The Roman Catholic Church virtually regards itself as another name for Christianity. One and the same. Not only is it the model from which all other Christian faiths have deviated, it is seen as the de facto voice of Christianity and keeper of the flame.Though not alone in claiming apostolic succession to Christ, Catholicism has great age and a massive population on its side and thus the leverage to wield inordinate authority in Christendom. Catholic leaders sometime function as if non-Catholics dont meet the test of being true followers of Jesus. Restrictions on the Eucharist are one way that is manifested. I sensed that tone when I heard about the new Catholic web site called PewSitter.com. which is being called the Voice of the Catholic Lay Faithful. In its press release on April 9, the organizer said, Pewsitter.com was established to give the Catholic lay faithful a voice in the matters of the church. Some Catholics would say, If it was only that easy to have a voice.In response to Vatican IIs call for the full (our emphasis) and active participation of the laity, Pewsitter enables and encourages the laity of the church to submit news articles, events and even audio/video copies of their favorite homilies to share with other Catholics, it said in its announcement. But how does that really give lay people a voice? It certainly does not suggest lay Catholics are going to have decision-making voice in greater storytelling. Certainly the web site is crammed with links to an incredible number of articles and commentaries about the Catholic Church, but nothing that would question authority or point out flaws in leadership or policies.Pewsitter.com also encourages the laity to share the concerns, praise, opinions and thoughts with the church hierarchy, it notes. Though we recognize that the church is not a democracy and that matters of faith and morals are not open to debate, feedback provided by the laity regarding issues, problems and shortcomings, as well as praise and complements (sic) for good wholesome, positive and spiritual event will assist the hierarchy in accomplishing the mission to which they have been entrusted — spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. James Todd of Pewsitter calls it a new paradigm that provides a mouthpiece for faithful Catholics. Pewsitters will promulgate this information to the universal church, with the objective of bring about positive change within the church and the culture at large, he said. I told Todd, in an e-mail, that this could be interpreted to be a network of informers, spies and watchdogs to report any missteps or independent ideas to the bishop and the hierarchy all the way to the Vatican, less a priest strayed from Catholic orthodoxy. Though the church is populated by people who are all sinners, the church itself has Christ’s guarantee that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, Todd said in his reply. It also has the power to loose and bind. Therefore, Pewsitter is about being faithful to the church that Christ founded, as has been handed down through 2,000 years of apostolic succession.He then more directly answered my question: If by challenging the system, you mean trying to assist in correcting things like the sexual abuse scandal — absolutely. However, if you mean challenging the church’s teaching on matters of faith and morals, the answer is a resounding no. Within a world that has jettisoned moral values that only a century ago were unthinkable, the church’s teachings stand as a beacon of light, in a culture of death.Surely there are Catholics who toe the line entirely. There are those known as cafeteria Catholics whose consciences and own thinking cause them to follow some teachings and reject others. And there are nominal Catholics who, for whatever reasons, choose not to be observant. I asked several priests about PewSitters.com. The Rev. Christ Carpenter, former priest at Christ the King Catholic Church in Mesa, now living in southern California, was willing to comment. Though he has not heard of the group, he said, I have known several individuals who would likely be candidates for membership. In my years of experience, I’ve learned that those who define themselves as orthodox rarely have a clue about what the church really teaches. They are self-righteous and are pursuing their own agendas, not necessarily the church’s. While in church and attending Mass, they should be praying and worshiping, not judging and critiquing. They are doing God a disservice.PewSitters is looking for volunteers in all 189 Catholic dioceses to feature the Catholic news of the day so what they report can be shared on line. Yet how that gives the truly faithful a voice in the matters of the church remains to be seen. The web site is signing up volunteers for the website, but it carries this litmus test: Only faithful Catholics that are in union with Rome should apply.

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