"Failure is not an Option in Papal Succession"
by Joe Klock, Sr.
Posted on 10/28/2003 11:18:36 AM PST by Bob J
"Failure is not an Option in Papal Succession"
by Joe Klock, Sr.
As this is being written, a sad reality is playing out in the Roman Catholic Church, wherein the long reign of a remarkable and holy man is coming to a close.
The pontificate of John Paul II, will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the more significant periods in the annals of the Church, following the momentous changes of Vatican II.
Most observers agree that he somewhat adjusted the windows of change thrown open by John XXIII, putting the brakes on aggiornamento and nudging the faithful back toward more traditional practices.
The writer, a cradle Catholic - although not without opinions on the subject - will not deal here with whether history will reveal that the present pope, in balance, left his flock with more or fewer challenges than when he first donned the Triple Tiara.
History must, however, record that he poured his life - and in one instance his lifeblood - into one of the toughest jobs on the planet, acting always in the manner he thought best for his huge and diverse flock.
These lines are not addressed to him, but to the cardinals who will, in the near future, choose his successor.
Since the overwhelming majority of them were hand-picked by John Paul II, one might assume that they are expected to vote for someone inclined to continue the papal policies of the past quarter-century, and if that is their decision, so be it.
When white smoke curls from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, it will signal the best judgment of the only humans given the power to choose.
However, it is essential to the health of the Church that they select a man capable of dealing with the following realities, involving divisive elements in the "sensus fidelium" - the mind-set of the sheep Jesus commanded his ministers to feed:
A growing number of parishes- reportedly 3,500 in the USA alone - are without resident priests and many more are being underserviced by overburdened part-time "circuit riders," due to a clerical cadre that is increasingly gray, gay and/or going away. The result is that the Mass and the Eucharist, the central focus of Catholic Christianity, is becoming available to fewer members of an ever-increasing flock.
Celibacy may not, as some argue, be 'the' issue, but it is certainly 'an' issue - one that is seriously inhibiting clerical recruitment. The faithful are finding it difficult to understand the intransigent opposition of Rome to a married priesthood which was the norm for more than half of Church history, especially in view of the acceptance of Protestant ministers, their wives and families.
The Church's position on "artificial" birth control has been out of step with reality for more than a generation, with "Natural Family Planning" being characterized as "Vatican Roulette," and antithetical to the full expression of marital love. Its prohibition is, throughout the Catholic world, being honored more in the breach than in the boudoir and was, in fact, rejected by a papal commission as part of the Vatican II proceedings (a decision subsequently reversed by the Vatican).
The "crass ceiling" (not a misprint) that prevents even discussion of female participation in church ministries at and above the diaconate level belies the Church's constant drumbeat of praise for women's considerable contributions to the cause. Such hollow praise borders on hypocrisy, given the fact that the ultimate religious service achievable by humans is denied to more than half of humanity and the further reality that, absent the work of its female operatives, the day-to-day functions of the church would quickly grind to a crawl, if not a complete stop.
One must be forgiven for wondering what Jesus would say, if invited to speak to those soon to assemble in the Sistine Chapel, and how resolutely he would support those who seem to feel that man-made traditions override the critical need to fix situations that are obviously flawed, if not badly broken. It has often been written that the Church is not a democracy, but given the undeniable importance of that "sensus fidelium," it would not suffer greatly by becoming a lot more democratic than it appears to be at the moment - perhaps more like it was when Peter, Paul and the early hierarchy cocked their pastoral ears to the bleating of the sheep.
It is more than a faint hope that a Spirit-driven Consistory will choose a leader who is ready, willing and able to respect the traditions of the past and confront both the problems of the present and the greater ones that will come, unless the windows of aggiornamento are reopened, both in the Sistine Chapel and throughout the world Church beyond.
At this point, a failing grade in the College of Cardinals is not an option!
Joe Klock, Sr. is a freelance writer in Key Largo, FL. E-mail joeklock@aol.com
Assessment agreed (with extra points awarded for creative use of metaphor).
One of the salient features of this sort of Catholic is not so much his rejection of tradition as his absolute arrogance when confronted by it. No where in evidence is the notion that we ought not hastily change institutions and practices we don't fully understand.
Humility when confronted by the wisdom of prior generations? Hardly. Let's do away with clerical celibacy, allow artificial contraception, and start ordaining women as soon as JP II's (still breathing, last I heard) corpse is cold. Bulls in china shops are more careful than this.
I'm only half suprised the author didn't also push for euthenasia.
I don't understand this. So the Church is supposed to change with the times?
You can't tell the truth without using a calendar after all.
A "full expression of marital love" requires chemical and/or physical barriers between the partners?
SD
A valid point. I have heard more than one emotionally jaded and scarred young person comment - "everyone loses now."
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