the Holy See if certain problems arise within the community that are not dealt
with in an adequate fashion. Similarly, since these associations exist to serve
the Church, all members should be allowed to converse freely and honestly with
members of the Church hierarchy when requested.
13. Control over the choice of
confessors and spiritual directors
Confession and spiritual direction concern the internal forum — that is, those
things that are private to a person’s conscience. Within reasonable limits, a
person should be free to choose his or her confessor and spiritual director. On
the other hand, obedience to one’s superiors in carrying out an association’s
apostolate or ministry concerns the external forum. In other words, the latter
are public actions that can be externally verified.
The
roles of confessor and spiritual director should never be confused with the role
of superior. Nor should there even be the appearance of confusion. Of particular
concern to canonists is when a superior imposes himself as confessor and/or
spiritual director of a member under his charge. After all, a superior will have
to make decisions about a member’s future — and in so doing there exists a
strong temptation to make use of information gathered under the seal of
confession.
14. Serious discontent with the
previous institute of which certain members were part
Like
some of the other red flags presented, this warning sign is not absolute.
Sometimes, a very good reason exists for a member’s discontent with his or her
previous institute. Nevertheless, serious discontent with a previous institute
should be carefully examined. In most cases, such discontent points to some
deeper problems with the individual, particularly if he or she has a history of
“conflict of personalities.”
15. Any form of sexual misconduct
as a basis
This
warning sign is fairly self-explanatory. The Church’s teaching is clear when it
comes to sexual morality. If sexual immorality is the basis for a new group or
association, then the association ought to be avoided. Additionally, one should
immediately report this to the competent Church authority.
In
addition to the fifteen warning signs presented by Fr. Morrisey, Dr. Michael
Langone has assembled a list of thirteen criteria by which many cult experts
judge a group to be a cult. Dr. Langone is a counseling psychologist and the
Executive Director of the
International Cultic Studies
Association (ICSA). He has spent nearly 30 years researching and
writing about cults, and for 20 years has been the editor of the Cultic
Studies Journal. The following five criteria have been adapted from Dr.
Langone’s thirteen criteria and applied to the context of Catholic associations.
Some canon lawyers find them useful when evaluating the legitimacy of a new
association within the Church.
1. The group is preoccupied with
bringing in new members
Of
course every new association, if it wishes to grow, will seek to increase its
membership. Such growth, however, should come because potential members identify
with the mission or apostolate of the association. Additionally, members should
only join after a reasonable period of discernment. Thus, any association whose
main focus is to bring in new members, to the exclusion of other acts of
apostolate or ministry, should be carefully examined.
2. The group is preoccupied with
making money
Like
the previous criterion, there is nothing wrong per se with raising money
for one’s association or apostolate. After all, even Christ and the Apostles
used money. Nevertheless, money should be a means of carrying out legitimate
ministry and apostolic work. Raising money should never be an end in itself.
Additionally, the means employed in raising money should be honest and
transparent.
3. Elitism
The
Catholic Church recognizes that by virtue of their baptism, a certain equality
exists among Christ’s faithful, regardless of whether one belongs to the lay,
religious, or clerical state. Additionally, among religious orders and newer
forms of consecrated life, the Church recognizes different types of charisms.
Some are active, in that they tend heavily toward active ministry and apostolic
work. Others are contemplative, in that they tend more toward prayer and
contemplation. Of course, you find everything in between. Therefore, any Church
association that only recognizes vocations to its association is not thinking
with the mind of the Church. Nor are those associations with a polarized
mentality that divide their vocations from those of the rest of the Church.
4. The leadership induces feeling
of guilt in members to control them
One’s
vocation within the Church should be freely chosen. Similarly, obedience is
something a superior should inspire among those under his or her charge. While
it sometimes happens that a superior must impose his or her will upon a
particular member, obedience should never be coerced through illicit or improper
means. Additionally, if a superior must constantly impose his will upon the
majority of the membership through coercive means, then this proves
problematical to the long-term health of the specific association or religious
group.
5. The group completely severs its
members from the outside world
Granted, one must be careful here. After all, the Church has a long and honored
tradition of cloistered and contemplative orders that sever themselves from the
day-to-day activities of the outside world. Nevertheless, even those orders of
the most strict observance encourage some forms of outside communication with
friends, family and the world. Therefore, it is cause for concern when an
association, particularly if the association is lay-based, encourages its
members to completely sever ties with friends, family, and the outside world.
Additionally, one should beware those associations that encourage or require
their members to live and/or socialize only with other members of the same group
or association. One should also beware if association or friendships with people
outside of the group are encouraged only when they are used to further
the goals of the group.
Each
new association within the Church has its own unique charism. Nevertheless, the
goal of every new association should be to fulfill a particular need within the
Church. An association becomes dangerous if allowed to place its own interests,
or those of its founder and/or leader, before the common good of the Church —
both local and universal.
If
more than a couple of the above warning signs are found to be present while
assessing a particular association, then Catholics ought to be wary about
becoming involved with the group in question. Such an association is likely to
encounter several difficulties with legitimate Church authorities and possibly
even degenerate into a cult — a destructive group that does psychological harm
and poses a spiritual danger to its members.
© Copyright
2005
Catholic Exchange.
Reprinted with permission. This article is
based on a conference presentation
to ICSA/AFF in Atlanta, Georgia, October 15-16, 2004.
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