Father Innocent F. Okozi, PhD, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Maine and Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ, okozisma@hotmail.com, 8 Two Lights Road, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
Civility could be described as formal politeness and courtesy in interpersonal relationship or communication. The Catholic Church values and promotes civility, including in interpersonal relationships, in the workplace, in institutions, and the society. Civility also extends to dialogues and formal discourse, including ecumenical and interfaith dialogue. Civility is enshrined in Christian faith. In an article in the Journal of Religion and Public Life, titled “Civility in Christian Life” (September 2017), Archbishop Charles J Chaput of Philadelphia Catholic Archdiocese, noted that we live at a time when civility is universally longed for and just as universally (and often too gleefully) violated. He likened our time as a kind of “Reformation 2.0 moment, arguing that the details of our moral and ecclesial disputes are very different from those of five centuries ago, but the gravity of our arguments is just as real, and the results will be just as far-reaching. Bishop David A Zubik of Pittsburg Catholic Diocese echoed a similar concerns about our current level of incivility in the country stating, we all know that something is gravely wrong with our public conversation in the United States. The lack of civility is so pervasive that it is pointless to assign blame. We have a responsibility to change the game, to treat each other better, particularly when we disagree. He argued that partisan divisiveness infects our church, even on matters of little social or theological significance (July 2018). I echo his assertion that Catholic tradition has much to teach us about civility. In this panel discussion, I share some Catholic perspective on civility. I also draw on some lessons learned from the “Spirit of Assisi” in relation to interfaith dialogues, which started about thirty-two years ago by Saint Pope John Paul II, which informs civility.
