Elected Bishops?

George Ripon wants democratic change within the Church, starting with the people’s election of Bishops.

The Catholic Church is not a democracy.  How often have we heard that said?  Often with the inference "end of story - no more discussion."  But why not?  Certainly the basics of our Faith are not negotiable.  We start with the Ten Commandments further enriched by the teaching and example of Jesus in the Gospels.  These are the rocks on which our Faith is founded.  Over the centuries the Church has added to the teachings with directives for the faithful to observe.  Many of these have changed or disappeared.  Where now is Friday abstinence; compulsory Mass attendance on Sundays or Holy days of obligation; fasting in Lent and before Holy Communion; Easter duty; indulgences and many others?  Much has changed but in my view more, much more must change.

There are areas where the involvement of the "People of God" in a democratic process would be advantageous in this day and age.  I will get to these shortly, but firstly, a few words about where I come from.  Now enjoying retirement, I am the product of an Irish Catholic upbringing and education from the 1930’s and 40’s.  Life, compared to today, was simple and authority reigned.  At home we did as we were told, likewise at school.  The Government told everyone what to do and the Church reigned supreme.  In our small town, three or four Priests (led by a mighty Canon) lived in the Parish House.  The Bishop was not far away and half a dozen Maynooth-trained Priests taught us at the secondary college.  There was no shortage of clergy.

So much for the past, what about today? Whether we like it or not, change is in the air.  The traditional male celibate priesthood, which has served us well over the years, is running out - fast.  Unlike my early experience, church teaching no longer has automatic acceptance as people now need to be convinced of the merit and value of what is on offer.  Many indeed have given away the tradition of regular Mass attendance and reception of the Sacraments.  So what is our future? How can we revive our Church?

What would Jesus do? He promised that His Church would survive.  Should we rely on this and hope to muddle through?  I suspect that He would want us to use our brains with prayer and discernment to map out our future.  In the Beatitudes, He indicated the personal qualities for which we should aim.  In His account of the Last Judgement, He warned us that we would be accountable for the way we had treated others, particularly the needy and disadvantaged.  He set up Peter to be in charge of the Sheep and the Lambs; to feed them - not to Lord it over them.  Roughly translated this gave us, in today's terms, a three-tired structure of Bishops, Priests and People.

The Pope as Bishop of Rome is the Head Bishop but "Primus Inter Pares" if we accept Vatican II's promotion of "collegiality".  Next come the clergy and at the base of the triangle, the people (of God?).  It is in the selection of Bishops and parish clergy that the present processes must change to give the faithful the right to democratic involvement.  We could benefit at the present time by following our Anglican friends as they agonise over selecting their next Archbishop of Melbourne.  This, to my mind, is the starting point for real change - allowing the faithful to elect our local Bishops.  The secret and mysterious process from which new Bishops emerge must go.  Can we imagine the impact of popularly elected Bishops going to Rome, seeking answers and action for our many problems?  It might be a shock to the system, but one "that we have to have".  How do we do it?  We could start with the Deanery concept.  In the 1980’s  Archbishop Little set up the Melbourne Deaneries.  Each one has about 12 adjoining parishes.  He then instructed the local clergy and the people to sit down together and reflect on the future of the Church.  Everything was on the agenda with no directives from on high.  A new way of the faithful doing things should be devised by the faithful.  Without the parishioners in the pews we have no church. The people should be involved and heard on processes of change.

Catholics would be encouraged to register to vote.  Names would go on a database with appropriate privacy protection.  When an Episcopal vacancy occurred, all those living in the region involved, or the Diocese, would be entitled to vote.  A committee of lay people and local clergy would draw up a short list of local clergy willing to nominate.  Voting would be by mail and supervised by a reputable accounting body.  The process would need to be worked out but the principle would remain, the "People of God" electing the new local Bishop.  Rome would be advised of the new appointment.

The threefold order to which I referred above has changed in recent times.  We now have the Vatican bureaucracy very much in control. It also controls the appointment of Bishops who form the second tier of the structure.  At the lower end, the laity are joined with the parish clergy.  The effect is that the people and the parish clergy are out numbered by two to one.  Others have written about the quality of some of the Vatican appointed Bishops: conservative and "safe" with no rocking of the boat.  Elected Bishops would go to Rome, backed by the people at home.  Instead of working to a pre-arranged agenda to report that the locals were still "paying, praying and obeying", they could demand answers and action for the grassroots problems facing the local churches.  Top priority would be where we find the next generation of Priests, and all the other problems regularly documented by commentators.

So much for the next generation of Bishops, how about the local clergy?  In my inter-church wanderings I have seen the process adopted by the Anglican and Uniting Churches on the appointment of new Priests and Ministers.  It’s more like a job application, where the applicant fronts up before a group of parishioners.  He (or she) is put under the microscope as to suitability.  With reasonable numbers still coming through their seminaries, there are often quite a few applicants.  How different from our tradition where if he has one available, the new PP is sent by the Bishop with no local consultation.  Sadly, we are so short of Priests that any reform here will have to wait.

However if we could get to a situation where our Bishops were elected by us and not be beholden to Rome, I believe we could see great changes initiated.  Meanwhile we wait in "joyful hope."

George Ripon lives in Hughesdale, Victoria