Statement by some Catholics to the Canadian Bishops concerning the Shortgage of Priests
The  Ottawa Statement Group 

(Editor's note: this statement was prepared by a small group of concerned Canadians, and submitted to the Annual Assembly of Canadian Bishops in October 1998.  Although it was not placed on the agenda, bishops discussed it among themselves and  refered it to one of their Commissions.) 
 

A Critical Situation Needing Attention 

Many parishioners are disappointed and saddened, others are angry and feel abandoned by their Church.  Christian communities without priests are multiplying.  Many churches are already closed, others are being twinned with other parishes.  The expression " one city, one parish" is becoming common place. 

     The opportunity for interpersonal contact in a warm human community is becoming less and less frequent or non-existent, and this just at a time when the need for human contact is one of the most pressing requirements of our age.  The popularity of fundamentalist sects and charismatic groups is proof of this. 

     Most priests are tired out.  Some are even at the point of exhaustion. The expression  "realignment"  as it refers to the re-arranging of pastoral tasks and structures is on the agenda of every diocese and one should be pleased about this. The real vitality of the Christian community must be grounded in a healthier balance of the pastoral activities between lay people and their priests.  However, the basic problem has not been addressed. 

     It is useless to hide or overlook the fact that in any new arrangement, the shortage of priests remains the central weakness, regardless of any new geographical arrangement.  In many, perhaps even most dioceses, in the various committees charged  with dealing with new arrangements there is little talk of the shortage of priests, or the subject is avoided entirely. In fact there is a strong temptation to deny that such a  problem exists. So perhaps it is just as urgent to vigorously broach this question of the scarcity of priests with the laity as with the hierarchy.  A Christian community cannot operate without ordained ministers any more than any group can function without recognized leaders. 

     Historians will probably tell us that the present crisis of ordained ministers has become among the most decisive questions that the Catholic Church has faced throughout the centuries.  One already senses that the Roman Instruction of 1997 concerning the collaboration of laity and priests has not helped to alleviate the crisis. Perhaps we should  remember that in the past history of the Church flourishing local churches have disappeared.   

The Urgency of Reconsidering the Relationship of National Episcopal Conferences with Rome

     Faced with this sad crisis that is affecting  Catholic Churches in most industrial countries one wonders if it is not urgent to re-evaluate the relationship between the National Episcopal Conferences and the Roman Curia. An authority at the top can be invaluable in assuring unity in diversity. But this authority can also become counter-productive when it reduces the responsibility of local Bishops and paralyses their activity. Many wonder whether recent documents from Rome are not of this type. 

     Vatican II gave much attention to the importance of change-indicators called "signs of the times".  These mark the great turning points in the life of the Church and at the same time offer us a glimpse into what the future might become. The profound questioning going on at present in the Church about the priesthood is one of these signs of the times. 

     To-day debates are taking place publicly following sexual scandals; there is questioning of the discipline of celibacy;  there is indignation caused by the refusal to ordain women; there is confusion caused by putting the matter of married priests on the back burner while parishes are being closed and, finally, there is rejection by the young generation of a Church that is seen to be endlessly deadlocked in insignificant issues while real life problems are avoided. 

     In brief, these "signs of the times" are sufficiently clear, thirty years after the Council, that one can draw this conclusion - the time has come to move from a "docile hierarchy" to one of shepherds who will assume their proper responsibilities.  The required changes, we know, will not come from the top.  Change must be initiated at the base.  In other words, the passive submission of the Bishops to the centralizing power of Rome has had its time.  We can no longer be satisfied to be governed by decisions taken over there, decisions which they have been slow to take or have refused to take. 

     The concept of collegiality, strongly affirmed at the Second Vatican Council recognized the legitimacy of established national Conferences of Bishops and encouraged their development where they did not yet exist, requiring that the Bishops truly preside over the life of the local Church. The Bishops should no longer be restrained from undertaking necessary changes for the benefit of the local Church on the pretext of obedience to a central power.  It is not a question of  encouraging insubordination, but rather, of developing a style of action that encourages the taking of initiatives necessary to bring about necessary improvements.  Finding solutions to the shortage of ordained ministers is one of the most urgent and needed tasks on which the Bishops must take effective action. It means basically that the Bishops must become firmly in charge of the life of their Churches in the name of the gospel.  
   

Actions to be Undertaken for Future Ministry

• to conduct an inventory of the rules followed throughout the centuries regarding the choice of ministers in the Church
• to proceed towards a re-examination of the present criteria for admission to the ordained ministry in the Catholic Church
• to begin, without delay, to outline the steps to be urgently taken to bring about the required changes and to support the initiatives taken by a diocese
• - in pursuit of this project, the Bishops must take into account:
• the choice of candidates to the priesthood: men, women, celibates, married persons - and methods of recruitment
• training and continuing education of ministers
• the pastoral ministry and the conditions under which it is exercised
• communication with the diverse Christian communities and attention to their methods of operation in the choice of their pastors, as well as their defined status in the community.

The Statement Group 

Communications :
Jean Trudeau 
2120 Monson 
Ottawa, Ontario, K1J 6A8 

Telephone : 613-745-2170 
Fax..........: 613-745-2656 
Email : trudo@magma.ca