Relevancy of Roman Catholic Hierarchy
to Their People

by Diarmuid O'Murchu MSC
May 1, 2005

Diarmuid O'Murchu MSC's homily at the Mass for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered Catholics, their parents, families and friends, May 1st. 2005 (6th Sunday of Easter), St. Anne's Church, Soho, London.

(Readings: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17; 1 Peter 3:15-18; John 14:15-21).

One week after the installation of Cardinal Josef Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI, Catholics around the world are reflecting on the choice and on the process that led to it.

115 Cardinals, all over the age of 60, and predominantly from the Northern hemisphere gathered in the closed secret environment of the Sistine Chapel while over 1,000 journalists gathered in St. Peter's Square "chimney-gazing" (the word used by Brian Hanrahan of the BBC). What was happening behind closed doors feels archaic to many of us; to witness 1,000 supposedly adult, mature people staring up at the specially constructed chimney also seems somewhat primitive.

Much more serious, one wonders how aware were the 115 Cardinals of the constituency they actually represent. A few statistics are relevant here:

a) In 1960, two-thirds of the Catholic population lived in the White Western world, predominantly in Europe and USA-Canada; in such a Church, we can see how Rome could have a symbolic value, and how a predominantly white group of electors would be representative of the body politic. But today, over 75% of Catholics live in the South, of Latino, African and Asian ethnicity. It is hard to see how the recent conclave could in any way represent this new demographic body-politic.

b) Because of the Southern predominance in today's Church, the median Catholic age is less than 40 years old. While many in the North are 60+ most in the South are under 30. Surely, the incongruity of an elective body all over the age of 60 highlights the great risk of irrelevance in today's Church.

c) Vatican Two strongly emphasised the fact that the Church IS the people of God, comprising 1,100,000,000 people of whom 430,000 are priests. The percentages work out at 99.95% people and 00.05% priests. And, yet, there was not the slightest hint that the people might have a say in the choice of new Pope. So whatever about the teaching of Vatican Two when it comes to Papal elections, clericalism reigns supreme.

d) Probably the single greatest revolution in the Post Vat 2 Church is the explosion in lay theology. In 1970 an estimated 5% of all theologians were lay. Today it is well over 50% and growing. Yet, no lay theologian was consulted at the recent papal election, indicating once more a growing chasm between the lay and clericalised faces of the today's church.

A Two-faced Church
Faced with these realities, it is understandable that more enlightened Catholics feel disillusioned and disenfranchised. It would be encouraging if the Cardinals gathered in conclave could have acknowledged the fact that today we belong to a two-faced Church, but I guess it would have felt too threatening to go there. There is the conventional Church that still likes its power, pomp, ceremony and secret rituals, and there are many rank-and-file Catholics who want it that way. But there is the growing body of more informed Catholic women and men who seek a Church where their adult selves can be respected, included and engaged. And it is with this latter group that the hope of the future resides. Those who belong to this new adult-based Church are largely the people who feel disheartened and disempowered by the outcome of the recent conclave, but they can draw much courage and inspiration from today's readings. We read of Philip, who was just a deacon - not an apostle in any sense - using his adult sense of initiative in taking the message of new life to the Samaritans, and what a fine job he seems to have done, but sadly not to the satisfaction of the powers that be in those days, namely Peter and John, who had to go after him and make it all "official." I suspect the Holy Spirit was more than pleased with what Philip had achieved.

And that is the empowering Spirit we read about in today's Gospel and we'll hear a lot about the empowering potential of that Spirit as we move up and beyond Pentecost Sunday. Let's give particular attention to the reading from Acts 2:1-11 on Pentecost Sunday. The first part, 2:1-4, describes the gift of tongues given to the preachers, while the rest of the reading talks about the distinctive gift whereby all the listeners (including the un-baptised) were able to hear the preaching in their own language.

It seems to me that the gift of the hearers in this scenario is far more powerful than that of the preachers. The capacity for discernment is with the hearers, who, we presume have already been infused by the Holy Spirit. When, where and how? Well, perhaps, the answer rests within the theology of the Holy Spirit explored by the Australian theologian, Denis Edwards in Breadth of the Spirit (Orbis 2004). In the opening page of the book, Edwards suggests that the Holy Spirit is the energising principle at work in creation from the moment of the Big Bang, and in every creative movement within creation ever since then.

The Pentecost event may be focussing primarily on the male apostles whose faith was badly shattered after the death of Jesus - so they needed a special infusion; all the rest did not need it because it was already given through the Spirit's giftedness in the whole of creation. This is the Spirit we can look to as adult people of faith, a spirit that may indeed work uniquely in each of the different denominational communities but whose primary empowerment belongs to the larger community representing the whole of God's creation.

Calling Forth the Adult!
The recent events in the Catholic Church challenge us to reassess our faith as a Catholic people and we can do that within the liturgical rhythms of this time of year: Eastertime reminding us of the radically new that we must always uphold, and Pentecost, inviting us to honour the big picture of the Holy Spirit who blows where she wills.

Easter is a time for celebrating the new, that which is breaking forth offering fresh hope and new possibilities. In the contemporary Church, despite its negative press at times, we evidence a new coming of age among those who longer are prepared to look over their shoulders to check if it is OK with the authorities. A new generation of Catholics is coming into being, more mature, adult, and more acutely aware of the Gospel call to work for the Kingdom of justice and new life. Many struggle with the mismatch between the new that seems so congruent with the vision of Jesus and the tradition of a Church that at times is clearly not in tune with the call of the Gospel. At the end of the day, we know we must be faithful to Resurrection newness and not fall into the trap of seeking the living among the dead?" (Luke 24:5). And the coming Pentecost time is a call to be people of wisdom and courage. Fear is not a gift of the Holy Spirit - courage is. And we need wisdom to honour the big landscape within which the Spirit operates today, not just in the individual Christian life (via Baptism, etc), nor merely in the life denominational Churches but above all in the new creativity of creation exemplified in our time by some of the leading breakthroughs in the social and physical sciences.

Hold on to Hope
Today's second reading from 1 Peter 3:15-18, contains that inspiring statement: "Always be ready to render an account for the hope you carry in your hearts" (modern translation). Hope, more than anything else is the quality needed in these times of fragmentation and disintegration. And it will be hope from the base up and not from the top down. As the scripture scholar, Walter Brueggemann has been saying for some years now, the dominant culture - politically and ecclesiastically - is a wearied culture, often resorting to what Mark D. Jordan calls a "rhetoric of tedium". We cannot expect hope from petrified institutions, fearful of their own status and power. We must seek hope elsewhere.

And the spirit blows elsewhere! Certainly in our time she blows far beyond the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel and the time honoured institutions that characterised a predominantly Western, White, imperialistic Church. I suspect she blows primarily among those seeking to build anew from the ground up. Some try to be optimistic and hope that the new Pope might also make positive gestures in that direction. Whether he does or does not is no longer really relevant. The future of the Church is not dependent on a particular Pope nor on the hierarchical dimension of the Church. Assuredly, they hold the "power", but frequently not the wisdom for empowerment. The Church of the future is primarily dependent on the people. It is in the peoples' realm that the Resurrection and Pentecost of the future will take place.

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