The LCWR and the Vatican

The Catholic blogosphere has been humming over the actions taken by the Vatican concerning the Leadership Conference of Religious Women.  The National Catholic Reporter’s website has been reporting continually on this story, and offering commentary on it.  Here is a link to their reports.

The LCWR has been famous for pushing the envelope on hot button issues within the Church; and within society at large.  They challenged the Church leadership on certain policies, and certain teachings of the Church.  The LCWR leadership decided to play a prophetic role within the Church, and we all know what happens to prophets.

 Now the Vatican is in smack down mode, appointing an American bishop to oversee “reforms” of the LCWR structure.  The liberal side blames the American bishops, claiming that this is their revenge for the LCWR supposedly supporting the Obama healthcare program; and for their disrespect of the bishops’ authority.  The conservative side is clamoring for the LCWR to be dissolved, and their member congregations be brought to heel..

Most of the nuns I have known have been dedicated women of God, striving to live the Gospel of Jesus.  They are out there in the world, performing works of charity, doing their best to build up the Church.  Their congregations have progressive and conservative members; they wear a habit or just street clothes.  Some of their communities are slowly dying out; others are receiving new members in great numbers. 

Ideally, there should have been a dialogue by all sides, an understanding arrived at.  Unfortunately, I think one side sees dialogue as a weakening of their authority; the other side may be wedded to their ideology.  Wherever the truth lies, it is a sad day for the Church.

The Vatican, Closed Parishes, And Diocesan Reorganization

I have recently been exploring a Catholic news website called Vatican Insider. It is sponsored by the Italian publication, La Stampa. I came across a post reporting on a Vatican document being prepared, which will provide guidelines to American bishops on how to reorganize their dioceses. It specifically addresses the closing or merging of parishes, and the sale of Catholic hospitals.

The reason for the creation of this document is the number of dioceses that have been closing parishes, and the controversy it causes in the Catholic community, and the economic impact it has on the American dioceses. It is being reported that one possible recommendation is that while a parish may be closed, the church itself could be maintained by a responsible lay family or group, with a priest coming in to celebrate Sunday Mass.

This could be a partial solution for the situation that exists here in the Archdiocese of Boston. There have been churches of closed parishes that have been occupied for years by former parishioners, who refuse to let go of their church. But a parish is more than a church, it is a community of clergy and laity, active in charitable works, a place where persons, child or adult, is formed in the faith. And most importantly, it is a community that comes together and encounters Christ in the Eucharist. We are seeing now, and will see in the future, that some parishes will no longer have the resources, either in people or finances. All bishops and parish communities will have to face that fact, and address it.

Hopefully, the guidelines that will come out from Rome, will provide a common structure and procedure that could lessen the pain, the sense of loss, that people feel when a parish is closed.

"Why Stay Catholic?"

On the website of America magazine, the Jesuit periodical, was an interview with Michael Leach, past president of the Crossroad/Continuum Publishing Group and currently with the Catholic Book Publishers Association. He was talking about his new book, “Why Stay Catholic.” In it he outlines the reasons he has remained in the Catholic Church. “Why stay Catholic?” has been a question that has been asked of me a couple of times; most recently during the height of the clergy abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Boston. My first reaction was that I am Catholic in my bones, my heart, and my soul. Culturally, and spiritually, I am Catholic. What helps me to stay is my understanding of the history of the Church, realizing that in the history of the institution known as the Roman Catholic Church, it has not always been lead by saints. There were times when sections of the Church have not always been faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That there have been Popes, bishops, and clergy who abused their offices because of greed or lust. At the same time, I believe that the Holy Spirit is still with the Church, and that the whole Church will fulfill its mission to live and proclaim the Gospel. I believe that Christ is present to His people in the Eucharist, and that through the celebration of the Eucharist; we as a Church are healed and strengthened for the challenges ahead.

"Fostering an Open and Trusting Dialogue"

“Called like Saint Francis to rebuild the Church and inspired by his example, let them devote themselves energetically to living in full communion with the pope, bishops, and priests, fostering an open and trusting dialogue of apostolic effectiveness and creativity.” (Article 6b, Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order)

David Gibson, in Politics Daily, wrote a column on the U.S. bishops desire to restore unity in the American Catholic Church. Mr. Gibson makes the observation that this could be difficult, when even the bishops themselves are divided over some issues, or on how to address them. There are differences among some of them on how to best promote, some would say, enforce, Catholic teaching among a growing fractured, disaffected faithful. Some bishops seem to tilt towards a more authoritarian approach, reminding Catholics that it is the bishops that call the shots. They seem to have little respect for the laity, at least where the life of the Church is concerned. Gibson writes that these bishops appear to want a return to old days, when the laity “pray, pay and obey.” .

But those days are long gone, at least in this country. The changes began when the bishops of the Second Vatican Council declared that the laity has an active role to perform in the life of the Church. And that they have a duty to let their priests and bishops know about their spiritual needs. This means sometimes standing up to their local priest or bishop, letting their feelings be known. And with the way many of the U.S. bishops mishandled the clergy sexual abuse scandal, there are laypersons calling on their bishops to be more accountable for their actions. And if the bishops do not listen or respond, people get angry, whether they are on the left or right of the spectrum.

Mr. Gibson had an interview with Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, AZ. Bishop Kicanas is advocating a spirit of dialogue between the bishops and laity, that while the bishops do govern, it will help if they did so in a spirit of collaboration with the faithful. To me, this seems to be an approach that has the potential to reinvigorate the Church in America. Yes, the bishops have the final say in decisions, but I think a majority of Catholics accept that. What I think Catholics want is input in the decision making process. They want their voices heard and respected. Now this does not always make for an orderly process, but if the bishops make a real effort to dialogue, to really listen and respect the opinons of all American Catholics, maybe the laity in return will really listen to what the bishops have to say.