Sean Hannity, the longtime Fox News host, recently announced that he no longer considers himself Catholic, citing frustration with Pope Leo and the current state of the Church. His announcement raises an important question: Is there ever a good reason to leave the Catholic Church?
Hannity explained:
“I do want to shift gears with a message to the Vatican tonight, specifically to Pope Leo, who has openly condemned America’s war in Iran while seemingly enjoying a public fight with President Trump. First, let me give some context. Like millions of Americans, I was raised Catholic. I went to Catholic school for 12 years. I even attended a seminary in high school, studied theology, Latin, and went to Mass daily. But as of today, I no longer consider myself a Catholic.”
According to Hannity, he was raised in the Catholic faith, attended Catholic school for twelve years, studied theology and Latin, went to Mass every day, and even attended a seminary during high school. Despite that background, he now says that he no longer considers himself Catholic.
Hannity has also expressed concerns about the current state of the Church. He has criticized Pope Leo, spoken about what he sees as institutional corruption, and voiced frustration with certain political statements made by Church leaders. Personally, I agree with some of his criticisms. Catholics can certainly have legitimate concerns about the actions or decisions of individual leaders within the Church. Throughout history, there have been times when reform was needed and when members of the clergy failed to live up to their calling.
However, there is one conclusion that I believe is clearly wrong: Leaving the Catholic Church.
History shows that the Church has endured crises far greater than the challenges we face today. It has survived persecution, corruption, and much more. Yet none of those crises justified abandoning the Church Christ established. Hannity has stated that as a young man he never truly made religion his own. At the same time, he points out that he attended seminary, studied theology and Latin, and attended daily Mass.
If Hannity still believes that Jesus founded the Catholic Church and remains present in the Eucharist, then leaving the Church raises serious theological questions. If he no longer believes those claims are true, then the discussion becomes a different one entirely. But if he has truly studied theology, Scripture, and Church history, how can he leave the Catholic Church?
If Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God, the fullness of divine revelation, and if He established the Catholic Church, then leaving the Church becomes an extraordinarily serious matter. Furthermore, if Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, how could anyone knowingly walk away from so great a gift?
Jesus never taught that we should leave the Church when difficulties arise. He never said to leave if there is corruption. He never said to leave if Church leaders disappoint us. He never said to leave because a pope says something we dislike. He never said to leave because of scandals. He never taught that abandoning the Church was the answer. Rather, Scripture consistently condemns schism, the division of Christ’s body. Throughout the New Testament, division within the Church is presented as a grave evil, never as a legitimate solution to problems within the Church.
I assume that Sean Hannity still believes in Jesus Christ. If so, then the question becomes even more significant. How can someone leave the Church that Christ Himself established?
Yes, there have been corrupt priests, bishops, and scandals throughout the history of the Church, as well as failures among Church leaders. But none of these justify abandoning the Church that Jesus founded. In fact, the very complaints being made today resemble those raised by Martin Luther more than five hundred years ago. To be fair, Luther was correct about many of the abuses that existed within the Church of his day. Many Catholics are uncomfortable acknowledging that, but it is historically true. Luther correctly identified corruption and called attention to real problems that needed to be addressed.
His mistake was not recognizing corruption, rather, his mistake was ultimately separating himself from the Church and embracing doctrines that had not been taught throughout the previous centuries of Christian history. Originally, Luther sought reform. He wanted to address genuine problems, and many of the concerns he raised were legitimate. However, the solution should never be to leave Christ’s Church.
If corruption were sufficient reason to abandon Christ’s Church, Christians would have had to leave during the Arian crisis, during the Renaissance, during the Reformation, during every major scandal, and even during the first century itself. They should have abandoned it in the Middle Ages. In fact, they should have abandoned it during every major crisis throughout history.
But that is not what the apostles taught. Even St. Paul warned that, after his departure, wolves would come among the flock and that some would arise from within the Church itself. He understood that there would always be dangers facing Christ’s Church, both from outside and from within. From the beginning there have been sinful members within Christ’s body. Why should we be surprised?
In Matthew 13, Jesus gives the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds. He explains that the wheat represents those who belong to God, while the weeds represent those sown by the evil one. When the people asked if they should remove the weeds, Jesus tells them to let them both grow together until the end of time and then they will be plucked up and burned and thrown into everlasting fire. In other words, Jesus taught that there would continue to be weeds (bad people, corruption, etc) among the wheat until the end of time.
That means we should expect there to be sinful people, corruption, scandals, and other failures within the Church throughout history. Their presence does not disprove the Church. Rather, it confirms exactly what Christ said would happen.
In Matthew 28:19, Christ promised to remain with the Church until the end of time. The Church is not merely an organization. Scripture describes the Church as the Bride of Christ. Christ does not abandon His Bride. He does not divorce her and replace her with another, nor does He sever Himself from His own body. If Christ remains faithful to His Church, then Christians should remain faithful as well.
Jesus also promised that the Holy Spirit would guide His Church into all truth. Not some truth, all truth. That promise does not depend upon the personal holiness of individual bishops, priests, or popes. Consider Judas Iscariot. He was personally chosen by Christ, yet he betrayed Him. His betrayal did not invalidate Christ’s mission or His promises.
The same principle applies throughout the history of the Church. The existence of sinful or unfaithful leaders does not invalidate Christ’s promises. Jesus never promised perfect leaders. He promised he would remain with His Church until the end of time. He also promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against it.
Throughout history Satan has sought to destroy the Church. He has attacked it through persecution, torture, and death. When those efforts failed, he attempted to attack the Church from within through scandal, corruption, division, and sin. Yet none of these attacks have overcome the Church. Christ’s promise remains, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
The Church endures because Christ remains faithful. Even in recent decades, despite periods of confusion and controversy, the doctrines of the Catholic Church have not changed. Popes come and go, Church leaders succeed or fail, but Christ remains the same. His Church remains the same because He continues to guide and sustain it.
For that reason, I do not believe there is a good reason to leave the Catholic Church. If Jesus truly founded the Church, continues to guide the Church, remains present in the Church, and promises that it will endure until the end of time, then abandoning the Church is never the answer.
Jesus taught in Matthew 18:15-18 that believers must listen to the Church. In Luke 10:16, He speaks of the authority He entrusted to His apostles, saying, “Whoever listens to you listens to Me, and whoever rejects you rejects Me.”
The authority of the Church is not optional. Christ says we must listen to the Church. Despite every scandal, failure, and controversy throughout history, Christ has remained faithful to every promise He made concerning His Church. The question is not whether Christ will remain faithful. The question is whether we will remain faithful to Him and to the Church He established.
