As we saw in the previous posting in this series, what was
being taught in the theology department at the Catholic University of America
in the 1920s under the auspices of Msgr. John A. Ryan was substandard. While it cannot be proved, it fits the facts
that Bishop Shahan, the rector of Catholic U., brought Fulton Sheen in to
counter Ryan and improve the quality of the theology and philosophy taught
there.
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| Fulton Sheen began radio broadcasting in 1928. |
This would have been in part because Sheen’s intellectual
achievements, but even more because Sheen had demonstrated that he would not
surrender a principle even on seemingly unimportant matters. Sheen knew that it was by giving in on things
because they appear trivial that we train ourselves for greater treasons of
self and of others.
Unfortunately, Shahan retired soon afterwards. It also appears that Ryan was well able to
look after his own interests, and was extremely effective in neutralizing
Sheen. As a result, to this day Ryan is
revered at Catholic U., while Sheen is scarcely mentioned at all, and then
often negatively.
The departure of Shahan and the appointment of a new rector,
Monsignor (later Bishop) James Hugh Ryan (1886-1947), marked the beginning of what
Sheen later described as a period of great suffering, tantamount to a
crucifixion. As he noted in the Preface
to Life of Christ, “This book was
written to find solace in the Cross of Christ, as for about ten years of my
life I endured a great trial.” (Fulton
Sheen, Life of Christ. New York: Image Books, 1977, 9.) The year 1928 when the new rector came in, to
1939 when Famous Ryan retired — “about ten years” — fits the parameters Sheen
gave.
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| Bishop James H. Ryan |
In hindsight, it is obvious that Rector Ryan was not the man
to deal with Famous Ryan, or run interference for Sheen. Shortly after James Ryan’s appointment as
rector, “the theologians were . . . charging Sheen with heresy in order to get him removed from
the faculty.” (Reeves, America’s Bishop, op. cit.,
71.) The theological faculty
would scarcely have dared say such things without the concurrence, implied or
explicit, or even at the instigation of Famous Ryan.
Incidents were soon manufactured. There was a dispute involving a graduate
student, Father Lambert Victor Brockmann, O.F.M. (1898-1973), whom Sheen was advising, and whose thesis had been
rejected. In a special meeting of the
faculty of the School of Sacred Sciences on May 30, 1930 (Riley, Fulton
J. Sheen, op. cit., 14), Brockmann alleged that
the faculty had acted “out of jealousy against Fr. Sheen.” (Ibid. Cf. Reeves, America’s Bishop. op. cit., 71.)
Famous Ryan denied any involvement. Instead, he asserted, “‘the charge of
jealousy, etc. all emanated from Dr.
Sheen’s very vivid imagination’ and ‘he made them
quite generally known around the university and off campus’.” (Reeves, America’s
Bishop. op. cit., 71.) Famous
Ryan was the only source of these accusations and
the allegation that Sheen, contrary to his character and established
practice, had aired grievances publicly and lied.
Charges of jealousy and other ad hominem attacks continued following the Brockmann affair. Rector Ryan reported that, “one faculty member
informed him that another had stated that ‘he would use every means, no matter
how crooked it was, in order to have Dr. Sheen removed’.”
(Minutes of the Meetings of the
Faculty of Theology, May 30, 1930, quoted in Riley, Fulton J. Sheen, op.
cit., 15.)
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| Dr. Francis J. Haas, New Dealer. |
Matters came to a head when Rector Ryan refused to approve the appointment of Famous
Ryan’s handpicked successor at the
School of Sacred Sciences, Dr. Francis Joseph Haas (1889-1953), later, along with Famous Ryan, a strong supporter of the New Deal, until Haas
obtained a Doctor of Divinity (D.D.). As
part of the effort initiated by Bishop Shahan to raise academic standards in
the graduate school, Rector Ryan had decided all professors in the school
of theology must have a D.D. or the equivalent.
As Famous Ryan was probably the one most responsible for the
drop in academic standards, he took Rector Ryan’s action as a slap in the
face. He circulated a petition against
the rector that he intended to submit to the bishops of
the United States, and demanded that every professor in the school sign it.
As was to be expected, Sheen refused.
As he said,
“I thought it was unfair to send
to the bishops an accusation against the rector of the university when the
rector of the university had never
been given a hearing. I suggested: ‘Before
sending out the letter why not call in the rector, read to him the accusations you have made and give him a chance to
respond. If he cannot, then send the
letter, but I will not sign the document without giving James H. Ryan the right
to answer.’” (Sheen, Treasure in Clay, op. cit., 45.)
Sheen’s refusal to accuse Rector Ryan without first giving him a chance to
respond or defend himself was all the excuse Famous Ryan needed. As Sheen related,
“The next day there appeared on
the bulletin board of the School of Theology a notice to the effect that all of
the classes of Dr. Fulton J. Sheen had been suspended in the
School of Theology. James H. Ryan, the
rector, knew the reason — namely, because I had
defended him. He then transferred me to
the School of Philosophy.” (Ibid., 45-46.)
On May 13, 1931, Famous Ryan testified before one of the committees
investigating the problems in the School of Sacred Sciences. He glossed over his role in the incidents and
put the blame wholly on Sheen. As reported by Kathleen L. Riley,
“Later, during the course of the
investigations launched by the two special committees, other references to
Sheen’s status and personality conflicts emerged. In 1931, Fr. John A. Ryan told the committee that Dr.
Sheen was transferred because he
was unhappy; he seemed to feel that he was not fitted for the work in theology
and was academically unprepared to teach the classes he was asked to teach.”
(“Ryan to the Visiting Committee,
May 13, 1931 — McNicholas Papers, ACHA,” cited by Riley, Fulton J. Sheen, op. cit., 15.)
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| Cardinal Pacelli (Pius XII): concerned about Nazis. |
After this, someone spread a rumor concerning a meeting
Sheen had in the
summer of 1931 with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pacelli (Eugenio
Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli, 1876-1958), later Pope Pius XII. During the meeting Sheen and the cardinal discussed the problems
represented by Hitler and the Nazis.
The story began circulating that Sheen had in reality delivered a secret report about
Rector Ryan. This was allegedly the eventual cause of Rector
Ryan’s removal from office in 1935. (Sheen, Treasure
in Clay, op. cit., 46-47.)
It seems more likely, however, that the
failure to deal effectively with Famous Ryan, the probable source of the rumor,
was the real reason Rector Ryan was transferred.
Sheen began his “Electronic Gospel” in 1928, the year after
joining the faculty at Catholic U. Within
six years he had become one of the most popular religious broadcasters in the
country. Out of the blue one day in 1933
a fellow professor who was a good friend of Sheen’s advised him to drop all
outside activities such as radio and lectures, and concentrate solely on
teaching at the university. Sheen
responded,
“I asked him the same question
that the Lord had asked the scribes and Pharisees: ‘Do you say this of yourself
or has someone else told you?’ He said:
‘You are right; someone else told me to tell you.’ We both knew who it was.” (Ibid., 78.)
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| Ryan supported FDR's Keynesian New Deal |
Famous Ryan was a fervent supporter of President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt. He became known as
“Monsignor New Deal” and “the Right Reverend New Dealer” for his advocacy of
FDR’s programs, although contrary to popular belief he was not the inspiration
for them. In
1937, however, he was the first Catholic priest to give the invocation
at a U.S. presidential inauguration, a
performance he repeated in 1945.
Famous Ryan’s strong personal relationship with FDR would
explain the bizarre reception the president accorded Sheen in 1936. Against his better judgment, Sheen met with Roosevelt to ask for a job for a friend of Sheen’s who had been very active in
supporting the New Deal while a Congressman. The man was a good friend, and needed Sheen’s help badly, so Sheen overcame his distaste for what people call
politics.
Roosevelt behaved erratically during the encounter,
ranting and shouting, and making false accusations against Sheen and other orthodox Catholic figures. The president also contradicted himself more
than once, but in the end promised Sheen’s friend a job. As Sheen related,
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| FDR: "Tell him he has the job." |
“I said: ‘Mr. President, I came
to see you about a position in Housing.’
He said: ‘Oh, Eddie voted for everything I wanted in Congress. He wants
to be in Housing, does he not?’
‘Yes.’ So he wrote on a pad his
name and said: ‘The moment you leave this office I will call Mrs. So-and-So (he
mentioned the name of a woman who was in charge of Housing) and you call Eddie
and tell him he has the job.’
“When I left the White House I
called Eddie and said: ‘Eddie, I saw the President. I am sorry, you do not get the job.’ He said: ‘Is that what the President said
after all I did for him?’ I said: ‘No,
he said you would have it.’ My friend
never received the job.” (Sheen, Treasure in Clay, op. cit.,
82-84.)
In 1937, three priests of the Pittsburgh diocese, Father Charles Owen Rice
(1908-2005), Father Carl Hensler (1898-1984), and Father George Barry O’Toole (1886-1944), formed the
“Catholic Radical Alliance.” All three were
heavily influenced by Famous Ryan’s
social doctrine, and employed his ad
hominem tactics to good effect. (George A. Coleman, “Links Alliance With Fascist
Forces,” The Pittsburgh Press, July
30, 1937, 19.)
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| Fr. Charles O. Rice attacked Fulton Sheen |
Hensler
was described as “the brilliant pupil of Msgr. John A. Ryan,
prominent as ‘Father of minimum wage legislation in the United States’.” (“‘Radical Alliance’ Priests Rub
Elbows With Strike Pickets Along Labor Front” The Pittsburgh Press, October 22, 1937, 42.) The express purpose of the Alliance was to
shock conservatives (ibid.), among whom they evidently numbered Sheen:
“The Catholic Radical Alliance today aimed a blow at the Monday night
speech of Rt. Rev. Msgr. Fulton J. Sheen, Catholic radio orator, claiming that certain of his statements
‘could be interpreted as being unfair to organized labor.’
“‘Msgr. Sheen seemed to imply that labor is responsible in whole or in
a considerable part for the violence that has attended labor disputes in this
country,’ said Rev. Charles Owen Rice, spokesman for the Alliance.” (“Rev. Rice Hits Msgr. Sheen’s Labor Views:
Catholic Radical Alliance Spokesman Replies to Orator’s Charges” The Pittsburgh Press, March 2, 1938, 5.)
Rice’s statements were false. On Sunday, January 30, 1938, in part of a
series of radio talks on Quadragesimo
Anno prior to the talk in Pittsburgh the Alliance
attacked, Sheen gave an
address in which he advocated the formation of “professional groups or guilds
made up of employers and employees, working together for the common good.” (Fulton J. Sheen, reference in “Distribution,”
an address delivered February 6, 1938.) On
Sunday, February 6, 1938, three weeks before he went to Pittsburgh, Sheen gave a talk advocating ownership- and profit-sharing, as well
as increased wages for workers.
(Ibid.)
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| Day: Opposed armed resistance to Hitler, endorsed Castro's violence. |
Interestingly, the Catholic Radical Alliance was associated
with Dorothy Day’s Catholic Worker movement until they parted ways over the
issue of legitimacy of armed resistance to Hitler and National Socialism. Ironically, Day later endorsed violence when used by Fidel Castro to establish communist socialism. (Dorothy Day, “Letter to an Imprisoned
Editor,” The Catholic Worker, January
1960, 2, 8.)
In his biography of Sheen, Thomas C. Reeves opined that Sheen avoided having anything to do with
Day and the Catholic Worker movement because of Day’s pelagianism and advocacy
of Fabian socialism. (Reeves, America’s
Archbishop, op. cit., 90.) It is
certainly possible that Sheen would have been reluctant to associate with
someone who denied Original Sin, the need for grace, and who confused socialism
and social justice.
It would seem more
likely, however, that Sheen would have been wary of Day and her organization
because of the association with Famous Ryan and the Catholic Radical Alliance,
as well as her exclusionary understanding of Catholic social teaching. Sheen was never shy about confronting sloppy
scholarship, sin, or socialism, and it is difficult to believe anything of the
sort would have made him avoid Day or the Catholic Worker movement.
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| "Love for the poor must be preferential, but not exclusive." |
Day’s advocacy of
“single issue” religion that put “the poor” at the center to the utter exclusion of
all — or anyone — else may have contributed to Sheen’s caution. There were also the manifestations of what
Msgr. Ronald Knox would have termed her “enthusiastic” behavior and beliefs. Pope John Paul II may have had Day and the Catholic
Worker movement in mind when he declared to the bishops of North and South
America,
“[L]ove for the poor must be
preferential, but not exclusive. The
Synod Fathers observed that it was in part because of an approach to the
pastoral care of the poor marked by a certain exclusiveness that the pastoral
care for the leading sectors of society has been neglected and many people have
thus been estranged from the Church.” (Ecclesia in America, § 67.)
It is evident that Famous Ryan and his friends and allies
inflicted a great deal of suffering on Sheen, and for no substantive reason
other than to advance or maintain their own interests at his expense. It becomes easy to understand why the
Catholic Church views calumny — knowingly or without proof spreading falsehoods
that damage another’s reputation — as a type of murder.
