The members of the Synod on Synodality recognized that this is a problem and in their final document expressed the desire "that the People of God have a greater voice in choosing bishops."

Current process

The current selection process is centralized in the Vatican, giving the pope ultimate authority in the process.

It begins with the bishops of a province drawing up a list of priests they think could be candidates for the episcopacy.

These names are given to the nuncio, the pope's representative in a country, who is responsible for drawing up a terna, a list of three candidates for a vacant see.

He can nominate someone outside of these lists if he wants.

The nuncio writes a report on each candidate using any source available, including a confidential questionnaire that he sends to selected clergy and laypeople who know the candidate.

This questionnaire, which has been revised in different papacies, was secret until I first published it in America magazine in 1984.

Normally, the nuncio also asks the opinion of the bishops of the province as well as officers of the bishops' conference and other important prelates in the country.

The nuncio writes a report describing the diocese needing a new bishop.

Pio Laghi, the pope's representative to the United States from 1980-1990, compared the process to an architect trying to find a statue of a saint to fit a niche in a cathedral.

For example, if the diocese had been rocked by sexual abuse, they would look for someone who has credibility in dealing with abuse.

If the diocese was in financial straits, they would look for a fundraiser with financial skills. If the diocese was divided, they would look for a peacemaker.

Papal criteria

Each pope also has criteria that he wants the nuncio to look for in candidates.

Prior to the Second Vatican Council, many complained that the American bishops were more like bankers and builders than pastors. Paul VI wanted more pastoral bishops. John Paul II stressed the importance of unity with and loyalty to the papacy.

Pope Francis wants bishops who are pastoral and close to the poor, "shepherds who smell like their sheep."

The terna and reports are sent to the Dicastery for Bishops, where they are examined by the staff and submitted to the committee of cardinals and bishops in charge of the dicastery.

If they don't like the candidates, the nuncio is asked to submit another list.

Ultimately, the committee votes on the candidates and submits its recommendation to the pope, who can accept or reject their suggestion.

There is very little room in the process for input from the clergy and laity of the diocese, except for the individuals who are sent questionnaires by the nuncio.

The process does allow for consulting the local church about the needs of the diocese and the type of bishop needed, but people usually want Jesus Christ with an MBA from Harvard, and he is not available.

Under the current rules, there can be no public discussion of names, either for or against. The Vatican believes any public discussion of candidates would be divisive and lead to factions supporting and opposing candidates.

The central role of the pope in the selection of bishops is a modern phenomenon. In the early church, when a bishop died, the people would gather in the cathedral and choose a new bishop, who could be a priest or layman.

Eventually, the suffrage was limited to the clergy or a part of the clergy, for example, the cathedral chapter.

But this did not necessarily eliminate the laity from the process. Pope Leo the Great in the fifth century believed a true bishop should be elected by the clergy, accepted by the people and ordained by the bishops of the surrounding dioceses.

Sadly, as the church grew rich and powerful, kings and nobles interfered in the process through threats or bribery. With the destruction of the monarchies in the 19th century, reformers saw the papacy as the institution that would appoint bishops who would serve the good of the church rather than the political ends of the state.

Electing bishops

Today, reformers would like to see the church return to the more ancient practice of electing bishops at the local level, either by the laity or the clergy.

While this might work in democratic countries that respect the independence of the church, history warns us that political elites and dictators would likely interfere in the elections.

In addition, the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president should make progressives pause before they democratize the church. Democracy is not infallible.

The Synod on Synodality is inviting us to a conversation about how to give the people a greater voice in the selection of bishops. This conversation should be done in a synodal fashion where we listen to all voices in determining where the Spirit is leading us today.

Diocesan consultative bodies (presbyteral councils, pastoral councils, synods) should be given a role since they are representative of the laity and priests. Could they nominate candidates or be given a consultative vote on the terna prepared by the nuncio? Should such participation be public or confidential?

The Catholic Church could also learn from other churches that use different methods of choosing their leaders.

All this discussion could lead to the development of several models of selecting bishops that could be tested in various situations at the discretion of a nuncio.

History shows us that bishops have been selected in many ways over the centuries, and each way had its problems. There is no perfect way of selecting bishops. Even Jesus got it wrong one out of 12 times.

Pope Leo was wise in proposing a system of checks and balances that involved the clergy, laity and the college of bishops. It is time to experiment with new ways of selecting bishops so "that the People of God have a greater voice in choosing bishops."

• First published by RNS
• The Rev. Thomas J. Reese, a Jesuit priest, is a Senior Analyst at RNS.

No doubt there are many angles to explore in the 28,000 word document. But let's take a quick dive into it to see what it says about the role of lay people, their mission and vocation - their lay apostolate - and the role of the lay apostolic movements, the two themes that we have developed on this site over the last couple of years.

Word frequencies

Starting very simply by looking at a few word frequencies. The word "pope" appears 15 times and the word "papal" three times more. "Bishop" appears 98 times and the word episcopal another 28 times while "priest" appears 27 times.

In contrast, the word "laity" only appears twice while the adjective "lay" appears another 17 times. The word "nun" does not appear at all but there are 10 references to "consecrated life" in relation to both men and women.

On the other hand, there are 26 references to the "baptised," emphasising the equality between all who form part of the Church.

Well, at the end of the day, a Synod is still a Synod of bishops, rather than an Assembly of the People of God such as the ones we've seen emerging in Latin America.

Still, given the Synod's disavowal of "clericalism," it's difficult to avoid the conclusion that the Church is still an extremely clerically-centred institution! Lay people - the 99 percent - and consecrated religious thus inevitably take a more - ironically - peripheral role.

Ministry

Another word that's very striking in its frequency in the Final Document is the word "ministry" and its variations (minister, etc.), which appear 108 times in the English translation and 98 times in the original Italian.

Almost all of these references to ministry relate to internal roles and functions in the Church - the Church ad intra, as it were.

There are only a couple of specific references to lay ministry. And these also relate to ad intra functions:

66. A missionary synodal Church would encourage more forms of lay ministries, that is, ministries that do not require the sacrament of Holy Orders, and this not only within the liturgical sphere.

77. The lay faithful, both men and women, should be given greater opportunities for participation, also exploring new forms of service and ministry in response to the pastoral needs of our time in a spirit of collaboration and differentiated co-responsibility.

In particular, some concrete needs have emerged from the synodal process.

All this illustrates the fact that the Synod was overwhelmingly preoccupied with internal aspects, which is frankly quite surprising, given the Synod's stated aim of promoting a missionary Church, which implies looking outward, ad extra.

The specifically lay role of lay people

Having said all of the above, the Final Document does contain some excellent passages affirming the role of lay people.

Thus, §66 insists that "mission involves all the baptised." And it continues on to say that:

The first task of lay women and men is to permeate and transform earthly realities with the spirit of the Gospel (cf. LG 31.33; AA 5-7).

It continues:

At the behest of Pope Francis (cf. Apostolic Letter in the form of Motu Proprio Spiritus Domini, 10 January 2021), the synodal process urged local Churches to respond with creativity and courage to the needs of the mission.

But why then does the rest of §66 go on to speak about "charisms" and "ministries," even if they are "lay ministries"?

This response should involve a form of discernment among the various charisms in order to identify which of these should take a ministerial form and thus be equipped with adequate criteria, tools and procedures.

Not all charisms need to be configured as ministries, nor do all the baptised need to become ministers, nor do all ministries need to be instituted.

For a charism to be configured as a ministry, the community must identify a genuine pastoral need. This should be accompanied by a discernment carried out by the pastor who, together with the community, will make a decision on whether there is a need to create a new ministry.

As a result of this process, the competent authority reaches a decision. A missionary synodal Church would encourage more forms of lay ministries, that is, ministries that do not require the sacrament of Holy Orders, and this not only within the liturgical sphere.

They can be instituted or not instituted. Further reflection should be given to the most effective way of bestowing lay ministries at a time when people move from one place to another with increasing ease, specifying the times and areas of their exercise.

It's as if the underlying thinking is that those "earthly realities" will only be permeated and transformed provided that the Church identifies enough charisms and organised enough ministries!

Fortunately, this is not the whole story! §58 and §59 do in fact spell out the lay vocation more clearly albeit without specifically naming it as such:

58. Each baptised person, man or woman, responds to missionary needs in the contexts in which they live and work, according to their dispositions and abilities. This demonstrates the freedom of the Spirit in bestowing God's gifts.

Owing to this dynamism in the Spirit, the People of God, listening to the reality in which they live, discover new forms of commitment and new ways to fulfil their mission.

Christians, each according to their diverse roles - within the family and other states of life; in the workplace and in their professions; engaged civilly, politically, socially or ecologically; in the development of a culture inspired by the Gospel, including the evangelisation of the digital environment - walk the paths of the world according to their life situations and proclaim the Gospel, sustained by the gifts of the Spirit.

This does indeed reflect the vision of Lumen Gentium §31-33 much more closely.

Strangely, however, it avoids mentioning the term "lay people," i.e. the 99% who live in families, work in workplaces and professions, etc.! Nor does the term "lay apostolate" - the chosen term of Vatican II - rate even a single mention in the whole document!

There's an almost-reference to the see-judge-act, recognising the need for people to "listen to the reality in which they live" and and to find "new ways to fulfil their mission," i.e. act, although oddly it misses out the judge or discern stage!

§59 is also important - perhaps the most important of all - recognising the need for the Church to sustain people in their mission in life.

59. In doing so, they ask the Church not to abandon them but rather to enable them to understand that they are sent and sustained in mission. They ask to be nourished by the bread of the Word and the Eucharist, as well as by the familial bonds of the community.

They ask that their commitment be recognised for what it is: Church action in light of the Gospel, and not merely a personal choice. Lastly, they ask the community to accompany those who, through their witness, have been drawn to the Gospel.

In a missionary synodal Church, under the leadership of their pastors, communities will be able to send people out in mission and support those they have sent.

Communities will, therefore, see themselves as primarily devoted to the service of a mission that the faithful carry out within society, in family and working life. They will, therefore, not remain focused exclusively on the activities that take place within their own communities and upon their own organisational needs.

Yes, this is indeed necessary and a very welcome affirmation by the Synod!

The role of lay apostolic movements

Again, strangely, however, there is no reference in §59 to any particular role of any of the lay apostolic movements that for the last century have sought to sustain lay people in their role in the world.

In fact, there are only six references in the Final Document to the role of "movements."

True, §7 does recognise that "the simplest but most precious fruits (of synodality) mature in the life of families, parishes, movements, small Christian communities, schools and other movements."

§9 also insists on the need to "continue their daily journey" with those communities and movements "with a synodal methodology of consultation and discernment."

Similarly, §65 recognises that "associations, movements and new communities, all have a special contribution to make to the growth of synodality in the Church."

But it also adds a word of warning to those groups not to remain isolated;

At the same time, synodality invites - and sometimes challenges - pastors of local Churches, as well as those responsible for leadership in consecrated life and in the movements, to strengthen relationships in order to bring to life an exchange of gifts at the service of the common mission.

Sure, movement leaders do indeed need to work on building relationships with the whole Church and avoid isolating themselves or turning into sects.

Finally, §118 does explicitly highlight the role that those groups and movements can play:

We recognise that institutes of consecrated life, societies of apostolic life, as well as associations, movements and new communities, have the ability to take root locally and, at the same time, connect different places and environments, often at a national or international level.

Their action, together with that of many individuals and informal groups, often brings the Gospel to highly diverse contexts: hospitals, prisons, homes for the elderly, reception centres for migrants, minors, those marginalised and victims of violence; to centres of education and training, schools and universities where young people and families meet; the arenas of culture and politics and of integral human development, where new forms of living together are imagined and constructed.

Conclusion

In the end, the Final Document does de facto recognise the lay apostolate lauded by the Vatican II documents Lumen Gentium and Apostolicam Actuositatem, albeit without naming it, and it does endorse the role of the lay apostolic movements.

But if the Church is to become a community of genuinely missionary lay disciples and apostles acting ad extra for the transformation of the world in the light of the Gospel then that needs to be the focus.

Perhaps the next Synod…

• First published in Substack.com
• Stefan Gigacz is an Australian researcher and writer with a special focus on the life and work of Joseph Cardijn, founder of the Young Christian Workers (YCW) or Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne (JOC).

This letter, and the broader debate it represents, is emblematic of a Church at a crossroads.

It's a Church grappling with the need to maintain unity and doctrinal integrity while also engaging with the diverse realities of the global Catholic community.

The contention centres on the proposal by the German Church to establish a Synodal Council that would effectively share decision-making power between the bishops and the laity.

This proposal challenges the traditional hierarchy, where decision-making power has been predominantly vested in the ordained clergy, particularly the bishops.

Vatican response

The Vatican's response, citing Canon Law to argue against the proposed power-sharing arrangement, underscores a fundamental ecclesiological tension.

This is how the Church interprets and applies its laws in the face of evolving demands for inclusivity and participation from its members.

The resistance from Rome can be seen as a protective measure for the traditional culture of power through ordination.

With its rich tapestry of implicit and explicit theologies, Catholicism relies on semiotic codes like liturgy, hierarchy, and management to facilitate a global yet locally nuanced faith experience.

These codes, especially the symbolic code of ordained power, are crucial in maintaining the Church's unity and doctrinal consistency across diverse cultural contexts.

Contemporary concerns

The debate over the German proposal is not merely about ecclesiastical governance but touches on deeper questions of identity, authority, and the nature of the Church itself.

It highlights the challenge of balancing Catholicism's universal and local dimensions, a tension that is not new but has taken on new urgency in the contemporary context.

The letter to the German bishops and the discussions it has generated reflect broader themes within the Church, such as the struggle to articulate a vision of catholic unity that respects and incorporates diversity.

This struggle is not limited to the relationship between the clergy and laity but extends to theological and pastoral practices, liturgical rites, and ecclesial management.

Therefore, the German push for a synodal model of the church can be seen as part of a wider intra-church dialogue about adapting and evolving in a rapidly changing world while remaining faithful to the core tenets of the faith.

...vs African bishops

There is opposition from certain quarters of the Church, notably some African bishops, in response to the document on same-sex and irregular blessings, Fiducia Supplicans.

The document underscores the diverse ways in which different parts of the global Church interpret and prioritise the challenges they face.

The African bishops' rejection, framed in terms of an "African exceptionalism" that resists perceived Western moral relativism, contrasts with the German bishops' attempt to address the demands of their local context through structural reform.

Some clergy in Africa have even gone as far as to accuse the West of new colonialism through LGBTQ activism.

Culture, theology, governance, synodality

This juxtaposition of responses to the Church's challenges today illuminates the complex interplay between cultural context, theological interpretation, and ecclesial governance.

It raises important questions about how the Church can remain a unified body while respecting and incorporating the rich diversity of its global community.

A synodal Church as envisioned by the German proposal and broader ecclesial discussions, offers a potential pathway through this complex terrain.

By fostering a culture of listening and dialogue, a synodal approach promises to enable the Church to navigate better the tensions between unity and diversity, tradition and innovation.

Synodal Church - a new identity

The response to the German bishops' proposal demonstrates that the path toward a more synodal Church is fraught with challenges.

The critical question facing the Church today is not whether it will change but how it will change.

The current debates over synodality, ecclesial governance, and the role of the laity are not mere administrative concerns but are fundamentally about the identity and mission of the Church in the 21st century.

As the Church navigates these waters, it must find ways to honour its traditions while also responding to the legitimate aspirations of its members for greater participation and representation.

In conclusion, the curial letter to the German Bishops' Conference and the subsequent discussions it has generated represent a pivotal moment in the life of the Church.

The letter and ensuing discussions reflect a Church in dialogue with itself, struggling to reconcile its foundational beliefs with the pressing demands of a diverse and changing world.

The outcome of this dialogue will shape the future of the Church's governance and its ability to witness the Gospel in an increasingly pluralistic and interconnected global community.

• Dr Joe Grayland is currently a visiting professor at the University of Tübingen (Germany). For nearly 30 years, he has been a priest of the Diocese of Palmerston North in New Zealand.

The Gospel is currently calling the Church in Asia - and especially its leaders - to do good in a ‘creative way' and to continue to work together on the mission of evangelisation.

"We as Church, we as leaders here present, have got to think of creative ways of fulfilling the mission", Gracias (pictured) said in his World Mission Sunday homily.

Addressing delegates of the ongoing Asian bishops meeting in Thailand, he said: "We are not in the worst situation ever. The apostles were in a worst situation, many countries were in a worst situation."

The Church's vitality cannot be measured by numbers and statistics.

"I think we must make clear to ourselves and to the world that we, the Catholic Church, are not in the numbers game, who try to get more than other religions," Gracias said.

"Our mission is to make Jesus real in the world, the Gospel real, that's evangelisation. It is not just baptising people.

"In this project, making Asia a better place, making Asia a better Asia, which we have come for, is also evangelisation, is also spreading the word of God, is also doing the will of Christ," Gracias added.

During his homily, Gracias also called for continued development of the role of lay people in the Church.

All Catholics are called to be "fully part of the Church and not just bishops, priests and religious" he said.

Therefore they also have "the same mission of spreading the Gospel".

"We want laypeople to help evangelise others. They're not just a second or tertiary in this work ... but are our fullest collaborators," he said.

Source

• CBCP News

There are two faces of clericalism. One is the authoritarian priest who decides and does everything on his own.

The other is the clericalised laity.

These two major errors prevent the laity from developing the charisms that are called to be recognized as ministries by the Church. When the focus is on the priestly life as a problem to be solved, we fall into the trap.

Unfortunately for the Church in France, it is still possible to see some people railing against any mention of priests and the priesthood as if it is an attack on the dignity of the laity.

The last few years have created an ideological struggle around the priesthood.

Avoiding the issue, the pope recognizes a ministry for catechists in the "motu proprio" Antiquum ministerium. Last year it was the ministries of readers and acolytes.

Ministry for the laity rooted in their charism

Ministry does not come from the function that one practices, but must be the Church's recognition of a particular gift ("charism") that the Holy Spirit bestows on a person for the good of all.

Among the talented catechists in my parish, one of them enjoys a special grace from the Holy Spirit for her mission with adults, which the community has witnessed.

Since she took charge of the catechumens, not only do their numbers increase every year, but the catechumens remain in the parish in edifying commitments to the service of their brothers and sisters and of the Church.

In other places, some 80% of the neophytes leave the Church within two years!

In order to involve them more in the life of the Church, lay people have been pushed into positions of "lay people in ecclesial mission". Often this is done to make up for the lack of priests, rather to recognize and utilize a person's special charism.

These Catholics are generous, and often combine competence with evangelical passion. But many have been defeated, pushed to being almost lay "ministers", without having discerned their true charism.

They have been chosen only to fill a position, an error of discernment that has created many difficult human situations.

Some dioceses or movements have masked the absence of priestly vocations by hiring lay people to replace priests, justified by a certain laicist reading of the Second Vatican Council: laypeople must from now on replace priests who, until now, took up too much space.

Isn't this reading reductive? Pope Francis is finally making up for a considerable delay in the Church, which has done a lot of harm.

The female priesthood

If some have fought to have married priests or women priests as the sign of the Church's openness to the laity, it is because the laity, in their respective charisms, have not received the importance they should have from the Church.

We have been rushing to clericalize the laity and secularize the clergy.

Priests must be priests, with their own gifts and recognized limitations. Likewise, the laity must have their charism recognized and emphasized by their own ministries.

In the fourth chapter of the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul speaks of the Holy Spirit who gave some people the charism to be apostles, others prophets, others evangelists, others pastors and doctors.

The Church has largely favoured the priesthood and the sacraments to the detriment of the ministries of the baptized.

Not only have they been neglected, but they have been set in opposition to each other, forgetting the complementarity of the members of the body and the diversification of our actions.

The goodwill of priests

Many people close to us carry within them an evangelizing fire, one with zeal and competence for preaching, another a gift for praying for the sick, etc.

They take these missions as a calling from God but are dependent upon the goodwill of some priests, who do not invite them to exercise their charism.

Ecclesial practice has limited Christian life to the celebration of the sacraments, instead of manifesting the greatness of God's grace by giving the laity the opportunity to exercise their charism in recollections, prayer evenings, etc.

Recognized through a ministry and sent by the Church, they would nevertheless bring the long-awaited new breath. This is the door that Pope Francis has just opened.

If we clericalize the laity, or if we secularize the clergy, we prevent the Spirit from manifesting the ministries upon which the Church must rely to bring the Good News.

On the contrary, we must discern in our local Churches the charisms given to us by the Holy Spirit, recognize them and validate them, if need be, through lay ministries that are sent on mission for the growth of the Kingdom.

We will then see as a matter of course the complementarity of priests who lead, sanctify and teach the flock and, on the other hand, lay people hired for positions, as well as laypeople, exercising a ministry in the world.

• Baudouin Ardillier is a member of the Congregation Saint Jean. He serves as parish priest and area dean in the Archdiocese of Avignon, France.
• First published in La-Croix International. Republished with permission.

Archbishop Carlos Gustavo Castillo Mattasoglio (Castillo) says he has been asking the Vatican for permission for lay people to be allowed to administer parishes.

In his opinion "there is a philosophy of the simple daily life of the people that we have to take up again.

"I think that, as a Church, we are going to have to work hard to provide a Church closer to the people with greater equality," he says.

Castillo says he spent a month in Rome encouraging them to give him permission "for various things that are not allowed."

He says the "various things" included asking for "permission for families, or couples, or groups of married couples or older lay adults to take over parishes because it's better to send priests to study a little..."

In their parish capacities Castillo proposes "the laity act as pastors or heads of churches, keeping the communities up and running as they do when they [the priests] go to Europe."

Citing churches in Paris, for example, he says lay people "keep the Christian community going without the need for priests.

"Then there's a priest who celebrates Mass for them once a week or twice on Sunday, whatever it may be; but we have to think of more egalitarian ways, closer to the people," he says.

Castillo says this is what "synodality" refers to and that "we did that in the consultation we made in the synodal assembly" of the Archdiocese of Lima.

"There were 800 delegates and we agreed on how to make the Church of Lima," he says.

Castillo says "the pope wants the Church on a Latin American and global level to consult about how the future should be and organise itself according to the agreement that the authorities have together with the people themselves and thus move forward."

Although he would like replace priests with laity, Castillo is aware his proposal is contrary to canon law.

The Code of Canon Law defines a parish as "a certain community of the Christian faithful stably constituted in a particular church, whose pastoral care is entrusted to a pastor (parochus) as its proper pastor (pastor) under the authority of the diocesan bishop." Canon Law also says "to become a pastor validly, one must be in the sacred order of the presbyterate."

Only as an exception "due to a shortage of priests" does canon law allow a bishop to entrust "the pastoral care of a parish to a deacon, to another person who is not a priest, or to a community of persons."

Even in these cases, the Code of Canon Law establishes that the bishop "is to appoint some priest who, provided with the powers and faculties of a pastor, is to direct the pastoral care."

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• Image: National Catholic Reporter

Bishop Stephen Lowe, secretary of the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference, says the new code makes it clear that bishops must take decisive action when abuse is reported to them.

"The Church's Canon Law exists alongside the civil and criminal law of the land.

"This revision ...covers the discipline of the Church alongside and beyond the civil law covering, for example, processes for Church discipline in the light of civil prosecution, or for matters that might not meet the criteria for civil prosecution.

"This affirming and widening ... is welcome and timely, especially as it comes during the Royal Commission on Abuse in Care, which the Catholic Church strongly supports."

Bishops

If the bishop does not, or if he fails to report sex crimes to church authorities, he can be removed from office for "culpable negligence".

There is, however, no punishment foreseen in church law if he fails to report the crime to police.

The changes represent the biggest overhaul of the Catholic Church's criminal code for nearly 40 years.

They make sexual abuse, grooming minors for sex, possessing child pornography and covering up abuse a criminal offence under Vatican law.

Priests

A big change involves sexual relations between priests and consenting adults.

The Vatican has long considered such relations sinful but consensual, taking the view that an adults' age will ensure they can accept or refuse consent.

But amid the #MeToo movement and scandals of seminarians and nuns being sexually abused by their superiors, the Vatican has come to realize that adults can be victimised if there is a power imbalance in the relationship.

Therefore, priests who engage in sexual acts with anyone — not just a minor or someone who lacks the use of reason — can be defrocked if they used "force, threats or abuse of his authority" to engage in sexual acts.

The law doesn't explicitly define which adults are covered, saying only "one to whom the law recognises equal protection."

Laity

In what CNS describes as "a novelty" lay people can be sanctioned for sex crimes committed by laypeople who hold church offices, founders of lay religious movements or even parish accountants and administrators.

The new law says laypeople can be similarly punished if they abuse their authority to engage in sexual crimes.

Since these laypeople can't be defrocked, penalties include losing their jobs, paying fines or being removed from their communities.

14 years

The new provisions have taken 14 years of study to prepare. They are in the revised criminal law section of the Vatican's Code of Canon Law.

Francis says said one aim of the changes was to "reduce the number of cases in which the... penalty was left to the discretion of authorities".

Victims and critics have been complaining for decades about the outdated laws, saying they were designed to protect perpetrators and were open to interpretation.

Lowe is welcoming the new code, which comes into effect on 8 December.

"The Catholic Church accepts the responsibility to act when abuse occurs in the Church.

"We will act by listening, learning and supporting those affected by abuse.

"We will act swiftly on complaints and follow them through.

"We will hold those to account who have been proven responsible for abuse. This upgrading of Canon Law affirms that."

Source

• NCR Online
• HuffPost
• NZ Catholic Bishops Conference
• BBC
• Image: Catholic Diocese of Wellington

News of the move came after a meeting of the bishops' conference 27 member Permanent Council, reports the German Catholic news agency KNA.

The Conference's permanent council says Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg (pictured), would "accept the offer of conversation made by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Beniamino Stella" to discuss the new instruction about parishes.

The Conference says Bätzing "will suggest to the Congregation that the conversation be conducted with the Presidium of the Synodal Way, since bishops, priests, deacons and laity are equally addressed in the instruction."

This means Bätzing will be accompanied by laity representing the "Synodal Process" underway in Germany.

After several German bishops criticized the instruction, which stresses the canon law that only priests can direct the pastoral care of parishes, Cardinal Beniamino Stella, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, said he would be happy to receive them to "remove doubts and perplexity."

At that time he said the meeting could take place "in due course" if the bishops wished to present their objections to the new instruction about parishes, which the Congregation issued on 20 July.

Some commentators see the instruction as a response to plans drastically to reduce the number of parishes in German dioceses.

The Vatican recently blocked a plan by the German Diocese of Trier to turn 800 parishes into 35. The Archdiocese of Freiburg is continuing to press ahead with plans to reduce its 1,000 parishes to 40.

Stella says "care must be taken not to reduce the parish to the rank of ‘branch' of a ‘company' - in this case, the diocese - with the consequence that it can be ‘directed' by anyone, perhaps even by groups of ‘officials' with different skills."

The instruction encourages parishes to see themselves above all as a "missionary community," he says.

There has been a mixed reaction from the German prelates about the new instruction.

While several bishops have concerns about it, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne and Bishop Gregor Maria Hanke of Eichstätt expressed their gratitude for the text.

Cardinal Walter Kasper is defending the Vatican intervention, saying: "The German criticism completely misses the actual concern of the instruction: the pastoral conversion to a missionary footing."

"But precisely this basic concern of Pope Francis would be highly topical in view of the disturbing recently published numbers of departures from the Church."

Kasper was referring to statistics issued last month which showed that a record number of Catholics left the Church in Germany in 2019.

A date for the meeting between the Vatican and the German bishops and their party has not yet been made.

Source

• Catholic News Agency

Speaking from his own experience, Bishop Georg Bätzing says he has noticed when he preaches "dialogically" (ie in a dialogue-like way), he gets a lot of feedback from laity.

"When I talk about my faith, my struggle to believe, then I get super feedback," he says.

"Attention to the quality of sermons and services has seldom been as high as now… People immediately tell you what they liked and what they didn't like. I see that as a challenge."

"The faithful will not allow us simply to fall back into old patterns."

Bätzing says he is now more supportive than ever of the German Synodal Path (or Procedure) for Church Reform.

He also has more concrete ideas about what changes are possible and how they can be achieved.

Focusing on what God means for today's world, the Procedure has set up forums on four pivotal questions: power and checks and balances; sexual morality; priestly life; and the place of women in the Church.

These are the pivotal questions that determine whether people feel they belonged to the Church or not.

Bätzing says there's a longstanding rift between the reality of people's lives and Church teaching, especially as far as the question of sexuality and partnership is concerned.

Nonetheless, the Church has a great deal to offer Catholic laity here based on its image of God and what it means to be human," he points out.

"But for many people the message we proclaim comes over as a type of moralizing that only forbids. People feel alienated."

"...I sincerely hope that we will be able to further develop certain wordings on the Church's teaching in the present Catechism."

All resolutions the Procedure passes must be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the bishops' conference.

Asked if that doesn't prove that there's still an imbalance of power between priests and the laity, therefore how might Church reform move forward? Bätzing says he's not sure.

When the Synod's two years of discussions are over, he hopes bishops favouring reform will form coalitions on reform resolutions.

He also hopes that dioceses that have already begun implementing certain reforms will form networks.

These could include dioceses that allow other Christians to receive the Eucharist at Catholic liturgies or look for solutions to help Catholics whose relationships are not fully recognized by the Church.

"At the moment, we can only see the first tender sprouts of the new social form of the Church, but it is on these ... we must focus. God's self-revelation never stops, but the deposit of the faith remains the same... ...the maturation of faith is a process that can never be declared completed."

Source

• La Croix
• Image: Kirche+Leben

Last Sunday, the prelates, including two cardinals, went to the Catacombs of Domitilla, on the outskirts of the Eternal City, to sign the "Catacombs pact for a Common Home".

Lay people and women were included among the signatories.

The historic declaration is a renewal of a pact signed in 1965 in the same place by bishops attending the Second Vatican Council.

In the 1965 pact, a group of bishops pledged to live simply, renounce personal possessions and "names and titles that express prominence and power."

The 2019 agreement revives the 1965 pact's spirit, albeit focusing on the Amazon synod and building a Church with an "Amazonian face". There is also less focus on the lifestyle choices of bishops.

Among its 15 pledges, the agreement includes:

• A call to defend the natural world, the rainforest and the indigenous peoples of the Amazon.
• A "preferential option of the poor" and the region's native peoples along with a rejection of "all types of colonialist mentalities and postures".
• A recognition of the service of "the great number of women who today direct communities in the Amazon".
• A pledge to avoid the "avalanche of consumerism" by living "happily sober lifestyle, simple and in solidarity with those who have little or nothing", and "favouring the production and commercialisation of agro-ecological products and using public transport whenever possible".

This last pledge is like the 1965 pact where the bishops pledged to "try to live according to the ordinary manner of our people in all that concerns housing, food, means of transport, and related matters".

Another similarity to the 1965 pact is the inclusion of laity.

Where the 1965 pact says bishops would look for "collaborators in ministry so that we can be animators according to the Spirit rather than dominators" the 2019 agreement calls for a "synodal lifestyle".

In this lifestyle, laity would have a "voice and vote" in ecclesial structures.

By signing the agreement, the bishops are seeking to connect the Amazon synod with the spirit of the early Church, by acknowledging the extent to which the contemporary Church is linked to the first Christian communities.

Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has rekindled the spirit of the 1965 pact and is part of the inspiration for new one.

He has pledged a "poor Church for the poor" and a desire to implement Vatican II.

Since becoming pope, Francis lives in a suite of modest rooms in a Vatican guesthouse, continuing the simple lifestyle he pursued while in Argentina.

Source:

• The Tablet
• Image: The Archdiocese of Baltimore

The Hung Hoa Diocesan Communication Committee and Yen Bai Deanery held the first ever course on communication skills Sept. 19 and 20. The 24 attendees, mostly in their 20s to 40s, came from 20 parishes based in Yen Bai Province.

During the course at An Thinh Church, Nghia Yen District, they were taught how to write online reports on church activities in their areas for the diocesan website (www.giaophanhunghoa.org) in the future.

They also learned how to use their smartphones to take quality pictures to accompany their reports and received special classes in communicating Catholic spirituality.

Father Joseph Tran Quy Tuan, head of the committee, said the media play a major role in spreading news rapidly in society. "We should share church news with one another and have communion with other people," he said. Read more

In his article, Roche says that priests may be able to make some small changes to overcome clericalism if they gave up expecting to be called "Father."

"In August last year, Pope Francis wrote a Letter to the People of God, to all of us," said John Dew.

"The Holy Father appealed to all of God's people to take action against "clericalism" which he sees as the source of abuse perpetrated by priests and bishops."

"Making a choice to tell the people we serve not to call us Father (or for me "Your Eminence" or "Cardinal") might seem a very small thing to do, but it may be the beginning of the reform in the Church which we have been asked to do by Pope Francis," said Dew.

Roche gave three reasons why priests should not be called "Father."

1. The Gospel

Priests wish to be disciples of Jesus who said, "You are not to be called 'Master,' for you have but one Master, and you are all brothers and sisters.

And do not call anyone on earth 'Father,' for you have but one Father, who is in Heaven" (Mt 23: 8-9).

2. Not children, but brothers and sisters

It can make people put others into a relationship of parent and child.

It is not possible to have equal relationships between adults who are brothers and sisters if we call one of them "Father."

If we want the Church to be a family where we care for and look after one another we need to reflect on these words from the Second Vatican Council: "Even though some, by the will of Christ, are made doctors and pastors for the good of others, in terms of the dignity and activities of all the faithful in the edification of the Body of Christ, there is true equality among all." Lumen Gentium 32

3. Expression of an emotional dependence

The practice of calling the priest "Father" can be unhealthy because it can become an expression of dependence which is based on a false and unreal idea of obedience.

Fatherhood is a mixture of affection and authority. But it can be dangerous, especially if it is made sacred.

Source

• mcshwellington.org
• Image: Archdiocese of Wellington

"Their credibility is gone and the trust of the faithful is gone," Francesco Cesareo, chairman of the National Review Board, said of the U.S. bishops as they worked to develop steps to promote greater accountability on abuse.

The National Review Board, established by the bishops in 2002, oversees compliance by dioceses with the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People."

It has no role in oversight of bishops.

"The bishops have to put their trust in lay leadership and allow that lay leadership to develop the processes and oversight when these kinds of allegations occur, particularly holding bishops accountable," Cesareo said.

In a presentation at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' spring general assembly in June in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Cesareo cautioned the prelates against complacency in meeting the charter's requirements.

He said that auditors preparing the 2016-2017 annual report on the charter's implementation nationwide discovered signs of complacency in some dioceses and eparchies.

"I've been addressing the body of bishops four, five times. I've driven the point that they can't be complacent, and here we are again with another crisis," Cesareo said.

"We went through the crisis in 2002 and had good policies and procedures in place, and allegations and current abuse have gone down," he said.

"But when we see the bishops don't get it, that there's still the notion of self-preservation at the expense of the victim ... it just begs for lay leadership to come forward and to address this and help lead to healing.

"I really think that it's a cultural change that has to take place. We can have all the committees, all the structures and all the policies, but there has got to be a cultural shift in the mindset of the bishops that they too are accountable, that they cannot be held to a different standard," continued Cesareo, president of Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Cesareo was not alone in calling for a separate body to be established to handle accusations of abuse involving bishops.

While details varied, the basic premise envisions that such a board would review abuse allegations or complaints of improper handling of an abuse claim by any bishop.

Just such a body has been sought since 2002, when the abuse scandal arose in the Archdiocese of Boston, by the church reform group Voice of the Faithful, said Donna Doucette, executive director.

"Having accountability from the bishops is absolutely the key. It is not possible for the bishops to police themselves. We as an organization believe that there must be an independent lay-led and dominated board," Doucette told CNS.

"It's heartening that finally after all these years, and we hope it's more than just verbiage, that the very things that the bishops attacked us for saying, they're saying it now," she added. Continue reading

Stella, who is the prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, believes if the laity were more involved in priestly formation, the crisis facing the church would not be so grave.

In his view, clericalism has led to "a distorted view of authority" that has contributed to the Church's problems of sexual abuse and the abuse of power and conscience.

"Even the work of the dicastery attests that many situations in the lives of priests — generated by loneliness, tiredness and misunderstandings — would not have degenerated or would have been addressed in time if there had been listening, accompaniment and sharing by bishops and the entire Christian community," Stella says.

Addressing the problem of abuse does not depend "solely on the hierarchy and priests," Stella notes.

"On the contrary, precisely clericalism and often the reduction of the church to an elite class has generated an anomalous way of understanding authority that has devalued baptismal grace and, not infrequently, has contributed to forms of abuse, especially on a person's conscience," he says.

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• Crux Now
• Image: Crux Now

The Commission, which helps establish official Catholic teaching, says canon law should be updated to make it compulsory for parishes to have councils that consult the laity.

An article called "Synodality in the Life of the Church" published on the Commission's website has been approved by Pope Francis.

It expands his vision of using synods to address the major questions facing the Church.

The lay faithful "are the immense majority of the People of God ...

"We have much to learn from their participation in the various expressions of the life and mission of church communities ...

"Of popular piety and of general pastoral care, as well as from their specific expertise in various fields of cultural and social life," the article says.

"This is why consulting them is indispensable in starting the processes of discernment within the framework of synodal structures.

"It is therefore necessary to overcome obstacles represented by a lack of formation and recognised forums in which the lay faithful can express themselves and act, and from a clerical mentality that risks keeping them at the margins of ecclesial life."

The Commission says a synodal attitude and way of being flows naturally from the Second Vatican Council's description of the church as a communion.

The Second Vatican Council emphasised the responsibility of all Catholics for the church's life and mission, although each person has been given different gifts and roles by the Holy Spirit.

The Commission says synodality promotes the baptismal dignity and call of all Catholics and values the presence of different gifts given by the Holy Spirit.

At the same time, it recognises the specific ministry entrusted to pastors and bishops in communion with the pope for the preservation of the faith and the renewal of the church.

The Commission pointed out that synodality is "not a call for some form of a Catholic parliament.

"The pope and the bishops, assisted by their priests, still retain their decision-making authority."

Source

• The Tablet
• Catholic News Service
• Image: MinnPost

German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, a member of the Pope's council of cardinals, spoke at a conference in Dublin, Ireland.

The cardinal later told CNS, "When you see the institutions and the organisation of the Church, there must be a new relationship between laypeople and clerics."

Cardinal Marx said he had told Pope Francis on a several occasions, "We have to de-clericalise the curia and bring in more competent laymen and women and make the Church professional".

In his conference speech, the cardinal said he believes the Christian faith is "the religion of the future".

It is not a religion dealing in "magic" things, he said.

"It is instrument for a better world and that must be shown, and so it is very important that the Church has a positive view of the modern world," he said.

Cardinal Marx said the Church must provide formation to its members to deal with the complex issues in pluralist societies.

But this must be "without forgetting" their faith sources and principles.

In his speech, Cardinal Marx admitted there were episodes in history "when the Christian faith wasn't on the right side".

But he stressed that "in the future we want to be there in the development of a society which is based on values and responsible freedoms" based on the Church's social doctrine and Christian anthropology.

He said that Church teaching could help the economic world "think beyond capitalism" and challenge an outlook which assesses results only in economic terms.

After his speech, Cardinal Marx suggested the Church should not oppose civil unions.

But he said "marriage is another point".

He said that the "history of homosexuals in our society is a very bad history because we have done a lot to marginalise them, and so as Church and as society we have to say, ‘Sorry.'"

On Sunday, Pope Francis was asked about Cardinal Marx's comments about an apology to homosexual people.

The Pope said there are plenty of other groups who probably also deserve a Church apology.

Sources

• Catholic News Service
• Crux
• Image: Catholic News UK

The Church needs "competent lay men and women educated in their faith", Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said, according to a report in the Irish Times.

The archbishop referred to a statement by Pope Benedict XVI at the beatification of Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman in 2010.

"He said: ‘The service to which Blessed John Henry was called involved applying his keen intellect and his prolific pen to many of the most pressing ‘subjects of the day'," the archbishop recalled.

A lack of people capable of doing such tasks today contributes to the Irish church becoming increasingly marginalised in terms of contributing to social and political discussion, Archbishop Martin said.

Such marginalisation is not simply due to "some sort of external exclusion".

"[I]t is also because the Church in Ireland is very lacking in ‘keen intellects and prolific pens addressing the pressing subjects of the day'," Archbishop Martin said.

This is "a role especially for competent lay men and women well educated in their faith".

"The contribution of the Church to the improvement of society will not be attained simply by negative political commentary.

"It will not be attained by morbid and depressive analysis of the woes of the Church.

"It will never be attained by religious media which allow themselves to be reduced to mere blogs of clerical gossip.

"It cannot be attained by creating a neo-clerical Church, focussed just on priests."

What is needed, Archbishop Martin said, is "a vibrant affirmation of the ‘Joy of the Gospel'".

Without such an affirmation by lay people, the Church will not produce priestly vocations, he added.

Sources

• Irish Times
• Image: Catholic Ireland

The Pontifical Councils for Laity and for the Family will become one dicastery, also a pontifical council.

The new body should begin its work on September 1, but it is still unknown who will head it.

Francis had previously voiced the possibility of a married couple heading this new dicastery.

But the document released on Saturday says it will be headed by a prefect, always a cardinal or an archbishop "unless specified" by "some special law".

It will also have a secretary, "who could be a lay person", and three sub-secretaries, one for laity, one for family and one for life, that "will have to be laity".

Continue reading

Last week, Francis condemned employers who exploit workers through temporary contracts or by not offering health insurance.

He called such employers "blood suckers" who turn people into "slaves of labour".

But several lay workers at the Vatican have told Crux that Francis should consider their own conditions.

"If it was up to Pope Francis, we'd all work for free," one Vatican employee said.

The Vatican workers spoke to Crux on the condition that they not be identified.

In 2014, the Vatican announced an end to new employee hires and imposed a freeze on wage-increases and overtime in an effort to cut costs and offset budget shortfalls.

It was decided to make much greater use of volunteers.

New lay people are still being hired to work in the Vatican today, but under what are known as "religious contracts".

These contracts are supposed to be for religious men and women coming to Rome to fulfil a specific task, for a period ranging from 10 months to a year.

Since religious communities normally provide health insurance, pension and benefits, the Vatican doesn't have to cover them, and doesn't do so for a lay employee hired under these contracts.

This is the case of many people working today at Vatican Radio, for instance, or the Vatican Museums.

In most cases, the employees add, people under these contracts end up working for many years, with no benefits, no guaranteed vacation days or no health insurance, hoping to eventually see their situation regularised.

The average Vatican employee makes around US$22,000 a year, tax free.

Normal employees can get access to some benefits such as petrol and tax-free shopping.

Italy provides a National Health Service.

The Vatican has a working force of roughly 4600 employees, three quarters of which are lay people.

Sources

• Crux
• Image: Reuters

Instead they participate in Christ's priestly role through their own work in the world.

The Pope said this in a message marking the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity.

"The Council . . . does not look at lay people as if they were ‘second class' members, at the service of the hierarchy and only executors of orders from on high," stated the Pope.

"But as disciples of Christ who, by force of their Baptism and their nature inserted ‘in the world', are called to animate every space, every activity, every human relation according to the spirit of the Gospel."

Continue reading