May
the Global Church Discover "Light from the Southern Cross"
Review and analysis of
"potentially groundbreaking document" on Church governance
June 3, 2020
As the
entire world struggles with the challenges, tragedies, and constraints imposed
by the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Catholic Church finds itself in the midst
of an altogether different kind of global pandemic, one of a distinctly
spiritual and ecclesial nature, the clerical sexual abuse scandal.
Although
its import is certainly not as dire, the spiritual life and credibility of the
Church are at stake. This, too, is a pandemic of global dimensions and, sadly,
there is no vaccine on the horizon.
No,
this pandemic must be addressed with a kind of comprehensive, ecclesial
hygiene: unflinching ecclesial self-reflection and patient, courageous
ecclesial reform.
The
Church of Australia has been one of this ecclesial pandemic's most public
hotspots. Sadly, it was not the Church's own vigilance that brought the pain
and scope of the scandal to light, but a government mandated Royal Commission
charged with investigating child sexual abuse in Australia.
That
commission's report directed sweeping criticisms at the Catholic Church of
Australia. It called on the Church to address a series of problems, principal
among which was the systemic, institutional failures in Church governance and
management structures. The commission was convinced that these were a major
contributing factor in the scourge of clerical sexual abuse.
The
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) and Catholic Religious of
Australia (CRA) instituted the Implementation Advisory Group to respond to the
Royal Commission Report.
That
group, in turn, created the Governance Review Project Team (GRPT). This team
was tasked with crafting, "in light of Catholic ecclesiology," a
comprehensive response to the Royal Commission's critique of Church
governance.
After a
year of study and reflection, that team delivered to the ACBC a potentially
ground-breaking document, "The Light from the Southern Cross: Promoting
Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia."
The Australian bishops
have decided to delay the release of this document for six months while they
engage its recommendations themselves. Fortunately, the editors at La
Croix International have obtained
a copy and have asked for a review and analysis of its
contents.
Part
One: "The Light from the Southern Cross"
This is
a remarkable and, in many ways, an unprecedented document. It is impressive in
its scope, depth of analysis and detailed recommendations. It is also quite
long; including a glossary, bibliography, and appendices, the report comes in
at 200 pages and includes 86 specific recommendations.
Consequently,
this summary will be selective in consideration of the document's contents and
principal contributions, focusing on what might have greater import for the
global Church beyond Australia.
The
teaching of Vatican II and vision of Pope Francis
The
project takes as its starting point Pope Francis' call for a synodal Church,
one marked by "the imperatives of co-responsibility, collaboration and
genuine consultation between Church leaders (bishops and others) and the lay
faithful" (11).
At the
same time, the GRPT clearly hopes the document will contribute to the
deliberations of the Plenary Council for the Church of Australia now likely to
take place late in 2021 and continue into 2022.
The
Catholic ecclesiology undergirding this document draws substantially from the
teaching of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and Pope Francis. It is
thoroughly missiological in its orientation.
The
Church does not exist for its own sake, but rather for the sake of its mission
to proclaim and embody the Gospel" (25). All mechanisms for Church
governance, the report insists, must be assessed in light of their service to
the Church's mission. Christ calls us to a life of discipleship in service of
the coming kingdom of God.
The
report invokes the council's teaching on the Church's fundamental
sacramentality, thereby highlighting the interplay between the Church's divine
and human dimensions. This sacramentality extends to the Church's
"structures and forms of governance" which are both mediations of
grace and human constructs that can impede God's grace; as such they are
subject to reform.
Mission-oriented
and Synodal
The
missiological orientation is accompanied by a pneumatology that evokes the work
of the Spirit in the life of the Church, a work that unites all believers while
affirming that rich diversity manifested so powerfully at Pentecost. The reach
of that Spirit is universal, extending beyond the community of the baptized to
include "all people of good will" (27).
This
Church lives in history as the pilgrim People of God. As pilgrim, it "will
reach its completion only in the glory of heaven", as the council put it.
This frees the Church to honestly assess its own failings.
As the
People of God it is oriented toward the world as what the council termed the
"seed and beginning of the kingdom on earth." And it is here that the
report begins to integrate themes central to the present pontificate,
particularly Pope Francis's call for a Church that is synodal in
character.
Synodality
requires that we become a listening Church. All the baptized must be invited
into the Church's corporate discernment and mission. This theme runs through
the entire document.
People
of God, Body of Christ and the sensus fidei
As the
body of Christ, the Church is built up by baptismal charisms that play a vital
role in matters of Church governance. The report places ordained ministries
within this charismatic economy as well. This move is decisive for overcoming
the temptation to set the laity and the ordained in a competitive ecclesial
relationship.
The
report highlights key conciliar texts that consider both the theological
integrity of the local Church as more than a mere branch office of the Church
Universal and the bishop's vital relationship to his local Church. This
relationship requires the bishop to promote synodality in the local Church by
attending carefully to the needs, abilities, and insights of his flock.
The
report situates issues of parish governance within a Eucharistic ecclesiology.
When the faithful gather at the Lord's Table, the reception of the Body and
Blood of Christ effects as well the transformation of the gathered community
into the ecclesial Body of Christ.
The report recalls the
council's teaching that the whole Christian faithful are recipients of God's
revelation. All the faithful possess a supernatural instinct for the faith (sensus
fidei). Consequently, all the baptized participate in the traditioning
process of the Church. All synodal structures, but particularly those present
in parish life, must be attentive to their witness.
Church
governance and the necessary change of the current ecclesial culture
Beyond
reflection on these ecclesiological foundations, the bulk of the report offers
a perceptive and informed consideration of Church governance at all levels of
Church life: the global Church, the diocese, and the parish.
According
to the report, "governance comprehends the framework of rules,
relationships, systems and processes within and by which authority is exercised
and controlled in the organisation" (38).
Governance
mechanisms always function within a larger ecclesial culture. You can't change
"governance practices and processes without a change in culture"
(39). That culture must be informed by key ecclesial principles: subsidiarity,
stewardship, synodality, dialogue, and discernment.
The
report contends that a consistent application of the principle of subsidiarity
is vital to good governance: "At the heart of the principle of
subsidiarity is vesting involvement and decision-making as close as possible to
those impacted by the decision" (41).
Checks
and balances
Synodality,
the report notes, requires that good governance include a robust set of checks
and balances. Synodal governance, in turn, depends on the sustained dialogue
and participation of the whole People of God in the life of the Church.
Finally,
authentic governance presumes genuine discernment, a careful, deliberate and
prayerful reflection that is sensitive to the impulse of the Spirit.
The
GRPT considered, as well, principles gleaned from healthy civil governance. Of
particular note is the report's recognition of the need to cultivate an ethical
culture. This speaks to a glaring lacuna in current Catholic governance.
It is
rare that one finds clearly articulated norms for professional conduct in the
Church. Many who work in the Church labor without clearly articulated job
descriptions and few benefit from regular performance appraisals. Indeed, the
latter are almost non-existent for clergy.
Strengthening
episcopal accountability
Authentic
synodality, the report insists, requires far more developed structures of
accountability than can be found in the Church at present.
Episcopal
accountability has traditionally presented difficulties for Catholicism since
in current Church law the bishop is only accountable to the pope, "who
alone can appoint and remove bishops and intervene in the affairs of all particular
Churches, including dioceses" (57).
One
recommendation for global governance calls for incorporating more robust
accountability mechanisms into the bishops' "ad limina" or
quinquennial visits to Rome.
The
report frankly admits the problematic nature of an exercise of episcopal power
that is almost entirely without meaningful checks and balances. This
contributes considerably to a pervasive clerical culture.
Clericalism
is not only an attitude that denotes a distorted perception of relationships in
the Church. It is also a behavior that fails to reflect the equality of all
disciples of Christ, an equality that the New Testament underscores (64).
The
only adequate antidote, the GRPT contends, lies in cultivating consistent
practices of consultation and co-responsibility, features proper to an
authentically synodal Church.
Although
canon law affords a bishop many opportunities for consultation before making
key decisions, few are mandatory and "[w]ithout the wholehearted embrace
of a culture of synodal decision-making, structures will be 'simple masks
without heart or a face"' (70).
Selecting
bishops, appointing priests
One of
the most important contributions of this document lies in its focused
consideration of the selection and appointment of both bishops and parish
priests.
The
Church in Australia (and many other Churches throughout the world) has suffered
from "inordinate delays" in the appointment of bishops (60).
Moreover, there is little significant consultation in the current
practice.
The
report calls for much greater participation of local clergy and laity in both
the creation of the diocesan profile that serves as the basis for an episcopal
appointment and in the discernment process leading to the appointment
itself.
Regarding
the assignment of priests to a parish, the document encourages a fuller
implementation of canon 524, which allows the bishop to consult the lay
faithful prior to making priest assignments.
In
current practice, of course, this rarely goes beyond placing a few phone calls.
This could be enhanced by allowing select lay persons to participate in
meetings of the college of consultors or "clergy appointments panel"
when priest assignments are under consideration.
Reforming
the seminary system
The
Royal Commission had singled out flaws in current seminary practice as a
significant factor in clerical sexual abuse.
In
response, the GRPT strongly encourages a far greater role for lay men – and
particularly women – in the screening and formation of seminarians. They should
also be included in any final decision regarding the acceptability of a
candidate for ordination.
Again,
given the historical and pastoral context of this report, the widespread
clerical sexual abuse in Australia and elsewhere, it is not surprising that concern
for the selection and formation of candidates for the priesthood was given such
attention.
The
GRPT insists that having an individual charism is not sufficient for
ordination. The priest today must be able to work collaboratively, celebrating
the gifts and contributions of lay ecclesial ministers in ways appropriate to a
synodal Church.
Seminarians
should be given more time in pastoral placements prior to ordination and have
more extended opportunities for communal living outside the seminary.
The document
also embraces the Royal Commission's call for the establishment of a National
Protocol to govern the screening of candidates for priesthood and religious
life throughout Australia.
The
GRPT is to be commended for tackling a particularly sensitive pastoral reality
for the Churches of Australia (and elsewhere!), namely the role of
international priests for ministry in local Churches.
The
drafters call for "greater consistency and rigor in the inquiries
concerning the history and suitability of international priests for ministry in
Australia and attention to their ongoing formation, both spiritually and
culturally for service in this country" (85).
Pastoral
councils and a greater role for women in Church governance
As the
report notes, further development of mechanisms for synodality at both the
diocesan and parish levels is clearly required.
The
document proposes a change in Church law that makes diocesan pastoral councils
mandatory in every diocese and it suggests that the role of these councils in
diocesan decision-making be significantly expanded. There is a similar proposal
to also make parish pastoral councils mandatory.
Adequate
formation should also be provided for clergy and pastoral council members at
both the diocesan and parish levels to ensure that the full potential of these
synodal structures is realized.
Finally,
one of the most consistent themes in this document is the persistent call for a
greatly expanded incorporation of lay women in key governance structures.
The
document speaks poignantly and directly regarding the negative consequences
that follow from the lack of full inclusion of women in Church leadership,
including ordained ministry.
There
is much more of value in this extraordinary document, but I have tried to focus
on aspects of the document of interest to the Church beyond the Australian
shores.
In Part
Two I will offer a broader assessment of the contributions of the document and
situate it within the Francis pontificate.
Richard R.
Gaillardetz is the Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic
Theology at Boston College and the current chair of the BC Theology Department.
He is a past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America and is
the editor of The Cambridge Companion to Vatican II (Cambridge
University Press, 2020)
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