David Ancell / Wednesday January 29, 2003
Jeanetta explains why she doesn’t trust Jesuits. I must confess to my lack of trust in them, too. My experience is not as bad as hers, but it is bad enough:
The only place I have encountered Jesuits was on retreat in St. Louis. The first few times I went I was too naive to notice if anything was wrong. One priest, Fr. John Snyder, was an excellent retreat director. He called the Church the “legitimate moral authority.” He went through the Ten Commandments as well. Someone remarked that he could tell you to go to Hell and make you enjoy the trip.
However, he was the last good retreat director I would encounter there. I went back while I was in residency only to have an entire retreat preached on the Enneagram. He gave out handouts with such in-depth reflection questions as “How do I feel about having a woman as my boss?” In the end, he passed out a list of recommended books which included “Why You Can Disagree and Remain a Faithful Catholic.”
I went back the next year to see if the next guy would be any better. He said such inspiring statements like “The best way to get to know God is to get to know yourselves.” (as though I were God). He told us that, in confession, we should confess our root tendency to sin instead of our “laundry list” of sins. All in all, he was better, but I was a bit uncomfortable with him.
There are some great Jesuits out there: Fr. Mitch Pacwa, Cardinal Avery Dulles, Fr. Fessio, Fr. Patrick Brannan, and Fr. Kenneth Baker. Let’s also not forget the late Fr. John Hardon. However, I don’t trust anything by a Jesuit unless it has the backing of a known orthodox publisher or unless the Jesuit is himself well known.
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