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A little over a year ago, the
Cburch's govemment was severely
criticized in a statement signed by
thirty-three priests and theologians
from seven countries (Austria, Can–
ada, Germany, Holland , Spain,
Switzerland, the United States).
Tbey outlined a burgeoníng Vatican
credibility gap and a serious crisis of
autbority plaguing the Cburcb.
They disapproved of tbe absolute
power invested in the hierarchy and
the anachronous system of eccle–
siastical government. Furthermore,
they called upon Catholics to take
the initiative and act, to unite in the
greatest numbers possible in order
to exercise sufficient pressure for
change. One Roman newspaper
considered this manífesto as the se–
verest criticism of the ecclesiastical
system and its methods of govemment
ever made from within tbe Church.
Clergy and laity alike want to see
the Pope delegate more power to
tbe lower levels of the organíza–
tional ladder, and they hope to see
the greater democratízation of eccle–
siastical institutions.
lt
is not that
the priests are against power; they
simply want to sbare more of it.
Cardinals and bishops, however, are
not as quick to lend support to a
wider distribution of power. An
ideological conllict on the nature
and forro of church government is
brewing.
Certain priests feel not only that
the Vatican has failed to delegate
enough authority, but also that it
has not etfectively used its available
power. This has generated insecurity
as well as frustration. In the eyes of
sorne, Pope Paul has not offered the
inspiring, decisive leadership that
the Church needs, especially in this
time of crisis. Swiss Catholic priest
and avant-garde theologian, Hans
Kung, has been one of the Pope's
foremost cri tics in this regard. In his
estimation, Pope Paul does not exer–
cise any real spiritual Ieadership in
today's Church, nor has he been ef–
fective or strong in dealing with the
crucial issues.
One of America's most widely
PLAIN TRUTH
June
1973
known Catbolic spokesmen, priest–
sociologist Andrew Greeley, has la–
beled the present leadership of tbe
Church as "morally, intellectually
and religiously bankrupt." As he
sees it, celibacy is not the really big
problem the Vatican faces from its
clergy, but rather, the clergy's lack
of confidence in the authority of tbe
church. In bis words, "Many priests
under forty no longer believe a
thing that the collective hierarchy
says, no longer take seriously any of
their instructions and no longer
have any confidence in their capac–
ity to lead."
Rumblings nearly everywhere
from the clergy call for the Church
to have a greater willíngness to dele–
gate more responsibility and power
to al! levels ofCatholicism. A host of
differences place the priesthood and
the hierarchy on a collision course
in what could weU prove to be a
severe test of papal authority in the
very near future.
A Realistic View
Catholics themselves freely admit
and comment on the present crisis
in their Church. In an interview
granted to Vatican Radio last Octo–
ber, Cardinal Daníelou asserted that
the Churcb was "in the presence of
a very serious crisis of religioús life.
One cannot speak of renaissance
but of decadence .... This crisis is
manifest in all areas."
Referring to the current state of
the Church, Andrew Greeley said,
"I am afraid that very many priests
in the world agree that they feel the
ship is adrift without any firm hand
on the tiller."
Hans Kung has compared the
present situation of the Church witb
the one it faced just prior
to
the
Reformation.
Without a doubt, the crisis is here,
but
it
must be viewed realis tically.
Droves of priests are not now on the
brínk of resigning en masse any
more than flocks of !ay members are
on the verge of stampeding out of
the Church. Many Catholics are still
devoted to their faith and loyal to
the pope. The majority of priests
have no intention of abandoníng
theír vocation.
But what is significant is the fact
that priests who quit and laymen
who balk at Catholic dogma and
authority are increasing at an accel–
erated rate that would have been
unthinkable a few years ago. If left
unchecked, these trends portend
grim consequences for the Catholic
Church.
Keeping Up With the Times?
A Church that has been slow to
change suddenly finds herself in a
world that is changing faster than
ever before. In order to survive as a
meaningful institution, she may be
forced to adapt to changing condi–
tions almost as rapidly and dynam–
ically as progressives would like. To
be sure, Paul VI has already taken
slow but definite steps toward mak–
ing Church structure and practice
more palatable for twentieth-cen–
tury Catholics.
The long-standing cold war be–
tween Catholics and Protestants has
thawed considerably, thanks to the
efforts of Paul VI in the ecumenical
field . He has fostered an entirely
new attitude toward Protestants
with the accent placed on a
common
faith
-
rather than on the different
interpretations of that faith.
This attitude can be seen in both
England and the United States in
the recent publication of the Com–
mon Bible. This is the first English–
language Bible text that has been
mutually sanctioned by Roman
Catholic, Protes tant and Orthodox
Churches.
Although the complex obstacles
to total unity of Protestants and
Catholics s till appear insur–
mountable, understandíng between
the two groups is running higher
than at any time since the schisma–
tic events of 1517.
A Change in Leadership?
Since coming to the pontificate,
Paul VI has sponsored numerous in-
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