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| The Cardinal's Portrait Toby E. Rosenthal |
The Decree on the Ministry
and Life of Priests from Vatican II clarified the duties of priests and their
relationship with bishops and lay people, It implied that priests should foster
greater involvement of laypeople in the life of the Church. This document stood in direct opposition to
the historic problem of CLERICALISM.
The dictionary defines Clericalism
as a policy of maintaining or increasing the power of a religious hierarchy. When some clerics believe they are the untouchable
representatives of the People of God endowed with the power to control and determine which
person is a ‘Real Roman Catholic’, they will have failed their true calling.
The role of the Church
is not to determine who is in, who is out, who is worthy and holy, or whose theology and Tradition is right or wrong.
Jesus meets us where we
are, not where others would have us be. When
clerics feel the need to compare themselves with those who fall short of
being a ‘real catholic’ it suggests a definite lack of humility,compassion as well of an understanding where theologically informed adults are.
Even so, these clerics are themselves
victims of the hierarchical system that drew them in with its appeal to their
romantic pre-adolescent idealism.
This kind of outdated clericalism
thrived in pre-Vatican II era and restores the high times of the hierarchical
Church. Eugene
Cullen Kennedy emeritus professor of psychology warned “Clerical
redux energizes this spreading movement to reinstate that Neverland age of
Catholicism when priests controlled the church, lay people knew their place,
the Mass was in Latin, God was in His heaven and all was right with the world.”
It has been fifty years
since Vatican II but there are still some obvious vestiges of clericalism that
need to be addressed.
The quote from Eugene
Cullen Kennedy noted above was taken from a two-part article which he wrote in
2011 under the general heading of ‘Set-decorator Catholicism’. Part 1 ‘The Common traits of set-decorators’,
and Part 2 ‘Clericalism thrives in a new phase of the sex abuse crisis’.
Both can be viewed in
detail, courtesy The National Catholic Reporter as follows:
Both articles describe how
the Roman Catholic Church came to and continues to struggle with the sex-abuse
scandal and how CLERICALISM fostered the ongoing crisis. Professor Kennedy colourfully illustrates how
traditionalist clergy are like ‘set-decorators who treat their people as if
they were children to be set right rather than as theologically informed adults
to be nourished in their understanding of faith.’ He supports this observation with the need to
respect the voices of Vatican II which promotes clergy and laity as equals. When seen and treated as complimentary equals
the Church will finally be able to honestly address the myriad of issues and challenges
it faces today for a better and healthier tomorrow.
Suggested reading: 'Clerical Culture - Contradiction and Transformation' (2004), Michael L, Papesh, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN.
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