by Chuck Weber
Ignorance of Catholic beliefs and anti-Catholic bigotry at the Kansas Statehouse are rising.
The following summer book recommendation is a partial antidote, helping set the record straight and placing into historical context the public policy advocacy of the Catholic Church and our efforts at the Kansas Catholic Conference (KCC).
“How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization” by Thomas E. Woods is as fresh and relevant today as when it was released 20 years ago. It tells stories every Catholic should know.
Woods systematically unpacks accepted falsehoods perpetrated against the Catholic Church throughout history. (Think the Inquisition and Galileo). He counters with little-known historical facts documented by solid scholarship.
The first chapter, entitled “The Indispensable Church,” sets the tone:
“Western civilization owes far more to the Catholic Church than most people — Catholics included — often realize. The Church, in fact, built Western civilization.”
A bold declaration. Yet, Woods shows he is not an impenitent cheerleader for the Catholic Church when he adds:
“No serious Catholic would contend that [Catholic] churchmen were right in every decision they made. . . . To the contrary, Catholics distinguish between the holiness of the Church as an institution guided by the Holy Spirit and the inevitable sinful nature of men, including the men who serve the Church.”
While acknowledging serious human errors, Woods makes a compelling case. Catholic Church concepts and principles have indeed made great what Western civilization is today. I respectfully challenge any critical exploration of Woods’ body of work in its entirety.
My point here is the proposition that Catholic ideas and influences positively helped, and continue to help, shape institutions and policies regarding science, health care, education, economics, the law and much more.
Perhaps the most valuable gift to Western civilization is Catholic thinking about human rights, charity and morality.
Leaning on this Catholic legacy and Catholic social teaching, the KCC serves as the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Kansas, advocating for justice in legislation on the state and federal level.
Among our many efforts, the KCC successfully supported increased state financial resources and other support for women in difficult or unplanned pregnancies who choose to bring their child into the world.
Religious liberty protections and other enhancements are now in place for couples seeking to adopt a child or provide foster care, including children with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Kansas children will no longer be subjected to insidious “gender transition” surgeries or chemical manipulations.
Great challenges remain, including immigration reform. The time is now for elected leaders to resolve this critical issue, respecting the humanity of migrants and their families.
To learn more, including how your Kansas elected officials voted on key issues in 2025, go online to: www.KansasCatholic.org.
Until next time, we persevere.
