What does the Church say?

Someone once asked me, "what does the Church say about cloning?" I gave the standard explanation; it is found in multiple sources including the modern Catechism. His response was, "wait, that is not what another priest told me". I had to point out to him that, unfortunately, "what the Church says" and "what God has actually declared through the Church" are not always the same thing.

This means that what "the Church" says (when she is poorly represented by her clergy) is not always accurate (as sad and shameful as that is, it is true). Yes, "the Church" (the actual Catholic Church in her official teachings) is always accurate. She is endowed with the grace of receiving the truth and being able to transmit it, faithfully, to all. This does not, however, entail that those who are members of the Church (including sometimes even her own teachers) will rightly describe what the actual teachings of the Church are.

I heard a priest once tell me (before I was a priest myself) that the Church does not like people kneeling to receive Holy Communion. I knew then, and know now, that there are those within the Church who do not like people to kneel for Communion, but the official teaching of the Church (in her dogma) is (and always has been) that kneeling is the preferred manner of receiving Holy Communion.

I try, really hard, to make it clear to people at times what The Catholic Church says. Not everyone likes what I have to tell them, but it is not my place to declare what I think. It is not my job to declare the gospel of Fr. Seraiah (which would be evil for me to do). It is my job to tell, accurately, and clearly, with the love of Christ, what the truth is. Pray for me to do so; always.