Clarification of Who Am I to Judge? by Fr. Cipolla

Perhaps, just perhaps, it is time for a clarification of this phrase, “Who am I to judge?”  Perhaps, just perhaps, the official explainer, Fr. Lombardi, should tell  the world what this means.  Perhaps, just perhaps, the Bishop of Rome, should tell the world what this means in the context of Jesus Christ’s words “Judge not and you will not be judged” in the Gospel of St. Luke.  Perhaps the important distinction between sinful condemnation of a person in one’s heart and making a valid moral judgment could be pointed out. Perhaps there can be a clarification of these words within the context of the teaching of the Church on human sexuality as clearly set out in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  

The store includes a gallery of photos showing different people wearing this t-shirt. The photo that most touched me was the one above of a geography class in a Catholic school with some of the students wearing this T-shirt ("Holy Names Geography Club in their orange Z Day ribbons, supporting Mark Zmuda. More photos to come! ‪#‎zday‬"). The smiles on the faces of the kids are real and touching.  The context is their support of a teacher in the school who was fired for "marrying" another man. For these Catholic kids what is most important is being nice to other people and being open to "alternative" life styles. The questions of salvation, of truth, of sacrifice, of faith with content:  how can these compete with a smiling Pope and “Who am I to judge” on a T-shirt?  And there is the real tragedy.  But we live in hope.  And perhaps, just perhaps, someone, even the Bishop of Rome, will let those kids and the world know what that now famous question means.

Father Richard G. Cipolla
A convert from the Episcopal Church, Father Richard Cipolla is a priest of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut and a Latin scholar who came to love and celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass.