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By Paul Collins
October 3, 2008
Catholics for Ministry is not the only organization asking bishops to confront the shortage of priests. The US-based VOTF (Voice of the Faithful), a lay organization which was set-up in the wake of the sexual abuse scandals, particularly in Boston, have written to Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, a Capuchin friar who is presently archbishop of Boston. O'Malley was appointed to replace Cardinal Bernard Law who was removed to Rome after his scandalous failure to deal with the abuse crisis which eventually overwhelemed the archdiocese. The letter is addressed to O'Malley as the chair of the US Bishops' Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.
VOTF told O'Malley that the priest shortage in the US 'compromises the ability of the faith community to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist.' They asked him and his fellow bishops to 'use [their] pastoral and apostolic authority to call for a serious ecclesial review of mandatory celibacy for diocesan priests ... We have seen a 60% drop in vocations in the past forty years, adding considerably to the workload stress of an already overburdened and aging priesthood ... More is being written about priests' health and well-being, with increased reports of stress, depression, heart attacks and even suicide. We express our growing concern about how difficult it can be to work and live in a clerical culture that on some deep and profound levels seems to be unhealthy and dysfunctional.'
Concern was also expressed about the link between mandatory celibacy and clericalism 'which enables church leadership to put the needs of the institution ahead of the needs of the faithful, including victims of clerical sexual abuse ... [and] ahead of the need for due process and justice for priests accused of such abuse.' The letter bluntly tells O'Malley that the solutions that the bishops put forward - importing priests from poor countries, substituting Communion services for Mass, lowering admission standards for seminaries and asking priests to look after multiple parishes - 'fail to address the long-term systemic issues that are at the root of the problem.'
CfM wishes VOTF good luck and God's blessing in their attempt to get the US Bishops to address these issues in a pastoral way. But the omens are not good if the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference is anything to go by.
And just another item of interest to Vatican watchers ....
Benedict XVI has done very little since he was elected pope, and that is probably a good thing after his hyper-active predecessor. But one thing has become clear: he is determined to reverse at least some of the reforms of the liturgy of Vatican II. This was shown vividly in late- September when in a little-noticed move, he replaced all of the former consultants of the Office of Liturgical Celebrations in the Vatican. This is the outfit that runs papal liturgical services, but which also sets the model for Rome- conscious bishops.
The former head of the office, Archbishop Piero Marini, a man wedded to Vatican II liturgical reforms, was replaced in November last year by Monsignor Guido Marini (no relation). We saw Marini the Second in action with B16 during World Youth Day in July in Sydney. A sure sign that the good Monsignor doesn't approve of Vatican II liturgy is that he wears a lace surplice (a kind of cut-off alb that resembles a short maternity dress). Well, he's been joined by a lot more lace surplice types in the Office of Liturgical Celebrations, among them an Opus Dei priest and another clergyman from the Legionaries of Christ, as well as by another clercial chap who believes we should be facing east during Mass and who wrote a book about the topic.
All of this liturgical claptrap, of course, is going to come to a head next year when the new "literal" translation of the Latin of the Mass is going to be imposed on the English-speakin
Below is a picture of Monsignor Guido Marini the Second
