Spiritual/Political/Philosophical Blog on the Nature of Truth and Falsehood and Heaven
|
|
| Sunny Days in Heaven Spiritual/Political/Philosophical Blog on the Nature of Truth and Falsehood and Heaven |
|
|
Saturday, June 15, 2002 Lay on the lay people There is much talk about lay involvement in the RCC in order to curb priestly blindness and misconduct, but that is not likely to be much help (though some help would be better than none). In my parish we used to have open elections for the Pastoral Council. Then we got a new pastor. He didn't want that. So he now nominates a number of people and the laity then selects from his list those to elect. What is that then except a rubber stamp? The bishops would do the same thing. Cherry pick their lay board members - docile and obedient types who are thrilled to be called by their first name by the holy, living apostle of God. No, the situation cannot be altered. The hierarchy cannot bear to share power in any way shape, or form with the laity. To do so would endanger all their pious notions about themselves and the Church. They can't help but leave the laity two kinds of vote - the wallet or the feet. It is like asking the colorblind to see red - it just won't happen. As many are pointing out, right now, throughout the nation, priests are molesting children and we don't know it because the nature of the crime is such that reports of it are so often long delayed by the abused and raped. The bishops, as far as I can tell, don't seem the least interested in making provision to discover its present criminals and prevent future ones. Better screening? I don't think so. Predators are devilishly clever at disguising their pathologies. The cover up by the bishops is being extended by this very conference and church process. Accountability? It will never happen. Sure, they'll turn over the criminals when they're discovered now to the police (except when they don't think it warrants police investigation by their lights), but they will alter nothing of the culture that produces and enables them. The kind of reform that the situation demands is the kind of reform that the hierarchy simply cannot contemplate. It goes to the heart of their authority. Vatican II could change some forms of liturgy, rewrite certain positions viz other denominations and religious freedom, inter alia; but sharing of power with the laity in no way was ever contemplated or desired by any council. You might as well ask the priesthood to become Buddhists as to renounce attachment to absolute control. posted by Mark Butterworth | 12:28 AM | |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
 |
||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
