Fixing the Church

We all need to take responsibility for the future renewal of the Church, writes John Morgan in this paper. This responsibility however begins with the individual Christian engaging on a process of daily renewal. Renewing ourselves and our families and our friends is the essence of Christian living and though we fail regularly to attain it, we are called to strive for it.

In calling for an annual day of reparation in the Irish Church, Mr Morgan raises an inviting prospect. This day would not be a day of guilt for Catholics who were not involved in the cover-up of abuse, but an opportunity for all the Christian community to acknowledge all the hurt felt by those abused by an arrogant clericalist institutional Church, and for those abused in families and throughout society by others who are not connected with the Church. Given that clergy account for approximately 4% of abuse, Irish society has a long way to go to rooting out this evil in our midst.

We are being constantly reminded that the laity are the People of God but very little is being done to listen to that voice. In all the hand wringing and hand clasping about the ongoing crisis in the Irish Catholic Church, very few voices appear to see the hand of God in the change which is washing over us.

Catholics are tired of the scandals, tired of some quarters in the media who want to use the scandals to kick the Church out of education and public life, who want to silence one of the few voices that can still speak up for the weakest members of society and the most marginalised.

There is a deep desire for a new model of Church, closer to her roots, a Church explicitly recognised as a fellowship, a communion, a family of believers, a visibly more humble Church in its actions as Mr Morgan points out. A simpler Church, a more transparent Church but also a church that values its clergy rather than looks to the day when they will be replaced. A renewed Church will be a Church that has a balanced relationship between laity and clergy.