Posted on 03/15/2005 11:27:35 AM PST by corpus
The laity must get more involved in the governance and operations of the Catholic Church, leading theologian says
The Roman Catholic Church is at a critical juncture, one that requires radical and fast-moving reform, according to an American theologian.
"I think we have 20 years and then we've lost everybody," said Paul F. Lakeland, who was interviewed by phone from Fairfield University in Connecticut, where he is professor of Catholic Studies.
On Thursday, Lakeland brought his message to Buffalo for the conference "The Liberation of the Laity," also the title of his book, named by the National Catholic Press Association as the best theology book of 2004.
Held at Christ the King Seminary, the event was co-sponsored by the Diocesan Office of Church Ministry. "This is the first time I've come to this kind of assembly since I've been in Buffalo," said Bishop Edward Kmiec, who welcomed the 183 participants representing staff and volunteers from around the diocese. "I want to affirm you in your ministry. You have something you love and you want to share it."
Before he left, Kmiec added: "I wish I could go around and shake hands with all of you ... but I have to go to work."
Lakeland said this was the first time he'd spoken at the invitation of a diocese. "I hope it won't be my last," he added.
For too long, Lakeland said, the laity has been treated as if it's the "apostolate of the second string. Then when the starting team gets tired, the coach turns to the bench and says, "Get out there and do the best you can.'"
But the laity and the church deserve better treatment than that, Lakeland suggests, theologically based on their membership in the church, which begins with Baptism.
The main problem affecting the contemporary church, Lakeland said, is that it operates out of a structure of oppression. "One thing that's clear is that the laity has no official role in leadership or governance," Lakeland said. "I'm not saying that the bishops are running around and hitting people over the head, but people are kept in infantilized positions.
"It's different than it was at the end of the 18th century when the dominant structure of the American church was lay trusteeship where parishes were owned and managed by a corporation of lay people, but we got away from that because Rome got nervous when they fired pastors," he said.
Lakeland said he doesn't want to pit people against each other or say that there are "bad people and good people," but he wants to see the church structure revamped and revitalized.
"There isn't a place to even have civil discourse," said Lakeland. "You can have as many good ideas as you like, but if you can't get through the system, you'll have little impact."
For starters, he suggests that the laity become conversant with church history to learn how the institution operated in the past. For example: clergy were once allowed to marry; members once owned and ran parishes; communities of faith helped select their bishop, who remained with them.
"It's not that we can pluck things from the third century and say that they'll work now," said Lakeland, "but at least we can know that some of these things have been done and they aren't against the nature of the church. It's very freeing to have that kind of information."
Lakeland said that the laity can be the "teachers of accountability," adding that the system of having a lone priest living in a rectory and being accountable only to himself can too easily give rise to such abuse, to alcoholism and to other problems.
Lakeland alleges that had the laity been more vocal and held the clergy accountable - "to at least live up to the demands of secular society" - the sexual abuse scandal could have been considerably lessened.
But for too long: "It was as if the laity had been put in a lock box in the theology room with a note: "not needed for the voyage,' " he said.
That has left the church with members who haven't acted as adults. "We are children of the Lord," said Lakeland, "not children of the Bishops.
"Becoming adult is a major theme. Adults, in the end, have to make their own decisions. They pay serious attention to the church, give the church benefit of the doubt, but in the end they go where they go."
"If we can't present younger members with a church that allows them to be adults, then they won't come trotting back," he said.
Lakeland offered suggestions for ways in which laity could become more involved: a periodic performance review of clergy and bishops; learning church history; integrating seminarians into the life of parishes; expressing their opinions to their pastors; participating in the selection of pastors and bishops; supporting colleges, universities and other places where a free exchange of ideas is allowed; giving preferential treatment to women in responsible roles within the church; open meetings by the National Council of Bishops.
One encouraging change Lakeland sees is the 45,000 lay ecclesial ministers (pastoral ministers and directors of religious education, for example) who have taken on roles once reserved for priests.
"Parish clergy understand the need for more lay involvement and the bishops may understand it, but they are more close-mouthed about any structural changes," Lakeland said. "It's tough to get bishops to open up on these issues because they tend to look over their shoulders to Rome. And even if they think "maybe,' they say "no.'"
In Lakeland's view, it's an unstoppable process that married men will become priests, as some already have done by joining from other denominations. "It's only a few," Lakeland said, "but it's evidence that the church thinks it's perfectly possible."
The second group to be re-admitted, he believes, will be priests who resigned. "Many would be more than willing to return to the ranks and that would be a short term solution to the shortage, but Rome is unlikely to do that quickly because they think of them as abandoning that which should not be abandoned."
Lakeland said that a majority of church-going Catholics approve the ordination of women. "So, you can draw your own conclusions," he said. "Either the pope isn't teaching properly or is not teaching the proper thing."
Lakeland said that lay involvement is not a panacea for all the problems confronting today's church, but he thinks that the laity is poised and prepared to take a much more responsible role.
"Protestant churches do lay involvement much better," he said. "My Protestant friends tell me horror stories and say they hope we know what we're getting into. But I say it's better to have the problems of adults than the problems of children.
"What's central to the church isn't the structure - it's that the church should be a community of equals," he said. "And I don't think there will be any significant change unless ordinary people make changes right in their own parishes."
The author has forgotten that while the US is a democracy, the Church is not, nor will it ever. The utilization of democracy in a church setting doesn't work. Look to our brothers in the Episcopal church. With democracy as a model of government within the church, you have no objective truth. All truths are determined by the whim of the current culture. We, as Christians, must recall what Christ said about the "world" and its "wisdom". Christ is counter-culture, so the Church is not meant to be a microcosm of culture.
I do agree that the Church should be held accountable. But as always happens, the pendulum is swinging too far. To say the Church has 20 years, if nothing happens, is an amazing lack of faith in the One who has secured the Church's history, Christ. Lay usurping of Church authority is not the answer. Oversight is one thing, but taking away the Bishop's role as shepherd of the flock is another.
Regards
Excerpts from article above:
Lakeland said that a majority of church-going Catholics approve the ordination of women. "So, you can draw your own conclusions," he said. "Either the pope isn't teaching properly or is not teaching the proper thing."
Lakeland offered suggestions for ways in which laity could become more involved: a periodic performance review of clergy and bishops; learning church history; integrating seminarians into the life of parishes; expressing their opinions to their pastors; participating in the selection of pastors and bishops; supporting colleges, universities and other places where a free exchange of ideas is allowed; giving preferential treatment to women in responsible roles within the church; open meetings by the National Council of Bishops.
"What's central to the church isn't the structure - it's that the church should be a community of equals." - Lakewood.
Is he thinking he is equal to the pope? The papacy is not central to the Church? Priests aren't central to the church? Schism, te lucis? This quote makes him sound more like a heretic. Take your pick.
"Lakeland said that a majority of church-going Catholics approve the ordination of women. "So, you can draw your own conclusions," he said. "Either the pope isn't teaching properly or is not teaching the proper thing."
What a joke. Where did he get those numbers from?
And since when does the faithful dictate to the Bishop of Rome what is to be taught? Didn't this guy figure out that dissent to Paul VI caused much of the problem in the first place?
Regards
That explains it.
What I've been saying...younger Catholics are doing one of two things:
A. They have left the Church and do not care about trying to reform it. This group is generally the offspring of the liberal gray hairs in the pews. When the older liberals die off, there are no younger liberals left to carry on the torch. This scenario is what Lakeland is afraid of and he clearly sees the future of the NO establishment.
B. OTOH, those younger Catholics who actually do go to Mass are populating either the TLM or very conservative NO Masses.
So, I'm not concerned that another liberal mouthpiece is making noise. His generation is passing and is getting nervous, ours is on the right course, and we have the blessing of having a conservative uniformity among the GenX'ers who still go to Mass.
"So, I'm not concerned that another liberal mouthpiece is making noise."
I would be concerned. According to the article: "Paul F. Lakeland, who was interviewed by phone from Fairfield University in Connecticut, where he is professor of Catholic Studies." He is teaching young Catholics and his books receive awards.
I'm not concerned because, as I have stated, those young Catholics he is corrupting are or will soon not be going to Mass and will actually not be interested in corrupting the Church. They have and will continue to just leave, quit, and some of them also have the decency to stop calling themselves Catholics.
This guy's a theologian? The "queen of the sciences" has sunk to new depths if a professor of theology sounds like a union organizer.
I'd love to see his citation for the women's ordination opinion. But then, he's a professor, he must be right. Sounds great; it's really working out well for the Episcopalians.
We needed a new pastor a couple of years ago and the bishop sent diocesan staff out to pick our brains about what we needed and wanted. Anybody in the parish could have shown up. He didn't have to do that but he did.
They removed the Blessed Sacrament while we used the church for the meeting. (Hey, I was impressed.) We all got to put in our two cents worth (it was a long night) and nobody felt "guided" into agreeing with a decision that was already made. We got a pretty solid young pastor.
Check out this thread: "Catholic lay leaders form group to guide bishops" - kind of a piece.
The first sentence gave the rest of it away. It's called decentralization and if he thinks the Church has 20 years, it is decentralization that will destroy it.
I would bet the 1996 Gallup poll (which, I think, did NOT distinguish between the faithful and the cultural Catholics) is his source of information. If that's the case, he's built his house on sand.
AMERICAN CATHOLICS AND THE NEXT POPE
A SURVEY REPORT
by ANDREW GREELEY (THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO)
and MICHAEL HOUT (THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY)
This brief report will summarize the results of a survey of the attitudes of American Catholics on the kind of man they hope will be elected Pope at the next conclave, whenever that conclave will be.1 Our report is based on a telephone survey of a representative sample of 770 American Catholics conducted by the Gallup organization in March and April of 1996.
I found this through Google. It's a document at temple.edu. Real big surprise, "Catholics" want a radical departure from what they've got. Given that Gallup's sample of the Catholic population is probably flawed, it's useless as a basis for an opinion.
Boy, all these guys have been waiting for a very long time for the next Pope. I hope they have to wait longer and are greatly disappointed.
"Like I said I just bet he is only interested in only select laity involvement."
You hit the nail on the head precisely! And again, those select laity probably have the following features:
1. Over age 50 (which means grayish haired for the most part).
2. White
3. Upper middle class/deep pocketed.
4. None of their children go to Mass and could care less about their parents' radical views.
The Catholic church hasn't been teaching right "thing" for thousands of years.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.