Cafeteria Catholic

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The term Cafeteria Catholic (also à la carte Catholic or CINO = "Catholic In Name Only") is a pejorative or an insulting characterization and is used to describe people who dissent from certain teachings of the Roman Catholic Church while maintaining an outward identity as Catholics. These people are said to view the Church much like a cafeteria, a place where one picks and chooses only those items that appeal to them. The term is typically applied to those who dissent from the Catholic Church's teaching on moral issues, such as abortion, contraception, premarital sex, and homosexuality. Groups which have been labeled as such include Call to Action, FutureChurch, DignityUSA, and Catholics for a Free Choice. Many who view the term pejoratively, believe dissent from the constant teaching of the Church to be a form of devoutness.

It should be noted that this epithet is not used or created by the official church. It may therefore be suggested that it is used more as American political jibe by the right-wing than in having any real theological validity to the Church or to American Catholics.

Whether the practice of Cafeteria Catholicism is an epithet or a descriptive phenomenon can be summed up authoritatively through the teaching of the Popes:

In a homily delivered on April 18, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI clarified the relation of dissent to faith:

"Being an adult means having a faith which does not follow the waves of today's fashions or the latest novelties. A faith which is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ is adult and mature."

In a similar vein, Pope John Paul II stated in his talk to the Bishops in Los Angeles in 1987:

"It is sometimes reported that a large number of Catholics today do not adhere to the teaching of the Catholic Church on a number of questions, notably sexual and conjugal morality, divorce and remarriage. Some are reported as not accepting the clear position on abortion. It has to be noted that there is a tendency on the part of some Catholics to be selective in their adherence to the Church's moral teaching. It is sometimes claimed that dissent from the magisterium is totally compatible with being a "good Catholic," and poses no obstacle to the reception of the Sacraments. This is a grave error that challenges the teaching of the Bishops in the United States and elsewhere."

The term has been in use since the issuance of Humanae Vitae, an official document that reminded Catholics of the Church's opposition to the use of artificial birth control in favour of Natural family planning.

Columnist Maureen Dowd said, in her column of the election of Cardinal Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI, "the cafeteria is officially closed". This was eventually shortened to "The Cafeteria is Closed" by Ratzinger's supporters to express their hope in his election.