Time’s Up: the Laity Must Act!

Everybody in the church, it seems, is disgusted by clericalism and is blaming it for the sexual abuse and cover-up crisis. Think about it – if the clergy is not to be left to its own devices any more, who will act? Lay people. I’m not blaming lay Catholics for this crisis; too much deliberate exclusion happens to make that tenable. But lay Catholics have to step up and say, “You’ve had your chance. Turn things over to us.”

Catholic Organizations for Renewal (COR) is calling lay Catholics – and clergy who agree – to demonstrate and organize for change, for truth, for action. Make it real this time. Look at www.CatholicToo.org for a packet to take a big step – join witnesses next weekend, September 8 or 9. There will be links to demonstrations scheduled in various places. And as the political people say, if you don’t see your town or city, organize one yourself. The tools are there, from sample press releases and flyers and social media strategies to a platform of many suggestions for reform. Pick one or a few and run with it. I worked on the long platform for TimesUp: Catholics Demand Truth. I want to comment on every item. But I will let that go for now.

Crowds are good but you don’t need one. Your witness can be just a few friends and family. I love the one in Newark on Wednesday. I think every one of the five or six who seem to be there were interviewed by NCR. 

And in my little ironic way, I notice three other things that make this noteworthy, beyond the witness of the priest whose abuser was just removed from ministry. One, Cardinal Tobin came out to listen to the survivor – and also to call for laity to take on leadership roles in the church to deal with the crisis. Two, the parish is divided about the removal of the pastor who has “endeared” himself to the community. Three, even the accusing priest hopes that therapy will help the abuser and allow him to return to “a supervised ministry.”

How many abusers have been successfully rehabilitated? Very hard to do. How many parishes love their priests despite their history? Many are very conflicted. And how many Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops come out to talk to those who are witnessing? Let’s take a count next weekend. Let’s not be stopped by the ambiguities that rise up.

Change is difficult. We assume responsibility. We know we want to challenge the system that allowed the abuse and the cover up. Here is a way to do it.

The news keeps coming. The startling accusations last Saturday by Archbishop Vigano really set me back. Francis may have known about McCarrick, but I do not want the pope to resign.

My head is spinning because I am trying to listen to Radio Times on our local NPR station as I write this Thursday morning. The three guests are throwing out ideas a mile a minute. Here are some tidbits from these panelists, and I encourage you to listen to the show or podcast.

Massimo Faggioli of Villanova says that to propose resignation is frightening, an unprecedented challenge to the papacy by sitting bishops. Bannonism has come to the Vatican, literally, his very person! Ending celibacy is not the priority at this time; there is a bigger problem of structure to address. He encourages more governance by women in the church and sees it more important now than a married clergy.

Rocco Palmo of Whispers in the Loggia had a lot of news from Rome as well as from this country. I am most impressed by the New Orleans Bishop’s Mass of repentance that gathered 1600 people. Palmo is more positive than I am about an Apostolic Visitation, an investigation from Rome with open access to all records. He compares it to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Grand Jury report. I am not convinced the results will be as open. He also brings up critiques of the seminary system.

Heidi Schulmpf of the National Catholic Reporter notes that the occurrence of sex abuse and the reaction is not a liberal or conservative issue but that some factions in the church are weaponizing it. I don’t think that’s us. She notes how Francis changed about Chile, and thinks he can change again to give a more compelling response right now. She supports women’s ordination, and asks whether the future of the church is in the hands of lay people now. She sees this coming from traditionalists too.

So we are back to the withering away of clericalism and the revolution of lay responsibility.

Already, you are an informed citizen of the church because you read this blog and probably a lot more. Now is the time to go public, to plan or participate in a witness to our faith that what exists now is dissolving before our eyes and that something new is ready to be birthed in the Spirit. You can be part of it – you owe it to yourself and your church and your God.

Stand4Truth rally in Dublin gathered in the Garden of Remembrance during Pope Francis’ Mass, calling for truth, justice, and love