The Truman-Tiernan Friendship: A Model of Catholic Loyalty or a Lesson in Naturalistic Ecumenism?
National Catholic Register portal offers a touching story about the lifelong friendship between President Harry S. Truman and Msgr. Curtis Tiernan. Beneath the surface of this heartwarming narrative, however, lies a profound lesson about the dangers of naturalistic virtue and the erosion of Catholic identity through fraternal bonds with Protestantism.
The article recounts how Truman, a lifelong Baptist, and Father Tiernan, a Catholic chaplain, forged a deep friendship during World War I. Their bond, the text suggests, was built on shared values, mutual respect, and a love of history. Tiernan, described as a “warm, likable man,” was admired by Truman, who declared, “If all priests were like him, there would be no Protestants.” This statement, while flattering to Tiernan, reveals a deeply problematic sentiment: the idea that Catholic priesthood is validated by its ability to erase Protestant identity, rather than by its divine mandate to convert souls to the one true Church.
The narrative continues with Tiernan’s service in World War II, where he was described in an Army efficiency report as a “broad-minded Catholic chaplain.” This term, “broad-minded,” is a hallmark of the modernist mentality that would soon infect the Church after the Second Vatican Council. It suggests a dilution of Catholic distinctiveness in favor of a generic, inclusive Christianity that prioritizes ecumenical harmony over doctrinal precision.
Truman’s invitation to Tiernan to accompany him during the Potsdam Conference in 1945 is presented as a testament to their friendship. Yet, the article notes that Truman attended Protestant church services at 10 a.m. and then planned to attend Tiernan’s Mass at 11:30 a.m., quipping, “I guess I should stand in good with the Almighty for the coming week.” This casual approach to worship, hopping between Protestant and Catholic services, is a textbook example of the indifferentism condemned by the Church. Pius XI’s encyclical *Quas Primas* (1925) explicitly states that Christ’s reign extends over all nations and individuals, and that there is no separation between religious allegiance and public life. Truman’s flippant remark about “standing in good with the Almighty” through a Mass attendance motivated by superstition rather than faith is a chilling illustration of the secularism Pius XI warned against.
The article’s conclusion, quoting Micah 6:8 — “to do justice and to love goodness and to walk humbly with your God” — reduces the Catholic faith to a generic moralism. This is the naturalistic reading of Scripture that has infected the post-conciliar Church. The true Catholic understanding, as taught by the pre-conciliar Magisterium, is that justice and goodness are inseparable from the supernatural virtues of faith, hope, and charity, and that walking humbly with God means submission to His Church and her sacraments.
The story of Truman and Tiernan is not a model of Catholic friendship but a cautionary tale. It demonstrates how natural virtue, unmoored from supernatural truth, leads to a false ecumenism that ultimately undermines the Church’s mission. The article’s celebration of this friendship, devoid of any critical analysis of its theological implications, is symptomatic of the post-conciliar Church’s embrace of the world’s values over the Gospel of Christ the King.
