How can we shift power in the Church?

  • Thread starter Thread starter 1Lord1Faith
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
1

1Lord1Faith

Guest
www.americamagazine.org

How can we shift power in the church?

What is clericalism and how can we recognize it when we see it?
www.americamagazine.org www.americamagazine.org

This podcast is about the abuse in the Church. It gives insight into clericalism and practical ways to root it out and prevent it. Among the suggestions offered to prevent clericalism are more opportunities for women’s formation, greater involvement of the laity in seminaries, and keeping bishops in their home diocese instead of moving them around, or up to a larger diocese.

It mainly discusses clericalism and the isolation of bishops. It also touches on the effect that gender isolation has on clericalism and a priest’s formation in seminary.

I thought it was one of the best discussions that I’ve heard on the subject as well as being able to offer workable solutions to the problem.
 
Last edited:
They also have a weekly podcast series ongoing, called Deliver Us. Talks about many aspects and includes victims and their stories.
 
To paraphrase a famous quote ; Beware of Jesuits offering solutions.
 
Last edited:
Journalists have a cash cow: Denouncing the hierarchy. When a writer can’t think of something to say, or if circulation and donations are dropping, go to the cash cow topic.

In our local seminary, a high percentage of staff are women religious and laity, men and women. Seminarians attend classes with non seminarians, and have for decades. The heavy female and lay involvement at the seminary did not cause the sex abuse crisis, but did nothing to prevent it.

The problem is secularism. Too many laity, as well as priests, religious, and bishops are glued to the secular media.

Those bishops and priests who are not media dominated, are labelled as “rigid”, “pre Vatican 2”, “dogmatic”, and “clericalist”. Those priests and bishops who follow the media trends are applauded as “pastoral”, “caring”, and “sensitive to the laity”, no matter how much they denounce laity that go against society’s trends, like prolifers, home schoolers, etc.
 
Without a groundswell of laity desire, the power structure won’t change. To date, that groundswell does not seem to be forthcoming.
 
Last edited:
It may be an excellent podcast, the bringing up the conversation alone is a good thing. But the problem is at a core root. The title of the topic itself is a misnomer as well. Power in the Church can not be shifted, ever. It would take beyond too much to enact anything to correct or fix the Church with any kind of workable solutions in a timely manner. The world, nor the Church has the stomach to take the Church back down to its foundation and to start over. Anything short of that is just putting a band aid on a very large wound, or a temporary fix on a leaking ship, just to keep it afloat and moving. Where as taking the person in to get proper attention and rest to heal, or taking the ship in to dock, and making the necessary repairs, takes time off the course at hand and can cause more harm in the process before things show major improvement.

That doesn’t mean though that no one should try to make things better.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top