In spite of the surprising number of pro-abortion Catholics, the official position of the Catholic Church is that abortion is a sin. The recent overturning of Roe V. Wade, therefore, is excellent news, both for the Catholic Church, and for pro-lifers across America. Finally, the states will be allowed to choose their own abortion laws, and so pro-lifers may vote in pro-life candidates, potentially saving millions of lives!
But as Catholics celebrate this wonderful turn of events, they are faced with a philosophical problem. See, the Catholic Church fancies itself the sole interpreter of the Bible. Christians, according to them, are required to believe their interpretations of scripture. And when "Protestants" use scripture to judge the Catholic Church, well, we don't have that authority, so they say.
No case can be made for this warped philosophy. Indeed, most arguments for it assume it in the first place. "We interpret the Bible to mean only we get to interpret the Bible". Ok, but you have to prove that first. I could just as easily declare myself Pope, all I have to do is interpret the Bible to do so and deny your right to say otherwise. But what's especially strange is that when it comes to other documents, Catholics suddenly understand that the document being interpreted has more authority than the interpreter.
In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, i.e. the legitimate interpreters of the U.S. Constitution, struck down a Texas ban on abortion, claiming banning abortion is a violation of the 14th amendment. A woman's right to an abortion was held to be implicit in the amendment, which (supposedly) guarantees the right to privacy. That changed on June 24th 2022, when the ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organisation overturned Roe v. Wade, defending Mississippi's law banning abortion after 15 weeks, and allowing other states to finally make their own laws on abortion.
Now, in the end, any Catholic should be able to admit that it doesn't matter what the U.S. Constitution says. There is a higher law: God's. God, according to scripture, is firmly pro-life, and so really, overturning Roe v. Wade, while it is a step in the right direction, does not go far enough. In fact, ironically, even within the confines of the aforementioned 14th amendment, it is still too weak, for "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." (Emphasis mine). But we're getting ahead of ourselves. The point here is that a Catholic should not necessarily argue from the Constitution.
But they do! Catholics have rightly argued that the Supreme Court really dropped the ball on the Roe v. Wade ruling, that there is no Constitutional right to an abortion, and that the overturning of Roe v. Wade is the right decision, not only from a moral perspective, but even from a legal one. In other words, even though it is the legitimate role of the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution, Catholics admit that they can err, and they are more than happy to cite the Constitution to do so.
Why, then, should we not treat the Catholic Church in the same way? The Catholic Church has never demonstrated its authority, but even if we imagine they have it, should we not still hold them accountable to it? As Paul says, "Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." (1 Corinthians 4:1-2). "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:8). "Test all things; hold fast what is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Thus, in claiming authority, the Catholic Church thinks it has escaped accountability, but in reality, it has only increased it. See, it's one thing if some random Joe on the street makes a Biblical error. Who's going to listen to him? As for me, I don't claim to have any kind of authority. I rely on what the Bible says, and I preach it to the best of my abilities, because I believe that's what God wants all Christians to do. But the Catholic Church claims authority. "You listen to us", it says. You must obey the Pope, you must listen to the Bishops, you must not oppose the rulings of the councils. Oh and of course, throw in the Church "Fathers" for good measure, because they can occasionally seem to give weight to Catholicism.
But no. Just as the Supreme Court is accountable to the Constitution, so also is the Catholic Church accountable to the Bible. If the Constitution guarantees the freedom of religion, the right to keep and bear arms, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness etc., the Supreme Court doesn't get to just say "sorry, hate speech laws are a thing, guns are only for cops, and a woman can kill as many of her own children as she wants". And anyone, even if they are not a Supreme Court justice, even if they are not Constitutional scholars, even if they are not a U.S. citizen, can say "this is what the Constitution says, and so this is why the Supreme Court is right/wrong".
In the same way, the Catholic Church is constantly in conflict with the Bible. Indeed, this is the very reason it claims authority over it in the first place. If the Bible was a Catholic book, it would be apparent from reading it. Instead, it is self-evidently not Catholic, and anyone, anyone who can read it from the page, or hear it read aloud, can prove it. That's why they have to claim authority. But even if they could finally prove they had it, that wouldn't free them from scrutiny, it would only raise their responsibility to live up to it. As every Catholic celebrating the SCOTUS decision is implicitly admitting, the text has authority over the interpreter. Therefore, interpret it right. But if you interpret the Bible right, according to the words that are written and not the dogmas imposed by the Catholic Church, you will never be Catholic again.