Issue #9
May 2002
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Organizational Failure by Sten Grynir The Roman Catholic Church in the United States is in the greatest crisis of its history. Revelations of priestly (and in some cases episcopal) misconduct, and massive episcopal cover-up, have angered the faithful and innocent priests alike. The Vatican would like to believe that this is a uniquely American problem; in reality, as revelations from Germany, Ireland, Africa and other places has shown, the only unique thing about the situation is that in the US the cover-up unraveled, a testament to our free press and culture of openness.
Sexual abuse was committed by parish priests, seminary instructors and Catholic school brother/teachers. In some schools and seminaries (like the Christian Brothers school that recently settled with multiple accusers) there was a culture of sexual molestation that could not have been invisible to the hierarchy. In some cases, fledgling priests, seminarians, were the abused. Looking at the numbers, however, paints an important distinction between the priesthood and the hierarchy.
There are more than 46,000 priests in the US. Allegations have surfaced against several hundred of them. Even if all the allegations are true, and even if half of the sexually abusive priests have not yet been uncovered, somewhere around one quarter of one percent of the priesthood has preyed on those who should have been protected by them. For the hierarchy, however, the numbers are more startling. Of the 302 bishops in the US, almost five percent have been tainted by allegations of molestation, or of putting Church secrecy ahead of the safety and health of their parishioners, and many more are under scrutiny. Several bishops have already resigned in the face of molestation charges; a number of the most prominent bishops (including two Cardinals) are facing clamorous demands from their own flock for their resignation in the wake of revelations about their protection of abusive priests. Clearly, the problem of episcopal misconduct is far more severe than that of priestly misconduct.
Some have seen this crisis as an opportunity for the Church to reexamine the issues of priestly celibacy and the ordination of women. As long as the current Pope is alive, this is unlikely to happen. Others have focused on the issue of gay priests, ignoring the fact that molestation of both boys and girls has taken place, and some of the male/male molestation smacks more strongly of misplaced sexual urges than of homosexuality. The only policy issue likely to be addressed is immediate notification of the civil authorities and suspension of the accused priest, a policy opposed by the Vatican but seen by American bishops as necessary.
There is a structural problem that must be addressed, however, if the Catholic Church in America is to survive: ecclesiastical governance, the role of the laity, and the selection (and retention) of bishops. It is often said, with some perverse pride, that "the Church is not a democracy". Certainly as far as doctrine is concerned, both the hierarchy and the laity are in substantial agreement; morality and service to God are not determined by majority vote. Church governance, however, is another matter. Appointment of bishops, selection of parish priests and control of Church funds is today entirely in the hands of the hierarchy (lay financial counsels notwithstanding). Americans (and, increasingly, Catholics in other parts of the world) are used to a more democratic form of government in civil life. "Because I say so" has never been a satisfactory answer for Americans.
The autocratic nature of Church structure and administration is increasingly foreign to our worldview, and contributes no small amount to the disconnect between the Church and the faithful. It is time for the American Church, at least, to democratize. There is ample precedent within the history of the Church itself. Early congregations were self-governing and self-administering, and selected their own administrative and religious leaders. Throughout its history, appointment of bishops in many countries was done by the ruler, or subject to his approval or veto. Today, the people are the ruler; it would take no great stretch of Church doctrine or precedent to grant to the people (or their representatives) the power previously exercised by an emperor, a king or a prince. Making bishops accountable to the people for their administrative actions would go a long way toward reducing the secrecy, bureaucracy and elitism that characterizes a group accountable to no one but the Pope, an ossified Vatican out of touch with the world, and (hopefully) God.
This may not be possible with the present Pope and the calcified history known as the Curia, but it is necessary, and it is ultimately inevitable.
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