Image by Isabel Bloedwater via Flickr
In a comment to my friend Terry’s post Bishops’ Double-Speak: Gay Ministry, Liturgy, a reader who goes by the name PrickliestPear (I just love the name) said the following:
I’m not sure that the majority of Catholics who disagree with the official teaching regarding sexual morality are insufficiently articulate, or loud.
Those in official positions of authority know that some people in the church are willing to stay even though they disagree, and they don’t become unhinged when official documents say something disagreeable. There is a minority, though, who are not like this. They don’t just get angry when official leadership does something they disagree with–their faith is shaken to the very core.
My thoughts and feelings precisely! As I am not quoting the comment in toto, I hope I’m not quoting out of context. Even if that were to be the case, I must admit that in the heart of this comment – the text I have just quoted – there is a very valid point being made. It may or may not be a consolation to a reader like Prickliest Pear, but I must confess that it’s not just lay Catholics who are becoming increasingly disaffected by what is spun by the Church hierarchy. As a priest still in active ministry I know from personal experience the anger, frustration, disgust and many negative reactions that are triggered by what I see and hear. It’s not simply a question of disagreement, or holding a dissenting opinion. The fact is that there are issues that can shake one’s faith to the very core. Yes, even the faith of a priest, despite the training, theological preparation and spiritual formation one receives. Or should I say, precisely because of all this. The way I see it, this need to be open and congruent (the result of the process of self-acceptance as a gay man, as well as of coming out to God and others) makes me all the more sensitive to the “double-speak” of those in high places in the Church hierarchy.
As often happens, certain persons (religious conservatives in all likelihood) make noises whenever a hint of dissent is in the air. They pile on the usual bullshit about loving the Church (often using the nauseating appellative “Holy Mother Church”), accusing those who disagree with the Church’s teaching (“Magisterium”, that’s more high-sounding) as not being loyal and loving towards to the Church, and retorting that those of us who dissent should show proper filial love to our Mother, the Church. Enough of this crap-talk! What these persons should consider is the following: there is a limit to how much one can tolerate the jesuitical twisting of arguments presented as Church teaching. If disregarding one’s conscience is the price one pays for swallowing whole whatever is fed to us, then that’s a recipe for disaster.
As with any relationship, love is not the only component. For a relationship to exist and continue there must also be trust and respect. Take away the latter two, and love on its own counts for little as far as that relationship goes. Ask any couple, or any two good friends, and they’ll tell you as much. The reason why one’s faith can be shaken to the very core is precisely because one’s trust has been lost, and with it one’s respect for an institution. Let me state it clearly: if the hierarchy (be it the Pope, or anyone beneath him) repeatedly acts in a manner that erodes a person’s trust and respect in that institution, then it’s very obvious that this person’s faith will be shaken. Come to think of it, it’s an abuse of one’s love, trust and respect.
Take the Vatican’s official position on homosexuality. The mendacity underlying the hierarchy’s argument for its anti-gay stance is unbearable. No amount of so-called proof from scripture can support this stance, especially when these flawed arguments from the Bible are not even corroborated by science, and the experience of those directly involved. You have to be pretty thick-skinned to continue to preach such a distorted theology and expect people to accept it blindly. This disingenuous attitude appears again and again in various issues. Try convincing women in today’s westernised societies that they need not apply for the ordained ministry. And while he’s at it, perhaps the Pope can explain to us why it’s okay to accept married priests from the Anglican Communion, but not married priests if they’re already Roman Catholic. As for contraception, I won’t even bother to take up this matter; the majority of Catholics and the Vatican have parted ways a long time ago.
Overreacting? Sure! Everyone’s overreacting: women, gays, victims of clergy sexual abuse, the media… they’re all wrong. Only the Pope and the Vatican are right. The events that followed the Cloyne report in Ireland are still fresh in people’s minds. In this case, the Vatican spokesman felt that the Irish Prime Minister’s overreacting. The Vatican seems to have forgotten that Archbishop Diarmuid Martin also came out strongly on this issue. But I suppose, they’ll now say he’s not being loyal because he’s gone public about his disagreement. The script they’re following is an old one: we’re not allowed to publicly voice our disapproval, but we’re all to make obeisance to the Holy Emperor, and blindly follow the edicts from Rome. God spare us if we go further down that road!
We mustn’t forget that Catholicism’s strengths are also its weaknesses. Any born and bred Catholic will quickly point to the strong sense of identity that is fostered in the local parish, the ecclesia that is the local Church community. An important dimension of this is the sacramental life of the community. Clearly, in the Catholic worldview, it’s not just me, Jesus and the Bible. Needless to say, the presence of ordained clergy in the Catholic community is a third crucial factor. Yet, as we’re seeing, even where Catholics have a very good relationship with their local priest, the larger picture is not so rosy. I have already touched on the issue of disobedience in my previous post. The Austrian priests are not only speaking up for their own rights, but are putting forward the interests of their communities.
There are limits to what the local priest can do to shield his community from the negative pressure coming from other places in the Church. In a globalised world, what the Pope says reaches Catholic homes as forcefully as the local priest’s sermon. The same applies to those issues that are brought to the media, as is the case with the spate of clergy sexual abuse reports from around the world. The move toward a greater centralisation of the Church’s power robs the local clergy (bishops and priests, to a lesser extent, deacons) of any final say in the shape we’d like to give to the Church. We can buffer and filter to a certain extent but it doesn’t prevent persons from being bruised by the hierarchy’s behaviour. As lay persons gain insight into the workings of the Catholic Church (even at a local level) they come to realise how these power games play out.
Is there room for action? Yes, certainly. Concerted efforts by laity and clergy can bring about change. We can’t simply allow a small yet vociferous minority of reactionary voices hijack the whole Church. It is my hope that the laity will back us priests in our endeavours to bring more openness and inclusivity within the Church. I am certain that this is the way out of the present conundrum. Whether we will succeed or not isn’t totally in our hands, but we can at least expose the festering wound.
Related articles
- Acts Of Disobedience?
- Some Reactions to the American Catholic Council Conference
- DIY Catholicism: The Prophetic Voice of the American Catholic Council
- Germany’s Cardinal Marx Criticizes Hierarchy’s Negative Tone Toward LGBT People (The Wild Reed)
- Gay Catholic Priest Breaks Silence Over Church Abuse of Power (Gay Mystic)
- Is the Vatican’s Man in Philadelphia a Republican Hack? (Open Tabernacle)
- In The Timeless Now The Illusions Of The Clerical System Are Running Out Of Gas(£nlightened Catholicism)
- Wither Goeth Catholic Ireland? (£nlightened Catholicism)
- Ire-land. (Commonweal)
