Hands up if you’re familiar with the abbreviation CINO…

Since I didn’t see any hands go up, I’ll assume it’s a term that not used all that widely. It stands for Catholic In Name Only, which is a variation on the “Cafeteria Catholic” theme. Cafeteria Catholics are the people who just pick and choose the Catholic teachings that they can and can’t adhere to. They leave the rest, like I leave the brussels sprouts on the side of my plate. Catholics in Name Only is a term usually applied to public figures, politicians in particular. They are Catholic when it is convenient like, I don’t know, at election time, and then they spend their time between elections doing things that bear little resemblance to Christ’s teaching.

Politicians of this ilk often just stroll along with little or no criticism from the bishops; that’s certainly the case in New Zealand more often than not. Some Australian bishops aren’t afraid to call a spade a spade. And in the other country about which I have some knowledge, the United States, there is a willingness from many bishops to call out such politicians for their deviation from authentically Catholic views.

The latest bishop to drop the hammer on CINO politicians is Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria, Illinois. Check this out, from EWTN/Catholic News Agency (emphasis mine):

Politicians who consider themselves Catholic but collaborate in “the assault against their faith” should remember they will one day have to give account for their acts before God, Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria, Illinois said Feb 10.

“There is a last judgment. There is a particular judgment. May they change their minds and may God have mercy on them,” he told CNA during his visit to Rome.

When asked specifically about recent actions of Democratic Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius Kathleen Sebelius and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Bishop Jenky replied “I am utterly scandalized.”

“The Lord once said ‘if you deny me at the end, I will deny you,’ this from our most merciful, good Savior. And so if it is a choice between Jesus Christ and political power or getting favorable editorials in leftist papers, well, that’s simply not a choice.”

Both Sebelius and Rep. Pelosi have been at the forefront of attempts to force Catholic institutions to cover contraception, sterilizations and abortifacients as part of their staff’s health insurance plans.

Bishop Jenky said there are too many Catholic politicians in the U.S. who “like to wear green sweaters on St. Patrick’s Day and march” or “have their pictures taken with the hierarchy” or “have conspicuous crosses on their forehead with ashes” but who then “not only do not live their faith they collaborate in the assault against their faith.”

That is one of the more no-nonsense rebukes I’ve heard from a bishop. And it’s good to see. One of my great pet peeves is people like Nancy Pelosi, and she is one of the most prominent serial offenders, describing themselves as “devout Catholics” to journalist who just report that unchallenged. That really irks me, in case my “one of my great pet peeves” comment didn’t tell you how I felt.

If I told a journalist I was a fourth dan black belt, would they just print it?

Anyway, nice work, Bishop Jenky.You’ll get some hate mail for saying what you’ve said, but that’s the price you pay for speaking the truth. Ironic, I know.