It’s fair to say that Christianity and dialectical materialism are just about exact opposites, but from a structural perspective, the Catholic Church and the Communist Party have a lot in common. Both have an all-encompassing world view; both consider themselves infallible; both are top down, authoritarian organizations; and both operate through a small cadre of functionaries set apart from the masses.
And so, when I was reading Ross Douthat’s interview with Cardinal Burke, who, like Douthat, essentially believes that Pope Francis is a heretic, I was reminded of the fate of the Old Bolsheviks under Stalin. What do you do when the allegedly infallible institution of which you are a proud member turns against you? Burke is clearly thrashing around, looking for an answer that doesn’t separate him from the church. Unfortunately, he will never find one, because it doesn’t exist.
That’s the problem with authoritarian organizations that claim to have all of the answers.