What is Cafeteria Catholicism?
The term Cafeteria Catholic (also la carte Catholic or CINO = “Catholic In Name Only”) is is used to describe people who dissent from certain teachings of the Roman Catholic Church while maintaining an outward identity as Catholics. These people are said to view the Church much like a cafeteria, a place where one picks and chooses only those items that appeal to them. The term is typically applied to those who dissent from the Catholic Church’s teaching on moral issues, such as abortion, contraception, premarital sex, and/or homosexuality. The term has been in use since the issuance of Humanae Vitae, an official document that reminded Catholics of the Church’s opposition to the use of artificial birth control in favor of Natural family planning. Columnist Maureen Dowd said, in her column of the election of Cardinal Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI, “The cafeteria is officially closed.” This was eventually shortened to “The Cafeteria is Closed” by Cardinal Ratzinger’s supporters to expres
