Signs of Hope: Major Restructuring of the Roman Catholic Approach

“... the decision making process centers much more on the individual man and woman within the family than on any other factor.”

The American Catholic can have a surer sense of who he is and what he is
about than ever. The Church’s creeds are clear and easily understood. Her resources for getting in touch with Jesus, including the scriptures and sacraments, are in better shape than ever.

Her delivery system, centering on the role of the parish priest, is another matter, however. It is generally outdated and useless, as is much of its organizational apparatus, centering on the role of bishops. It is not they should be replaced so much as reformed. The refusal to change them has had the effect of making the whole enterprise unworkable in today’s America.

The principle fault is a deep one. For centuries the bishops and priests have constituted a separate body or group, the clerical caste, within the Catholic community. They have employed a number of strategies to maintain that position. It is no longer useful or even believable in today’s America, with its insistence on the equality of all members.

It would seem appropriate today to consider all the elements that enter this decision making. That is the place of the man, that of the woman, and that of the following of Jesus, among others. It is the place of women that has changed most appreciably in modern times. It is now much more one of equality with that of the man than was previously the case.

As a result, the decision making process centers much more on the individual man and woman within the family than on any other factor. So, the manner in which one follows Jesus in attitude and Way of Life depends principally on the leadership of the husband and wife within the family than on any exterior authority.

This calls for a major restructuring of the Roman Catholic approach. It places major responsibilities on the individuals involved, and not on a priest or bishop. The shift occurring in our lifetime is from the responsible cleric to the responsible layperson as the key lawmaker. That most clerics neither understand nor agree with this shift is understandable, even if regrettable.

An example can be found in the role of sin and its accompanying sense of guilt. In prior times, guilt was associated with sins, especially of the sexual variety. Control over the personal admission of guilt and the proper punishment to be weighed upon the individuals involved was under the control of the clergy. This gave the clergy a great deal of social control. With a diminished sense of personal sexual sinfulness, whatever the reasons or merits thereof, that control has evaporated.

In yesterday’s world, the practice of regular confession was a solid Catholic practice. In today’s world that is no longer so, and the sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation is generally neglected. A remedy for this situation might be found in centering the practice of the sacrament  on the following of the perspective and Way of Life of Jesus. But this would demand a number of changes including that of the ordinary minister of the Sacrament, who would no longer be the ordained cleric.

In the church of yesterday the role of women was important, if not dominant. They controlled much of the church’s involvement in education and health care, among other things. Today, they continue to do so in health care, although, even here,  their numbers are rapidly diminishing. The institution seems totally at loss to deal with, let alone correct this situation.

The final item, it would seem, in the transition to the new world is the provision of a satisfactory scholarly arm. Any Christian community needs and must have such a resource A community some 2000 years old that depends upon the life and teaching  of a truly historical figure must have reliable scholarship.

The Roman Catholic Church has long provided such scholarship and has listed with an understandable degree of pride such a provision. The church has provided Europe with some of its most outstanding universities and research centers. It can lay claim to some of the same in the New World. The church’s commitment to scholarly research has been the source of  much of its greatness and appeal.

In a different configuration this must be one of the chief concerns. It is not clear, to this writer, how that will be done. But, it is clear that it must be done.

The above is relevant if one decides to depart appreciably from the traditional order of things. If not, one makes adjustments within that traditional order.

Whichever course of action is to be chosen in the future will determine much of that future itself.