The South Australian Catholic Church says it has been blindsided by news that Priests will have to report child abuse revealed to them in the Confessional.
Beginning October 1, South Australia will become the first state where Priests will be legally obliged to report any Sacramental confession of child sex abuse. If they do not, they could receive a $10,000 fine.
Acting Archbishop of Adelaide Greg O'Kelly said the Church was "unaware of this change" until today "and the implications are now being considered".
New child protection laws passed last year — but made public today by the state's Attorney-General — removed an exemption for Priests from mandatory reporting when the information was divulged during Confession.
The Attorney-General, Vickie Chapman, revealed the change ahead of the State Government releasing its full response to the Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse.
While Priests have been mandatory reporters outside of Confession for more than a decade in South Australia, Bishop O'Kelly said the new law "has much wider implications for the Catholic Church and the practice of our faith".
Priests are bound by the Seal of the Confessional to not reveal what they are told or face automatic excommunication.
"Our commitment in South Australia to child protection and child safe environments is unwavering," Bishop O'Kelly said in a statement.
"Our priests are well aware of their obligations to report child abuse and neglect under mandatory reporting laws and have been participating in regular and compulsory child protection training since 2007, as have all our church employees and volunteers."
But, the Attorney General said mandatory reporting was so important, including in Confession, because abuse usually occurred in secret "unless a responsible adult acts". "The protection of children the public expect must be superior to any other interest," she said.
Ms Chapman said other states in the country should follow South Australia's lead.
When asked on ABC Radio Adelaide how a Priest might be caught breaking the law, Ms Chapman said it would be similar to other mandatory reporting failures, in that it would most likely be revealed if the accused admitted telling a Priest.
In addition, the Attorney General announced that the State Government plans to remove statutory time limits that prevent victims from suing the institutions where they were abused. "In essence, at the moment, when a child turns 21, they can't make a claim after that age — that is three years after they're 18," Ms Chapman said. "We want to remove that for all child sex abuse victims."
Port Pirie Bishop O'Kelly was named Apostolic Administrator of the Adelaide Archdiocese earlier this month after Archbishop Philip Wilson became the most senior Catholic to be convicted of concealing child sex abuse.
A magistrate said he did not accept that Bishop Wilson could not remember a 1976 conversation, in which a victim described his abuse at the hands of Father Jim Fletcher.
Ms Chapman said he would have already been obliged to mandatory reporting in South Australia since he was told by a victim.
About 300,000 South Australians are Catholic, according to the Census.
This blatant attack against the inviolability of the Confessional by the State Government of South Australia should not have come as a surprise to the Church in the wake of the hysteria and furor over the scandals that have revealed a culture of corruption and cover-up by Bishops and Clergy throughout the country.
The South Australian government may be the first to attack the Seal of the Confessional. It won’t be the last.
I fully expect these attacks against the Sacrament to be repeated elsewhere including here in the United States.
If the Bishops and the People of God do not stand against this intrusion into the sacrosanct secrecy of the Confessional, then the Faith is lost.
Could anyone have imagined the depth to which the sanctity of the Church has fallen as a result of widespread homosexual predatory attacks upon minors by its Clergy!
Father John Taugher, my mentor in College Seminary, said that the Church and her Priests would suffer severe persecution in my lifetime. I really didn't believe his warnings would prove true. How foolish I was!
Only the Providential Grace of the Holy Spirit can come to the rescue of our battered and beleaguered Church.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
Thursday, June 14, 2018
NY TIMES CATHOLIC COMMENTATOR WRONG...AGAIN
A New York Times columnist and Catholic commentator said that it is “legitimate” for Catholics to vocally raise concerns over Pope Francis’ teaching.
"Pope Francis is the most important teacher of the Catholic faith, and when that public teaching is seen as causing confusion, or even perceived as conflicting with his predecessors, it is legitimate for Catholics to make their voices heard," said Ross Douthat in an interview with Inside the Vatican.
The only problem with Douthat's remarks is that most Catholics in America are completely oblivious about Pope Francis’ exhortations and initiatives.
That’s largely because Bishops and Pastors in this country have been remarkably silent about those teachings.
Pope Francis' very public acts of compassion toward the poor, the sick and dying are often mentioned in the pulpit as great examples of the charity which the Lord Jesus challenges every follower to emulate.
But much of the theological, doctrinal and canonical parsings of the Holy Father have been kept from the scrutiny of the average Catholic in the pew.
As a result, other than the small number of neo-conservative reactionaries whose fervor is flamed by the likes of Cardinal Burke and his cronies, those Catholics (and there are fewer of them with each passing year) who continue to practice their faith with any semblance of regularity have been kept ignorant by the silence of the hierarchy and have been content themselves to remain that way quite willingly and contentedly.
So whatever grievances Mr. Douthat or his associates others may have about Pope Francis are nothing other than vainglorious exercises in “theological navel-gazing” which will have no affect upon the Holy Father assuredly nor on those who continue to admire his example of Christian mercy which is at the heart of the Christian Gospel.
People aren’t confused and upset, they are in the dark and their Bishops and Pastors are quite happy it appears to keep them there.
"Pope Francis is the most important teacher of the Catholic faith, and when that public teaching is seen as causing confusion, or even perceived as conflicting with his predecessors, it is legitimate for Catholics to make their voices heard," said Ross Douthat in an interview with Inside the Vatican.
The only problem with Douthat's remarks is that most Catholics in America are completely oblivious about Pope Francis’ exhortations and initiatives.
That’s largely because Bishops and Pastors in this country have been remarkably silent about those teachings.
Pope Francis' very public acts of compassion toward the poor, the sick and dying are often mentioned in the pulpit as great examples of the charity which the Lord Jesus challenges every follower to emulate.
But much of the theological, doctrinal and canonical parsings of the Holy Father have been kept from the scrutiny of the average Catholic in the pew.
As a result, other than the small number of neo-conservative reactionaries whose fervor is flamed by the likes of Cardinal Burke and his cronies, those Catholics (and there are fewer of them with each passing year) who continue to practice their faith with any semblance of regularity have been kept ignorant by the silence of the hierarchy and have been content themselves to remain that way quite willingly and contentedly.
So whatever grievances Mr. Douthat or his associates others may have about Pope Francis are nothing other than vainglorious exercises in “theological navel-gazing” which will have no affect upon the Holy Father assuredly nor on those who continue to admire his example of Christian mercy which is at the heart of the Christian Gospel.
People aren’t confused and upset, they are in the dark and their Bishops and Pastors are quite happy it appears to keep them there.
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
THE TIME FOR VATICAN III MAY FAST BE APPROACHING
While away on my recent trip, I had occasion to read the preparatory document for the Pan-Amazonian Synod which was released last Friday.
“Amazonia: New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology,” is the official preparatory document for the October 2019 synod on the Pan-Amazonian region of South America, which includes parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela and Suriname.
Key themes for the meeting will be the rights and traditions of indigenous people, the role of women in the Church and efforts to find “new ways” to provide greater access to the Eucharist in response to “the cry of thousands of communities deprived of the Sunday Eucharist for long periods of time.”
The text stresses the importance of creating the possibility “for all the baptized to participate in the Sunday Mass.”
Most curious to me is the fact that the document speaks of “a Church with an Amazonian face and a Church with a native face.”
It further stresses that “new ways should be considered for the People of God to have better and more frequent access to the Eucharist, the center of Christian life.”
In March 2017, Pope Francis suggested openness to the possibility that married men of proven virtue might be ordained Priests in some Roman Catholic dioceses where there are few Priests.
Those comments sparked speculation that the Pan-Amazonian synod could open the door to the ordination of married men of proven virtue universally.
My question is: why not?
What is so unique to the Amazon when it comes to parochial communities being deprived of adequate pastoral and sacramental care due to a critical shortage of Priests?
In earlier articles, I have discussed the question of a married Priesthood in the Latin Church and have insisted that a return to this most ancient tradition is a certainty in the the future of the Church.
But I have also noted that the Church best be mature in its decision to re-institute this most ancient custom.
With a married Priesthood, the Church will need to honestly and compassionately address the real issues with which it will have to contend: just compensation for Priests with wives and families, divorces which may occur, scandals of marital abuse, infidelity or misdeeds by errant children.
In addition, a married Priesthood certainly will raise the curtain on a question that is beginning to haunt the Church which thus far has been sadly insufficient in providing a clear and cogent response, and that is the question of the ordination of women to the Priesthood.
Thus far, Popes have considered it within the realm of the Petrine Office alone to answer "no" to the question of women’s ordination.
I believe the question must best be answered within the forum of the Church’s most formal magisterial authority, that of an ecumenical council.
In fact, I believe the entire question of the future face of the Priesthood should be the subject of reflection and discretion within the context of what I hope may be “Vatican III”.
Anyone who believes that the ordination of married men that may be permitted in the Amazon will remain only in the Amazon is a fool.
I place in evidence the re-institution of the Permanent Diaconate and the thousands of married Deacons ministering throughout the world, most prolifically in the United States!
Only the Providence of the Holy Spirit knows if Pope Francis will be alive and still vital when the 2019 Synod is scheduled to take place.
However, begging the Spirit’s indulgence, I am inclined to believe that, should Francis not survive that meeting, the Synod itself will be cancelled, never to be convened -- neo-conservative reactionaries would never permit it in the wake of Francis' passing.
However, should Pope Francis be alive and permit the ordination of married men in the Amazon, he must be prepared to call a council to resolve the furor which will result from such a concession.
We are standing at the threshold of unchartered waters the Barque of Peter may have to navigate.
“Amazonia: New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology,” is the official preparatory document for the October 2019 synod on the Pan-Amazonian region of South America, which includes parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela and Suriname.
Key themes for the meeting will be the rights and traditions of indigenous people, the role of women in the Church and efforts to find “new ways” to provide greater access to the Eucharist in response to “the cry of thousands of communities deprived of the Sunday Eucharist for long periods of time.”
The text stresses the importance of creating the possibility “for all the baptized to participate in the Sunday Mass.”
Most curious to me is the fact that the document speaks of “a Church with an Amazonian face and a Church with a native face.”
It further stresses that “new ways should be considered for the People of God to have better and more frequent access to the Eucharist, the center of Christian life.”
In March 2017, Pope Francis suggested openness to the possibility that married men of proven virtue might be ordained Priests in some Roman Catholic dioceses where there are few Priests.
Those comments sparked speculation that the Pan-Amazonian synod could open the door to the ordination of married men of proven virtue universally.
My question is: why not?
What is so unique to the Amazon when it comes to parochial communities being deprived of adequate pastoral and sacramental care due to a critical shortage of Priests?
In earlier articles, I have discussed the question of a married Priesthood in the Latin Church and have insisted that a return to this most ancient tradition is a certainty in the the future of the Church.
But I have also noted that the Church best be mature in its decision to re-institute this most ancient custom.
With a married Priesthood, the Church will need to honestly and compassionately address the real issues with which it will have to contend: just compensation for Priests with wives and families, divorces which may occur, scandals of marital abuse, infidelity or misdeeds by errant children.
In addition, a married Priesthood certainly will raise the curtain on a question that is beginning to haunt the Church which thus far has been sadly insufficient in providing a clear and cogent response, and that is the question of the ordination of women to the Priesthood.
Thus far, Popes have considered it within the realm of the Petrine Office alone to answer "no" to the question of women’s ordination.
I believe the question must best be answered within the forum of the Church’s most formal magisterial authority, that of an ecumenical council.
In fact, I believe the entire question of the future face of the Priesthood should be the subject of reflection and discretion within the context of what I hope may be “Vatican III”.
Anyone who believes that the ordination of married men that may be permitted in the Amazon will remain only in the Amazon is a fool.
I place in evidence the re-institution of the Permanent Diaconate and the thousands of married Deacons ministering throughout the world, most prolifically in the United States!
Only the Providence of the Holy Spirit knows if Pope Francis will be alive and still vital when the 2019 Synod is scheduled to take place.
However, begging the Spirit’s indulgence, I am inclined to believe that, should Francis not survive that meeting, the Synod itself will be cancelled, never to be convened -- neo-conservative reactionaries would never permit it in the wake of Francis' passing.
However, should Pope Francis be alive and permit the ordination of married men in the Amazon, he must be prepared to call a council to resolve the furor which will result from such a concession.
We are standing at the threshold of unchartered waters the Barque of Peter may have to navigate.
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
LEAVING FOR SAN DIEGO TODAY -- WILL RETURN ON JUNE 12 AND RECOMMENCE POSTS
Today, I am leaving to visit a dear Priest-friend and travelling companion who lives in San Diego, just a six hour drive from my front door.
While in that beautiful city, I will also celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Marriage with a couple who have been my dear friends almost as long as they themselves have been married. What a beautiful testament to fidelity and love their marriage truly is and remains.
I shall not be posting articles in my absence from home, but shall return on Tuesday, June 12. and return to my regular posting schedule until my next absence whenever that may occur.
Thank you, readers all, for your constant support and faithful following of this blogsite.
God bless you, each and everyone!
While in that beautiful city, I will also celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Marriage with a couple who have been my dear friends almost as long as they themselves have been married. What a beautiful testament to fidelity and love their marriage truly is and remains.
I shall not be posting articles in my absence from home, but shall return on Tuesday, June 12. and return to my regular posting schedule until my next absence whenever that may occur.
Thank you, readers all, for your constant support and faithful following of this blogsite.
God bless you, each and everyone!
PREPARATORY DOCUMENT FOR SPECIAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOP FOR THE PANAMAZON REGION TO BE RELEASED ON FRIDAY
The Vatican Press Office today advised journalists that on Friday, June 8, the Preparatory Document for the Special Assembly of the Bishops for the Panamazon Region will be presented to the public.
This presentation has been long awaited, especially since there has been much speculation that the Bishops of the Panamazonian Region have voiced their encouragement to the Holy Father to consider the Ordination of married men of proven virtue to provide the Sacraments to the people in areas deprived of the pastoral care of Priests.
I shall be away until next week. However, I shall follow this news story with eager attention and write of it upon my return.
Let us pray that the document is the product of serious reflection, aided by the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the good of the Church.
This presentation has been long awaited, especially since there has been much speculation that the Bishops of the Panamazonian Region have voiced their encouragement to the Holy Father to consider the Ordination of married men of proven virtue to provide the Sacraments to the people in areas deprived of the pastoral care of Priests.
I shall be away until next week. However, I shall follow this news story with eager attention and write of it upon my return.
Let us pray that the document is the product of serious reflection, aided by the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the good of the Church.
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
THE ABBREVIATED ANNULMENT PROCESS: PART OF THE ESSENTIAL CANONICAL MISSION OF THE DIOCESAN BISHOP
It has been almost two years since the Holy Father issued two Motu Proprio providing for an expedited annulment process in particular cases.
I thought it would be beneficial to hear again what Pope Francis said to members of the Apostolic Tribunal and participants in a training course for clerics and the laity regarding the new marriage annulment process at the time the new legislation was promulgated.
The Holy Father declared, "The Bishop is father, head and judge of the faithful."
Pope Francis further stated: “ I have decided, as Bishop of Rome and Successor of Peter, to definitively clarify some of the fundamental aspects of the two Motu Proprios, in particular the role of the diocesan Bishop as the personal and sole judge in the Processus breviore (abbreviated case).”
The Pope continued: “The diocesan Bishop has always been Iudex unum et idem cum Vicario iudiciali (one and the same judge with the Judicial Vicar, the chief judge of the diocese); but this principle has been interpreted in a de facto manner which has excluded the diocesan Bishop from the personal exercise of his office by delegating almost everything to the Tribunal.”
Accordingly, the Holy Father stipulated that the following principles are to be observed in accord with the legislation governing the abbreviated process:
1) the diocesan Bishop is, by virtue of his pastoral office, is to be the personal and sole judge in the abbreviated process;
2) Therefore the role of the diocesan Bishop-judge is the investigate, weigh the evidence and make a discreet judgment;
3) for validity, the abbreviated process requires two inseparable conditions: membership in the episcopate and status as head of a diocesan community of faithful. If either of the two conditions is lacking, the abbreviated process cannot take place. The instance must be adjudicated through the ordinary process.
4) The exclusive and personal competence of the diocesan Bishop, established in the fundamental criteria of the abbreviated process, makes direct reference to the ecclesiology of Vatican II, which reminds us that the Bishop alone already has, in consecration, the fullness of all the power to carry out his canonical mission;
5) the abbreviated process is not an option that the diocesan Bishop can choose but is an obligation that comes to him by way of his consecration and the mission received. He has exclusive competence in the three phases of the abbreviated process:
— the case is always addressed to the diocesan Bishop;
— the diocesan Bishop conducts the investigation;
— the decision is to be pronounced (having only God before him) always and only by the diocesan Bishop.
6) entrusting the entire abbreviated process to the inter-diocesan Tribunal would lead to the distortion of facts and diminish the figure of the Bishop father, head and judge of his faithful, to a mere signatory of the sentence;
7) mercy, requires that the diocesan Bishop initiate the abbreviated process as quickly as possible; should he then feel unprepared to implement it immediately, he must remand the case to the ordinary process, which, however, must be conducted with due attentiveness.
8) closeness and gratuitousness are needed by the poor, whom the Church must love above all things;
9) in receiving an appeal contesting an affirmative sentence in the abbreviated process, it is specified that the new law has conferred upon the Dean of the Rota a new and therefore fundamental power to judge regarding the rejection or admission of the appeal.
In the conclusion of his remarks, the Holy Father reiterated that the abbreviated process is to occur without seeking the permission or authorization of another Institution or of the Apostolic Signatura.
Clearly, Pope Francis’ vision of the diocesan Bishop as the Vicar of Christ in the particular church entrusted to his care is that of Vatican II (Christus Dominus).
This address will most likely be among the most historic of all the reforms of Francis’ Pontificate.
In a future article, I shall offer some insight into how the abbreviated process has been accepted and conducted by diocesan Bishops since the Pope promulgated this remarkable reform in the processing of annulment cases.
We shall see how the Bishops have proven themselves worthy of the grave sacramental and spiritual responsibility which the Holy Father reminded them is an essential part of their episcopal office.
I thought it would be beneficial to hear again what Pope Francis said to members of the Apostolic Tribunal and participants in a training course for clerics and the laity regarding the new marriage annulment process at the time the new legislation was promulgated.
The Holy Father declared, "The Bishop is father, head and judge of the faithful."
Pope Francis further stated: “ I have decided, as Bishop of Rome and Successor of Peter, to definitively clarify some of the fundamental aspects of the two Motu Proprios, in particular the role of the diocesan Bishop as the personal and sole judge in the Processus breviore (abbreviated case).”
The Pope continued: “The diocesan Bishop has always been Iudex unum et idem cum Vicario iudiciali (one and the same judge with the Judicial Vicar, the chief judge of the diocese); but this principle has been interpreted in a de facto manner which has excluded the diocesan Bishop from the personal exercise of his office by delegating almost everything to the Tribunal.”
Accordingly, the Holy Father stipulated that the following principles are to be observed in accord with the legislation governing the abbreviated process:
1) the diocesan Bishop is, by virtue of his pastoral office, is to be the personal and sole judge in the abbreviated process;
2) Therefore the role of the diocesan Bishop-judge is the investigate, weigh the evidence and make a discreet judgment;
3) for validity, the abbreviated process requires two inseparable conditions: membership in the episcopate and status as head of a diocesan community of faithful. If either of the two conditions is lacking, the abbreviated process cannot take place. The instance must be adjudicated through the ordinary process.
4) The exclusive and personal competence of the diocesan Bishop, established in the fundamental criteria of the abbreviated process, makes direct reference to the ecclesiology of Vatican II, which reminds us that the Bishop alone already has, in consecration, the fullness of all the power to carry out his canonical mission;
5) the abbreviated process is not an option that the diocesan Bishop can choose but is an obligation that comes to him by way of his consecration and the mission received. He has exclusive competence in the three phases of the abbreviated process:
— the case is always addressed to the diocesan Bishop;
— the diocesan Bishop conducts the investigation;
— the decision is to be pronounced (having only God before him) always and only by the diocesan Bishop.
6) entrusting the entire abbreviated process to the inter-diocesan Tribunal would lead to the distortion of facts and diminish the figure of the Bishop father, head and judge of his faithful, to a mere signatory of the sentence;
7) mercy, requires that the diocesan Bishop initiate the abbreviated process as quickly as possible; should he then feel unprepared to implement it immediately, he must remand the case to the ordinary process, which, however, must be conducted with due attentiveness.
8) closeness and gratuitousness are needed by the poor, whom the Church must love above all things;
9) in receiving an appeal contesting an affirmative sentence in the abbreviated process, it is specified that the new law has conferred upon the Dean of the Rota a new and therefore fundamental power to judge regarding the rejection or admission of the appeal.
In the conclusion of his remarks, the Holy Father reiterated that the abbreviated process is to occur without seeking the permission or authorization of another Institution or of the Apostolic Signatura.
Clearly, Pope Francis’ vision of the diocesan Bishop as the Vicar of Christ in the particular church entrusted to his care is that of Vatican II (Christus Dominus).
This address will most likely be among the most historic of all the reforms of Francis’ Pontificate.
In a future article, I shall offer some insight into how the abbreviated process has been accepted and conducted by diocesan Bishops since the Pope promulgated this remarkable reform in the processing of annulment cases.
We shall see how the Bishops have proven themselves worthy of the grave sacramental and spiritual responsibility which the Holy Father reminded them is an essential part of their episcopal office.
POPULAR FALLACIES IN TODAY'S CHURCH Part Three and Conclusion: Bishops and Pastors Are Appointed for their Administrative Skills
I conclude my reflection on fallacies in today’s church with perhaps the most common fallacy of all.
Fallacy # 3: Bishops and Pastors are appointed on the basis of their administrative skills.
The simple truth is that most Bishops and Pastors are not able to make the transition from worker to manager.
Workers have a job and are expected to do it. Although the job may often require working closely with others, ultimately the worker is responsible only for himself.
When a worker becomes a manager, everything changes. The manager now becomes responsible for the results of a group and not just himself.
Becoming a manager requires the development of a whole new set of business skills – people skills. Some of the most talented Priests become the worst Bishops or Pastors because they fail to make the transition from worker to manager.
To be an effective administrator certain skills and talents are required. Permit me to list several.
1) Communication
Information is power. Clear, appropriate communication is not only key to being a successful manager, it is also key to being a successful diocesan or parochial community. It empowers people to make informed independent and effective decisions.
So often, decisions are made by an elite few, be they a coterie of diocesan officials or members of parish councils, who have little or no practical experience or knowledge either of what needs to be addressed or the resources that are within the community to address the issue.
Listening sessions within the community are then called under the guise of seeking collective counsel when a decision has already been made.
Bishops and Pastors mistake announcing decisions made in the absence of those affected as being adequate communication necessary to achieve desired results.
The result is frustration among the members of the community who are like to oppose or become obstinate in offering their support or acceptance of decisions made without their input.
Bishops and Pastors need to develop listening skills, understanding that it is often what is not said that is just as important as what is said.
2) Explaining the Bigger Picture
Oftentimes, Bishops and Pastors ask their respective communities to work on tasks they do not comprehend or understand.
As administrators, Bishops and Pastors need to explain what the project is all about, assign individual tasks, the benefit and the importance of each, the project’s value to the whole diocese or parish, and this individual effort or project will serve the ministry of the Church.
3) Setting Achievable Goals
Bishops and Pastors need to set clear goals which are achievable and can be measured.
This requires communication, listening first and then speaking, to determine the vision of the the future and how this project or effort fits into achieving that vision.
All along the way, success needs to be measured by attainable and measurable goals in order to motivate the community as its faces the challenges which need to be addressed. Without these measurable goals, the project or task can become a disastrous failure.
4) Taking Responsibility
Bishops and Pastors must accept responsibility for what happens under their guidance, the good as well as the bad.
Accountability by those in leadership inspires the greatest trust and fidelity within the community.
5) Adapting
This is perhaps the greatest failure of many Bishops and Pastors, as well as what continues to be the inability of the Church itself to remain relevant in the lives of contemporary Catholics.
In uncertain times, playing it safe is unacceptable.
The 7 last words of any dying institution are: “We have always done it this way.”
Administrators must anticipate problems and prepare to respond to them.
Those who refuse to adapt are doomed to failure and extinction at worst, insignificance at best.
Bishops and Pastors need to be forward looking and remain flexible.
Sadly, Bishops and Pastors are often appointed not for having displayed any particular administrative skill or talent either because of who they know who will advocate their appointment for personal reasons or because a managerial position needs to be filled and they are next in line by reason of seniority.
Ever since his election, Pope Francis has been pleading Bishops and Pastors to “accompany” those entrusted to their care. The Holy Father consistently demonstrates his instinctive understanding and appreciation that being a Bishop or a Pastor is a 100% peoples ministry.
That means making time to listen and to empathize with the needs and sufferings of the faithful.
That means making the most meaningful and constructive contribution in providing their communities with not only the wisdom but the mercy and consolation of the Gospel.
It is a simple equation: the more administratively skillful the Bishop or Pastor, the more successful the community. It is a quid pro quo situation.
Perhaps, a willingness to admit and address this and the other fallacies I have commented upon may serve to provide the environment within the Church that is most receptive and responsive to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit and the Divine Province of Our Heavenly Father.
Fallacy # 3: Bishops and Pastors are appointed on the basis of their administrative skills.
The simple truth is that most Bishops and Pastors are not able to make the transition from worker to manager.
Workers have a job and are expected to do it. Although the job may often require working closely with others, ultimately the worker is responsible only for himself.
When a worker becomes a manager, everything changes. The manager now becomes responsible for the results of a group and not just himself.
Becoming a manager requires the development of a whole new set of business skills – people skills. Some of the most talented Priests become the worst Bishops or Pastors because they fail to make the transition from worker to manager.
To be an effective administrator certain skills and talents are required. Permit me to list several.
1) Communication
Information is power. Clear, appropriate communication is not only key to being a successful manager, it is also key to being a successful diocesan or parochial community. It empowers people to make informed independent and effective decisions.
So often, decisions are made by an elite few, be they a coterie of diocesan officials or members of parish councils, who have little or no practical experience or knowledge either of what needs to be addressed or the resources that are within the community to address the issue.
Listening sessions within the community are then called under the guise of seeking collective counsel when a decision has already been made.
Bishops and Pastors mistake announcing decisions made in the absence of those affected as being adequate communication necessary to achieve desired results.
The result is frustration among the members of the community who are like to oppose or become obstinate in offering their support or acceptance of decisions made without their input.
Bishops and Pastors need to develop listening skills, understanding that it is often what is not said that is just as important as what is said.
2) Explaining the Bigger Picture
Oftentimes, Bishops and Pastors ask their respective communities to work on tasks they do not comprehend or understand.
As administrators, Bishops and Pastors need to explain what the project is all about, assign individual tasks, the benefit and the importance of each, the project’s value to the whole diocese or parish, and this individual effort or project will serve the ministry of the Church.
3) Setting Achievable Goals
Bishops and Pastors need to set clear goals which are achievable and can be measured.
This requires communication, listening first and then speaking, to determine the vision of the the future and how this project or effort fits into achieving that vision.
All along the way, success needs to be measured by attainable and measurable goals in order to motivate the community as its faces the challenges which need to be addressed. Without these measurable goals, the project or task can become a disastrous failure.
4) Taking Responsibility
Bishops and Pastors must accept responsibility for what happens under their guidance, the good as well as the bad.
Accountability by those in leadership inspires the greatest trust and fidelity within the community.
5) Adapting
This is perhaps the greatest failure of many Bishops and Pastors, as well as what continues to be the inability of the Church itself to remain relevant in the lives of contemporary Catholics.
In uncertain times, playing it safe is unacceptable.
The 7 last words of any dying institution are: “We have always done it this way.”
Administrators must anticipate problems and prepare to respond to them.
Those who refuse to adapt are doomed to failure and extinction at worst, insignificance at best.
Bishops and Pastors need to be forward looking and remain flexible.
Sadly, Bishops and Pastors are often appointed not for having displayed any particular administrative skill or talent either because of who they know who will advocate their appointment for personal reasons or because a managerial position needs to be filled and they are next in line by reason of seniority.
Ever since his election, Pope Francis has been pleading Bishops and Pastors to “accompany” those entrusted to their care. The Holy Father consistently demonstrates his instinctive understanding and appreciation that being a Bishop or a Pastor is a 100% peoples ministry.
That means making time to listen and to empathize with the needs and sufferings of the faithful.
That means making the most meaningful and constructive contribution in providing their communities with not only the wisdom but the mercy and consolation of the Gospel.
It is a simple equation: the more administratively skillful the Bishop or Pastor, the more successful the community. It is a quid pro quo situation.
Perhaps, a willingness to admit and address this and the other fallacies I have commented upon may serve to provide the environment within the Church that is most receptive and responsive to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit and the Divine Province of Our Heavenly Father.
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