PROVIDENCE — A gusty, wet autumn
afternoon found Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Rhode Island joining a
prayer vigil outside a Planned Parenthood clinic. Two dozen
abortion protesters, some holding “Respect Life” umbrellas,
huddled in a semicircle around the bishop as he fingered his
rosary beads and led them in prayer.
“Our
commitment to human life is important,” he told them, as gas
trucks rumbled by on Point Street. “Some have said that this
commitment can be an obsession. If it’s an obsession to protect
unborn life, then it’s a very important obsession.”
With
his choice of words, Tobin seemed to be taking a direct swipe at
Pope Francis, who sent tremors through the Roman Catholic Church
in September when he said church leaders are too “obsessed” with
abortion and other divisive social issues such as gay marriage.
On
Sunday, Tobin publicly disagreed with Francis again. While the
pope said that former president Nelson Mandela of South Africa,
who died last week, will “inspire generations,” Tobin issued a
statement declaring that appreciation of Mandela’s admirable
qualities should be tempered by his “shameful” promotion of
abortion in his country. Related
The
Rhode Island bishop has emerged as a visible and vocal contrast
to the new pontiff’s more inclusive tone, even as he praises the
enthusiasm and spirit that Francis has brought to the church. To
those who know Tobin, that role is not a surprise.
‘It’s
one thing for him to reach out and embrace and kiss little
children. It would also be wonderful if in a spiritual way he
would reach out and embrace and kiss unborn children.’
From
his pulpit in the country’s smallest state, Tobin has gained
national attention for straddling the blurry line between church
and state. In 2009, he famously told then-Rhode Island
congressman Patrick Kennedy, whose uncle was the nation’s first
Catholic president, that he should not receive communion because
he supported government funding for abortion.
The
week before the popular new pontiff’s comments on abortion,
Tobin told his diocesan newspaper that he was “a little
disappointed in Pope Francis” for not having said much about
abortion, and that “many people have noticed.” Francis’s
decision to deemphasize divisive social issues, despite
recriminations from critics, was seen as a slap at conservative
US bishops like Tobin.
“It’s
one thing for him to reach out and embrace and kiss little
children,” Tobin told the newspaper. “It would also be wonderful
if in a spiritual way he would reach out and embrace and kiss
unborn children.”
Tobin,
coming off a bruising political fight against passage of a
same-sex marriage law in Rhode Island this year, also found
himself trying to explain the pontiff’s remarks about
homosexuals: “Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who
seeks the Lord?” Francis had asked.
Tobin
calls that “one of the most misquoted phrases” in recent church
history and says bishops and cardinals have suffered “angst”
trying to explain Francis’s words.
The
bishop says he will continue to battle in the public arena as
issues arise that require a stand against society’s moral decay.
He dismisses would-be reformers who would seek to widen the
church’s appeal by softening its views on abortion,
contraception, homosexuality, divorce, women priests, and priest
celibacy. “Is an ‘easy’ church, devoid of any moral imperatives
or challenge, being faithful to its mission?” he asked in a
speech this year.
Pope
John Paul II, a more dogmatic leader than Francis, appointed
Tobin, now 65, bishop of Providence in April 2005, just three
days before the pontiff’s death.
“Unfortunately, [Tobin] came off more as a political leader of
the right than a spiritual leader for everybody,” said Patrick
Kennedy, who now lives in New Jersey and is an active
participant in his parish. “I love hearing our new Holy Father.
I believe it marks a new day for Catholics who want to be a part
of the church and not feel alienated . . . and castigated for
being sinners.”
Nor has
the bishop endeared himself to gays, says state Representative
Frank G. Ferri of Warwick, an openly gay lawmaker who helped
lead the fight for same-sex marriage.
“His
tone is not very Christian-like — he says that gay people are
indecent, immoral, and going to hell,” Ferri said. “Then Pope
Francis comes along and expresses a more tolerant view. Bishop
Tobin doesn’t realize what his negative tone can lead to. The
church still has a lot of influence in Rhode Island.”
Tobin
responded in an interview that “we reject any unjust
discrimination against people who are homosexual . . . but at
the same time we’ve been very clear that homosexual acts are
beyond God’s plan and therefore sinful and immoral.”
Meghan
Smith of Catholics for Choice, calls Tobin “one of the more
rightwing bishops” in the United States. His style is at odds
with the new pope, she says, as well as his flock in the one of
most Catholic states.
But the
Rev. Bernard Healey, the Providence diocese’s longtime State
House lobbyist, praises Tobin’s fearlessness in speaking out on
issues important to Catholics.
“If you
met him, you would be surprised that he’s not the figure he
seems to be on paper,” Healey said. “He’s portrayed as outspoken
because he speaks the truth . . . but while he speaks the truth
powerfully, he has the heart of a pastor.’’
Sitting
in his spacious office in the chancery in downtown Providence,
Tobin defended his controversial approach and his criticism of
Francis.
“I
suppose there is some difference in style,” he said. But while
Tobin says he has spoken out strongly against abortion and gay
marriage, “I’ve also spoken about immigration reform, gun
control, homelessness, affordable housing, a variety of issues.
“I said
lots of nice things about the Holy Father, and they were
sincere. . . . But I also had a couple of little concerns that I
expressed, and that’s of course what people picked up on.”
In
August, Tobin told a meeting of the Rhody Young Republicans that
he had changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican
because he was disgusted with President Obama’s and the
Democrats’ position on abortion. He also criticized Rhode
Island’s Catholic politicians who “abandoned the ship” on gay
marriage, and defended his involvement in politics.
“Separation of church and state does not mean that we will scrub
every reference to God . . . from public life,” he said in the
interview.
Two
prominent Rhode Island Catholic legislators, who say they
suffered a backlash from the church after supporting same-sex
marriage, welcome Francis’s words as a balm to Tobin’s style.
Representative Nicholas Mattiello of Cranston, the Democratic
House majority leader, says that he was asked to take a break
from serving as a lector at his church after changing his
position and publicly supporting same-sex marriage.
“I do
think it’s time to concentrate on what unifies and brings us
together, what makes us merciful rather than judgmental,”
Mattiello said. “The pope’s views are more appropriate than what
I’ve been hearing for years.”
State
Senator William J. Conley Jr. of East Providence, chairman of
the Senate Judiciary Committee, which approved the marriage
bill, says a diocesan official asked him to resign as a trustee
of La Salle Academy in Providence. The pastor of the East
Providence parish where he was baptized, Conley says, denounced
him from the pulpit as a “Judas.”
Conley
says he found Tobin’s criticism of the pope “disappointing.”
“Nothing Francis has said changes the teachings of the church .
. . but the pope is saying that the church needs to communicate
to people that love and mercy is still available to them, and
that has not been communicated for some time now, in Rhode
Island and elsewhere.” Conley said.
Tobin
said he did not order those actions — they were up to
Mattiello’s pastor and the La Salle chaplain. “But I certainly
support the decision they made,” Tobin said.
END of article
