(I hope I put this in the right forum)
I don’t know much about Vatican II so I guess this is why I am asking this question. The church I work at considers themselves “progressive” and I remember during the interview they told me that they were a Vatican II church and they had no intention of going back.
Is it just me or did they misinterpret the whole idea of Vatican II? My understanding of Vatican II is that is wasn’t meant to be a wedge between traditional and progressive Catholic, it was meant to make the church more accessible to everyone, right? The priest at the church I work at is known for giving homilies of the acceptance of women priests and gay marriage. I know this is not in keeping with the teachings of the church and I suppose that is the root of my question. Vatican II wasn’t a license for priests to preach whatever they wanted. The church I work at has obviously misinterpreted the spirit of Vatican II, right?
And before you ask, yes, the bishop knows about the priest and no, there are no plans to replace him.
Let’s take this in baby steps.
Q. Is there such thing as a Progressive Catholic?
A. Yes. It’s one who uses a computer to write a book instead of a stylus.
Q. Is a preacher correct in preaching these things?
A. No. It is perfectly acceptable to discuss these things in an academic environment. The pulpit is not a classroom.
Q. Can a bishop remove such a priest?
A. It depends. If he’s a diocesan priest, he can remove him in a heartbeat. If he’s a regular priest, he cannot touch him without the permission of the major superior, nor may the bishop ask the major superior to leave his diocese. The major superior’s authority trumps that of the bishop when it comes to his men. The buildings, ministries and other things, belong to the bishop, but not the men.
Q. If a man is a secular priest, must a bishop remove him from his ministry?
A. No. The Holy See does not interfere with or overrule the rights of bishops and religious superiors.
Q. Can the pope mandate that a priest, regular or secular, be moved?
A. A pope can do so if he wishes to do so. However, popes prefer not to get involved in the day to day issues of dioceses and parishes. It puts them in a compromising position. Also, popes realize that they have the complaint of one person to go on. For them to be fair, they have to engage in an investigation that takes time and a lot of money. Neither of which the Church has a lot of. This time and money do not come out of the Vatican’s resources, but the diocese. Sometimes is better to wait for the next rotation and just transfer someone. It’s usually faster, since rotations take place every summer.
Q. Does the Church consider every request from the laity to remove a priest?
A. No. There are secretaries assigned to read the mail going to the bishop or to Rome. Part of their job is to prioritize what the bishop or pope must read first. Some requests never get read, because there are other priorities that come first. A bishop and a pope is just one man and the work day only has four hours. The rest of the day is dedicated to working directly with people, not desk work. Don’t think that you’re being ignored. If your letter arrives on the same day that 25 letters arrive about the Muslims in the Middle East, the Anglican communion, the bishops who must be replaced for whatever reason, requests from religious for permission to have a general chapter, diplomatic letters from heads of state, requests from the different departments in the curia or bishops around the world, you letter will keep moving lower and lower in the stack. It may be assigned to another official to respond or may never get read, because there is no time. It’s a very human system and there are decisions that only a pope can make. A lower ranking official cannot make it. People often get offended, because they believe that they are being ignored.
To ignore is to read your letter and dismiss it. That’s not the case here. This is triage. You must deal with that which affects the world first, then an individual parish, if there is time. Often, such a letter is sent back to the bishop.
There are many human complications here.
The best thing to do is to communicate with the priest, then his superiors and then pray that God will help everyone involved. A note to save you time and energy. If your priest is regular, don’t go to the bishop. Go to his major superior. The bishop’s office is only going to forward your letter to the major superior. In the meantime, your letter can be circulating for two to three weeks. If the priest is a pastor, he has certain canonical rights, regardless of what he preaches. Bishops and religious superiors do not want to find themselves in an ecclesiastical tribunal in a trial, if they can avoid it. Removing a pastor is not as easy as moving an associate. If the chancery tells you that it’s going to do something, be patient. It has to negotiate with the pastor to avoid a trial.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, FFV
