|
The decline of Catholicism suggests that the only
way to deal with the needs of the Church's mission
should be a change of mentality at every level of
the ecclesiastical system. Such a radical change
should take place through decentralization and by
a fresh engagement with today's world.
We
the undersigned wish to provide the opportunity
for all members of the people of God to reflect on
the hopes for the Church's future. With this in
mind, we want to sketch out the essential elements
of a style of Church whose structures, mentality
and functioning would be, in our opinion, better
adapted to our times.
1) A
decentralized Church: all roads no longer lead to
Rome
A
great many Catholics are discouraged at seeing
their Church, "the instrument of salvation",
silencing any challenges and reaffirming moral,
doctrinal and disciplinary issues of unequal
importance and often out-dated, yet closed to the
evolution of knowledge and of societies, as it was
in former times when it could impose its ideas on
the world. It thus turns away many men and women
from its rich spiritual heritage, which they
consider obscure and out of date.
The
Roman Curia, which has become a centralizing
agency, has applied the brakes to the prophetic
advances of Vatican II in the matter of
collegiality, in pastoral initiatives and in
ecumenism. The heavy Roman hand on the entire
life of the Catholic community presents an
obstacle to the renewal of the institution and to
improved relations with our modern life.
2) A
truly universal Church
To be
considered universal the Church should be ready to
engage cultures and not the inverse. It should
enquire and learn how to recognize their riches in
a constructive dialogue. In spite of the work of
its missionaries and the presence of local clergy
the predominance of the Latin Church remains an
obstacle to the full flowering of other traditions
which express, in their own way, the "treasure of
the faith", in theology, pastoral and liturgical
activity, architecture, sacramental rituals and
the spiritual life. To communicate the Good News
to all the cultures to whom it is destined, the
Church should, while listening to the Spirit,
engage in its apostolic mission without imposing a
particular cultural model.
3) A
Church which is a partner of the people rather
than the ruling-class
The
Church should gather together the people of God
without distinction. Vestiges of an imperial
past, the arsenal of a diplomatic corps and a
network of apostolic nunciatures goes against the
original style lived by Christ and his apostles.
The Church should count on the work of
individuals, affirming, as Jesus did, its
independence towards the State and giving up the
false security which often results from ambiguous
dealings with the ruling-class. It is important
that the pope and the bishops maintain their
freedom and refuse every privilege, distinction
and dealing which would run the risk of entering
into political or financial activities that
violate human rights.
The
Church should make its voice heard but not
substitute it for the voice of the people or
individuals. Its mission is no longer to conquer
the masses but to promote non-violent liberation,
against every form of exclusivity, by transforming
the hearts of individual persons. It should also
reconsider its presence in world organizations.
It is no longer a secular power, and people no
longer want it to take positions which touch on
the autonomy of individual consciences, but to
remind them of personal Christian values.
4) A
Church that supports participation and joint
decision-making
Rather than relying on authoritarianism and
atrophy, it should fill positions within the
Church by democratic procedures. The choice of a
new pope should no longer depend on a college of
cardinals chosen for their conformity to a certain
model. Representatives of all the people of God
should take part in nominations: bishops, priests
and lay people as well as religious congregations.
In the choosing of bishops it is necessary to
adopt a procedure that involves the full
participation of the faithful.
To be
chosen pope, cardinal or bishop should be seen not
as an honour or a reward, or as a function
conferring supernatural authority over and above
one's baptism, but rather as a commitment and a
service whose duration should be limited, for the
good of the Church.
To be
faithful to Christ, the ecclesiastical institution
should depend on the faith and initiative of its
members, not on blind obedience to a central
control system which defends its absolute power.
It should rely on the action of the Spirit,
encourage discussion of matters that deal with
faith and conscience and take into account the
consensus that results. Rome would thus be taking
a collegial direction reflecting the expectations
of believers and their freedom of speech.
5) A
Church which fully recognizes the rights of women
to equality
The
refusal to give women the same rights as men in
the Church, and their exclusion from the
priesthood rest, in our opinion, on arguments with
no justification - juridical, theological, or even
Christian. To exclude anyone is to go against the
will of Christ. To believe that priestly ministry
is reserved for only men is to fall under the old
law which Jesus came to perfect, and to perpetuate
the sexual exclusivity of the time of St. Paul,
which has been presented as being of divine
inspiration, as have the traditions developed in
the course of history according to which women
were treated as inferiors. In doing so, the Church
has acted contrary to the Gospel and the mission
of Christ, which transcend customs and cultures.
Men and women are called to follow the same ideals
of the Gospel, and are both encouraged to be its
spokespersons.
6) A Church which learns from the failure of its
interference in sexual matters
It is
incumbent upon Christians as individuals and as
couples, assisted by their pastors, to resolve
moral questions that relate to their sexual lives.
Only Jesus is our saviour, who plumbs the depths
of the loins and the heart. He does not hesitate
to forgive sins. He chose his disciples from
ordinary people, not from doctors of the Law. No
one can condemn in His name.
Sadly, the fixation of Rome on contraception has
affected the lives of millions of couples. Its
rigid stance on divorce, abortion, pre-marital
relations, homosexuality, and the remarriage of
divorced people have increased the culpability of
the Church and discredited it as a Church without
compassion, although it claims to possess the
truth. In short, it is not the Church's role to
impose its rules on married couples, nor to
dictate policy to nation states. The sexual
scandals which have rocked the Catholic world
should make the Church reflect on the wisdom of
its rules.
7) A Church which no longer deprives the faithful
of the celebration of the Eucharist
Many
Catholic communities in America and Europe will
soon not have enough priests to celebrate the
Eucharist. Rather than changing its rules for the
priesthood by ordaining married men or by allowing
priests to marry, Rome turns a blind eye to the
problem, and thus thwarts the will of God. But
originally celibacy was imposed only on monks. In
the West, it was extended to all priests, while in
the East it was demanded only of bishops. In
January 2004 John Paul II reaffirmed that it was
an essential element of the priesthood; so the
people of God need patience.
8) A Church anxious to establish and encourage
ecumenical and interreligious dialogue
Since
Vatican II the Catholic Church has engaged in
dialogue with other Christian Churches in order to
resolve by discussion historical disputes and
arguments over leadership that were connected with
doctrinal and disciplinary issues. Genuine
Christian witness demands the reuniting of the
whole Christian family. Unfortunately, fear of
diversity is rampant in Rome.
Nevertheless, John Paul II freed the Church's
relations with Judaism from the prejudices of the
past, and meetings with other religions in
Assisi
remain a sign of hope. This is a beginning.
Conclusion
At a
time when the Church is undergoing a change in
leadership, we hope it will show to the world
another side of itself. That it will be less
centered on the role and image of the papacy.
That, not content simply to ask forgiveness from
those it has persecuted, it will hear the
criticism and interventions from its own members,
and will show itself open to dialogue.
That
it will be a Church of communion, led by the
Gospel rather than directed by canon law or a
curia of which Jesus would be the first to
challenge its exclusivity. A Church of
participation, founded on the charisms poured out
on believers by the Spirit, solicitous of
theological vitality and openness to the world,
and receptive to cultural and spiritual diversity.
A
Church attentive to the signs of the time. A
flexible Church, respectful of the "sensus
fidelium", representative of local people and
Churches. A Church one and universal, but with
structures that allow for collegial decisions and
decentralized services.
(April 15, 2005)
GROUP SIGNATORIES:
Le
Réseau Culture et Foi
Association des religieuses pour la promotion des
femmes
Centre St-Pierre
Groupe du Manifeste d’Ottawa
Collective L’Autre Parole
Communauté chrétienne Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Communauté chrétienne Ste-Brigide
INDIVIDUAL
SIGNATORIES:
Jean
Bacon, théologien
Gregory Baum, théologien
Richard Bergeron, théologien
Marie
Campbell, étudiante au doctorat en théologie
(Concordia)
Michel-M. Campbell, théologien
Raymonde Jauvin, membre de Femmes et Ministères
Gérard Laverdure, agent de pastorale
Jean-Paul Lefebvre
Jean-Claude Ravet, réd. en chef adjoint, Relations
Louis
Rousseau, professeur au Département des sciences
religieuses (UQAM)
Marco
Veilleux
[
RETOUR ]
|
