CATHOLICISM IN THE 21ST CENTURY

As the desert temperatures begin to rise here in the American Southwest, I find that my siestas are becoming a bit longer and the time I have to muse about things religious more available.

And so I wonder:  what role will the Church play in the history of the 21st Century?

Cardinal Raymond Burke and many conservative reactionaries believe that the Church will be “smaller" but “purer" and will be the sole fortress against the moral relativism they believe has infected modern life.  

His Eminence and his allies are particularly concerned that Pope Francis has articulated an inclusive view of the Church which is diluting its essential nature as the continuing salvific mission of Christ Himself.

They believe that Pope Francis may be a cultural conservative but is a theological liberal, a fact that could have political as well as religious consequences in his efforts to rekindle enthusiasm for the Church’s mission to the poor, especially among the peoples of the so-called Third World.

Such a development, they contend, would harm the Church by making it vulnerable to the hostilities of governments neither open nor receptive to such movements.

Other, more liberal believers, contend that the Church must expand the opportunities for the faithful to serve and share authority especially in the ministries which women and non-celibate men could fulfill.  

While not having made a commitment one way or another, Pope Francis has signaled a willingness to explore whether or not women might be considered eligible for Ordination as Deacons. 

A 2004 survey of Priests conducted in 52 U.S. dioceses found that 67% of respondents favored the Church at least seriously consider abandonment of mandatory celibacy for Priesthood as well as expanded ministerial and administrative roles for women.

Such developments would mean a very different Catholicism and would radically disrupt the traditions from which the Church has drawn her identity in ages past.

All this against a backdrop of a growing proportion of people worldwide who identify their religious affiliation as “none" -- a potential but specific threat to all organized religions.

Certainly, this does not necessarily mean that people will stop believing in God, but it may mean that paths they choose to explore their belief may differ substantially than the paths of preceding generations of Christian faithful.

One thing I can say with certainty:  the Church I experience today is so fundamentally different than the Church in which and by which I was ordained a Priest.  

I only wish I might live long enough to see at least the first stirrings of what the Church of tomorrow will look and sound like before I take my permanent leave of this world.

In this, as in all things, may His Will be done!