Anselm -- Strange Doctor, Stranger man
What is a "doctor of the church"? The Catholic Encyclopedia informs:
One of the 32 Doctors of the Roman Catholic Church is St. Anselm. An online encyclopedia has this to say of Anselm:
In 1492, Pope Alexander VI canonized Anselm and in 1720, Pope Clement XI proclaimed him a Doctor of the Church. At this point, it may be well to consider a few verses of Scripture:
History and contemporary practice have shown the Roman Catholic Church to be remarkably tolerant of grave sins habitually engaged in by its clerics. It's treatment of Anselm is a case in point. In the Scriptures cited above, it is clear that God considers participation in homosexual acts abominable to the point of issuing a death sentence upon them in Mosaic Law. Witness the divine wrath poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah, two centers of rampant homosexuality. Look to Paul's words in his first letter to the Corinthians, where the Apostle writes that "abusers of themselves with mankind" will not inherit the kingdom of God. Certainly all men, including Christians, are sinners and continue to sin so long as they live. However, the shed blood of Jesus has made atonement for the sins of those who, called out by God, have responded in faith. Such people, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, will show their new birth by turning aside from habitual sin and seeking to do the will of the Lord. The eternal state of those who persist in their evil ways must surely be held in some doubt by discerning believers. Though there are indications that Anselm was one of those who "abused himself with mankind," he became an archbishop in life and a saint and doctor of the church after his death. Anselm is known to have had emotional relationships with Archbishop Lanfranc, his predecessor in the see of Canterbury, as well as several of his own pupils. Following are samples from two of his love letters, which usually were addressed to "dilecto dilitori", his "beloved lover:"
Anselm, described in contemporary accounts as a gentle and retiring person, sometimes refered to Jesus as mother. Another Middle Ages mystic who held to this idea was Julian of Norwich, who saw the Trinity as being made up of the Father, the Mother and the Holy Spirit. Julian wrote of God's "motherhood:"
I should think that referring to Jesus Christ, Whom the Bible declares to be the Son of God (Matthew 8:29, 14:33; Mark 1:1, 15:39; Luke 1:35; etc.) as "Mother" would be considered blasphemy by the church that has declared itself to have been entrusted with the the task of interpreting the word of God.
Referring to Jesus Christ as a maternal figure surely must be heresy, and certainly the Roman church has a bloody history of dealing with what it calls heresy. Yet, rather than having been tried by an ecclesiastical court and then turned over to civil authorities for temporal punishment, both Anselm and Julian were declared to be saints, and Anselm is recognized as a Doctor of the Church. Such inconsistency is difficult to reconcile with an ecclesiastical hierarchy that has declared itself to be infallible in such matters. Was Anselm of Canterbury actively homosexual? Academics are divided on the issue. John Boswell is convinced that he was and Brian McGuire argues that it is appropriate to view Anselm as a homosexual. (McGuire, Brian P., "Love, Friendship and Sex in the 11th Century: The Experience of Anselm", Studia Theologia 28 (1974), pp. 111-155) As is to be expected, Catholic researchers, such as Glenn Olsen hold to the opposite view. (Olsen, Glenn (1988). "St. Anselm and Homosexuality". Anselm Studies, II: Proceedings of the Fifth International Saint Anselm Conference: pp. 93-141. ) Whether Anselm persisted in acts declared by God Himself to be an abomination is known only to the Lord. However, there appear to be plenty of indications that he did. Given this possibility, how could two popes honor the man with sainthood and election to the status of Doctor of the Church? Do personal morality and the declared position of God carry no weight with those arrogant rulers of the Roman Church? Whether Anselm was actively homosexual or not, his blasphemous writings on "Mother Jesus" and his excessively sensual letters give the appearance of evil, and Scripture addresses that: As Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:22) You who are caught up in the Roman church, please do as commanded in Canon
Ask yourselves whether the hierarchy of the Roman Church has faithfully discharged the responsibilities it has arrogated to itself to preserve and teach the Word of God and to watch over the deposit of faith it says has been entrusted solely to its care. |
