"one might even call them cults"

In his weekly CNS column appearing in this week's Catholic Telegraph of Cincinnati, the always entertaining Father John Dietzen reveals how to become a more authentic Catholic. Here's a snippet:

Another warning flag is the claim that this or that faction constitutes the “elite” in the church. They are the genuine orthodox Catholics. Anyone not with them, or who sees things differently, is at best a second-level Catholic.

These types of movements (one might even call them cults) have been around since the beginning of Christianity. We read about them already in the New Testament.

Exaggerated claims like this seem to be a common temptation for enthusiastic religious associations. In my 55 years as a priest I have led or participated in dozens of spiritual and apostolic movements. All have accomplished much good.

Nearly every one, however, went through a stage when it was tempted to consider itself something like the eighth sacrament, to assume that no one is a genuine, full Catholic until he or she has done their “thing” or seen things their way.

Naturally, groups and societies who pursue this course always have the highest motives, to “purify” the church and so on. But unchecked, such attitudes often lead to gross arrogance and intolerance. When sufficiently large, they can cause enormous personal pain, persecution and hurt to the body of Christ. But still they surface every generation or so.

This is a common theme for Fr. Dietzen, as he spills similar ink about unnamed "elitist" groups in his book Catholic Q&A: Answers to the Most Common Questions About Catholicism. You can read my 2005 review for Amazon here.