ICSA E-Newsletter
Vol. 4, No. 2
June
2005
Sifting the Wheat from the Tares: 20 Signs of Trouble in a New Religious Group
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. | 
