The denunciation of clericalism can no longer wait. And led by Pope Francis, the Catholic Church is reacting strongly. There are two faces of clericalism. One is the authoritarian priest who decides and does everything on his own. The other is the clericalised laity. These two major errors prevent the laity from developing the charisms Read more
The worldwide Catholic Church has now officially embarked on the “synodal process 2021-2023”. Pope Francis launched the project at the Vatican on October 10 with a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and bishops around the globe (though not all of them) inaugurated the process at the diocesan level the following Sunday with celebrations in their Read more
Lay Catholics’ exclusion from the Church’s decision making processes is leading nowhere good, says Ireland’s former president Mary McAleese. The Catholic Church is at a critical crossroads in its history. If it fails to choose the right path “it risks an enduring permafrost”, she says. “Many of us are in growing despair of our Church’s Read more
Pope Francis has urged a group of Italian seminarians to avoid clericalism and rigidity. He encouraged them to ask God for the gift of docility instead. “Clericalism is a perversion of the priesthood: it is a perversion. And rigidity is one of the manifestations,” the pope said June 10. “When I find a rigid seminarian Read more
Pope Francis elevated 13 new cardinals on Saturday making the College of Cardinals more representative of the universal Church. Only 11 cardinals participated in the consistory in St Peter’s Basilica all having been in quarantine for two weeks and all wore face masks during the ceremony. Two new cardinals who were unable to be physically Read more
There are many aspects to reform in the church. Different people and different reform groups, have their own take on what, or who, needs reform the most urgently. I must admit the recent article by Antonio Spadaro on Pope Francis has prompted me to think more about it.[1] I would like to share some of Read more
COVID-19’s impact on liturgical praxis has left us reeling! Significant liturgical decisions have left the liturgical ministry by all the baptised out in the cold and refocused the Mass as a clerical experience. John N. Collins addresses the issues of priest and presbyter and as a factor in clericalised worship decision in ‘“Is it just Read more
As the human race joins the rest of the planet in a struggle for survival, the church is also trying to find its footing. Why? Clericalism. For too long — say, 800 to 1,000 years — the sacramental life of the church has been under priestly lock and key. Around the 10th century, the custom Read more
“Instead of watching Mass on the computer, why don’t we read from the Bible together?” That’s how our eight-year old daughter reacted last Sunday when we gathered to watch the celebration of Mass at home, where we’ve been self-quarantined since last week. From the mouths of babes… Our daughter is used to seeing me as Read more
A paternalistic attitude within the Church that devalues laypeople and puts clergy on a pedestal is worse than clericalism says German Jesuit priest Hans Zollner. Zollner is one of the Church’s leading experts in child protection. There are two sides to this problem, Zollner says. One is with “the hierarchy not involving the gifts of Read more