Social commentary appropriate for a Catholic Church?

[Kielbasi]

St. Nicholas parish in Millvale PA has the frescoes of Maxo Vanka decorating the walls. Vanka painted them in the 1930s, they denounce war as well as capitalism.

One of the paintings shows Christ’s side being pierced by a 20th century bayonet, another compares Croatian men being killed in war with men being killed in industrial accidents. Still another painting shows Mary breaking a soldier’s rifle.

Its really an interesting church, and I’d recommend that if you get a chance you ought to see , the pictures are pretty haunting.

But the question is whether social commentary such as this is appropriate for a Catholic church?

 

[pira114]

The bad thing about these paintings is that they give the impression that the Church is always against war. This is not true. They also give the impression that the Church is against Capitalism. This is also not true. The Church is not supposed to have any real stance on political views, even though it took a pretty anit-communism stance in the '70’s and '80’s.

None of our Church’s should be giving the wrong impression to visitors, or even it’s own congregation.

 

[puzzleannie]

this art speaks to specific experience of the Croatian community which built this church and so is an effective, unique and acceptable way for them to integrate their religion with their culture and history. There is no doubt that in certain times and places ethnicity has displaced the Gospel in the lives of some congregations but in general there is not problem with such art, unless it portrayed other Christians or religions as enemies. In my home town of Cleveland, for instance, unfortunately ethnic parishes and pastors have sometimes (rarely, thank goodness) played an unchristian role in fomenting discord between ethnic groups, such as Croatian v Serbian, Italian v Slovenian etc.Often the stained glass windows, art and statuary in the great cathedrals and churches of Europe depicted the faces of those involved in their building, the fortunes of war of noble benefactors who contributed to the cost, so there is a long standing tradition there. There is a famous cathedral whose whereabouts I cannot remember, I believe eastern Germany, whose great window depicts a famous victory against the Moslem invaders. somebody with a knowledge of art history could help us here.