From an all-male hierarchy that trains priests to look only to their superiors for guidance, to a theological emphasis on secrecy, to the “creeping infallibility” that confers divine authority on church leaders, the Catholic church needs reform — at a structural level. And it’s up to the laity to begin the process.
Many places throughout the Christian church are faced with hard realities such as declining membership and financial shortages. “The way we have always done it before” was never realistic for those locations challenged by geography, poverty, and low population, and it is becoming increasingly unrealistic for other, more prosperous and populous regions.
I respect people who convene conversations, especially if the conversation is between parties or individuals who otherwise would not be speaking. But too often what passes for conversation is an exchange of set-piece opinions by talking heads who are both well known and well compensated, that adds nothing to the public’s understanding of an issue, but allows the convening institution to feel good about itself.
Rowan Williams has apologized for saying in passing something that is incontestably true: the Catholic Church in Ireland, which has knowingly sheltered child rapists for decades, has lost all credibility. The bizarre overreaction by both the Irish Church and the Anglican Primate of Ireland shows how deeply entrenched the clerical attitude of privilege is in Ireland.
“Every night I pray that God will take me, but I wake up the next morning and he didn’t!” My mother said this often during the months before her death on Oct. 28. On her good days, she was looking forward to her 100th birthday on April 17.
I am the Christ.
It is I who destroyed death,
who triumphed over the enemy,
who trampled Hades underfoot,
who bound the strong one
and snatched man away to the heights of heaven;
I am the Christ.