Voice of the faithful falls on deaf ears

The Pope is coming to town this week.

The timing of His Eminence's trip is an interesting one because it seems that many of his faithful are eager for his spiritual guidance. In fact, some are now crying out because their local parishes have fallen on hard times as well. They are hoping for a little acknowledgment that their church is going through a time of pain and uncertainty.

The fact that hundreds of parishes are being shuttered and consolidated shouldn't be all that surprising. There's a shortage of priests, continued fallout from the sexual abuse scandal of a few years back, and now, insufficient funds to maintain aging infrastructures. And, all of this is completely inter-related.

The net result is that many Catholics across the country are demanding more financial accountability from their bishops, while also wanting a real say as to what happens next to their parishes. On top of that, the Vatican has given these same bishops the arduous task of becoming joint cheerleaders/spiritual recruiters to inspire (or convince) candidates to enter the priesthood. According to bishops such as Joseph Galante in Camden, "...this has led to many parishioners becoming more confrontational with their leaders about the church's direction."

Is the Catholic Church in crisis? I'd say so. I believe that its fundamental inability to change with the times after the scandals (on issues like celibacy, gender and marital status of priests to name a few) continues to create negative vibes with the masses.

The conservative nature of this Pope won't dictate any real change on that front. But, if he's at all tuned into his "flock's" pain here, this Pope will at least open up his ears to their concerns, and speak publicly about the need and his desire to reconnect with Catholics across the country. I’m sure, this public support would go a long way with his bishops to stop this precipitous fall.

Comments

[Jeff Kasko]

Ed, you make some great points. Yes, the Church is in crisis - and the Pope should open his ears, speak publicly about some of these things, and reconnect with his flock. He did address the sex abuse scandal on his trip here, and I hope there's more comments and healing messages to come.

I had the priviledge of being a guest at the Pope's White House arrival ceremony yesterday. He's a very learned and sincere church leader, I think, but it's clear, from a PR perspective, he's no John Paul II. He is a theologian more than a pastor. And he just doesn't have the charisma, charm, or communications skills that the great pope from Poland possessed!

Making some of these changes (celibacy, married or women priests), isn't going to happen anytime soon. If any of these were changed, there would be schism and no pope can let that happen.

BTW, the pope is addressed as "his holiness." A cardinal is addressed as "his eminence" and a bishop as "his excellency." Just a clarification from a Catholic who learned these things as a kid when I mixed them up! :)

[ed]

His Holiness is having quite a week, Jeff.

Thanks for the feedback.

Ed