Mike Riddell encourages us all to do our bit in ridding the Church of clericalism.

“Clericalism arises from an elitist and exclusivist vision of vocation, that interprets the ministry received as a power to be exercised rather than as a free and generous service to be given. This leads us to believe that we belong to a group that has all the answers and no longer needs to listen or learn anything. Clericalism is a perversion and is the root of many evils in the Church: we must humbly ask forgiveness for this and above all create the conditions so that it is not repeated.”
— Pope Francis’ Address to the Synod Fathers at opening of the Synod 2018 on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment

Clericalism may not be the root of all evil, but it is, as Pope Francis describes it, a perversion of the community of faith. It is the inevitable outcome of attempting to contain the vibrant movement of the Spirit inside an institution. And Catholicism has a long and bloody history of institutionalisation.

One of the mechanisms of institutional survival is protection of the core — a task that falls to the power holders within the structural skeleton of any bureaucracy. Little surprise, then, that the various levels of the clergy have sought to preserve both the faith and their position within its administration. They do so by vigorously defending the fringes of the institution, sometimes violently.

Bad things are done for good reasons. Power is concentrated, cliques are formed, and all too often the laity are seen as peripheral, if not a threat, to the continuation of the status quo. The Church is in a far better place than during the dark days of the Holy Roman Empire, but we are all painfully aware of the continuing abuses — both structural and sexual. These outrage many and cause others to become defensive.

Laity and Clergy Together

So much is clear to both insiders and observers of the Church. Francis, however, not only nails the source of the problem in clericalism, but calls on us to create the conditions that might put an end to it. That is a task that cannot be left to the “princes” of the Church, but is the responsibility of us all. Power has passed upward because for many of us it is convenient to forgo our own obligation for ecclesiastical function.

Part of any solution must be the understanding that we’re all in this together. To adopt an “us and them” attitude is to perpetuate a duality that is fundamental to the problem. Despite what traditional teachings of the magisterium may tell us, priests, bishops, and even popes do not become super beings due to their ordination. They retain their humanity, with all its beauty and frailty, as is all too obvious.

Equally, we laity are not absolved of responsibility for the scandal of the Church simply because we keep our heads down, happily blind as long as we receive the Eucharist. Some priests are lonely because of their ordination, feeling isolated from the joys of genuine community. How many of us consider what our ministry to the ordained might consist of?

Priests to Relinquish Power

The responsibility of priests and their superiors is to find a way to lose power. Such is the call of the Gospel to them. A sincere reflection on Matthew 20:25-28 might be in order.

“But Jesus called them to him and said: ‘You know that among the Gentiles the rulers lord it over them, and great men make their authority felt. Among you this is not to happen. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave — just as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.”

Relinquishing power and authority is a slow and painful process, but is the call of Christ to us all.

Laity to Take Responsibility

From the side of the laity (and the clergy/laity terminology is in itself flawed), the corresponding attitude is not the assumption of power. Rather it is the offering of genuine friendship and responsibility. We are complicit in the great scandal of the Church, not simply an audience to it.

Were we to bring our broken humanity to our priests in expressions of love, it may make it easier for them to be free from unrealistic expectations. Pastoral care is not a one-way street. All of us are prone to being trapped in our vocations and patterns. Sometimes we need help to be able to escape the roles that give us meaning. Freedom lies in choosing rather than fulfilling expectations.

I don’t intend to over-simplify the embedded nature of clericalism — simply to point out that it’s not someone else’s problem. The Curia, for example, is tenacious in its grip on ecclesial power, and unlikely to willingly let go of it. Centuries of intrigue and accumulation have enabled them to stare down the gentle stirring of the Spirit in Vatican II.

Nevertheless, that was a Council of the Church, and its mandate remains to be fulfilled. There has never been a better time for us, with Francis at the helm, to reclaim the Church as our common identity. We are the people of faith, and should never relinquish that status through either fear or apathy.

Through centuries of passivity, we’ve been conditioned to accept that our major role is to turn up to Mass and serve on various committees to keep the parish structure running. It is time to recognise that we aren’t bit players in someone else’s organisation, but that as members of the body of Christ, we are the ones who have the invitation to make it what it might be.

Many of our priests understand this and welcome it. They are as much imprisoned by a distorted structure as we are. It’s at the higher levels that the major resistance to reform is likely to be experienced. But, even then, New Zealand is a long way from Rome, and our bishops are in the main prepared to accept the need for change. It’s up to us to get on with it.

Reform and Live in the True Spirit

All the great institutions of our age have undergone either reform or death. History and authority have seemed great bastions against change until the tsunami of public opinion has washed them away in astonishing ways. Up until now, Catholicism has managed to hide behind the ramparts and dismiss calls for transformation as heresy or insurrection. I suspect the mortar is crumbling.

Clericalism is the current plague that besets the Church. We cannot wish it away or leave it to others to eradicate it for us. The time has come for all of us to take responsibility, and begin living with the freedom that is given to us through the Gospel. We all have our gifts to give, our love to spread, our choices to make.

We will probably never redeem Catholicism from its terrible reputation. But we can live in the true spirit of catholicity, finding a place for all and living from freedom rather than fear. May the Spirit lead us.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 234 February 2019: 8-9