Dear Parishioners,

Frequently these days the term "dysfunctional" is used of individuals, families and institutions. Sometimes effective and sometimes not, it is an effort to name built-in patterns of behavior that are ultimately destructive. The term has even been used of the institutional Church. That's a little unsettling at first, because we believe that the side of Church which is Spirit-driven and gospel-faithful can never be anything but healthy and life-giving. But it is part of our traditional Catholic faith to believe that the Church in its humanness can be quite mistaken, misguided, corrupt and, yes, even "dysfunctional." One of the more famous symptoms is denial, the refusal to admit or discuss real problems. AA and Alanon groups refer to "the elephant in the middle of the room," a problem everyone knows is there but no one ever mentions. Over the last year at least three issues (are they "elephants in the middle of the room?") have been addressed in the Church not just by journalists, critics and gum chewing Catholics, but by the hierarchy, prominent Bishops and leaders of our Church at its management level.

(1) Divorced, Remarried Catholics and Communion - In the fall of 1993 three prominent, conservative and highly respected German Bishops issued a joint statement that divorced and remarried Catholics should receive pastoral help and not be banned from the sacraments; that is a position, I suspect, which has the silent approval of the majority of other bishops and almost all moral theologians. The three bishops made several visits to the Vatican to discuss their views. Last fall, the Vatican issued its response that any previous marriage should first be annulled. The president of the German bishop's conference has responded that this is "a harsh answer," and it is clear the bishops do not see the discussion as over or the possibility of more open pastoral approaches ruled out.

(2) Celibacy and the Priesthood - Irish Bishops are speaking out! Bishop Comiskey of Ferns recently declared that we must "start seriously considering" a change to allow married priests. Bishop Walsh of Killaloe commented that he saw no conflict between a man being a priest and husband and father as well. Meanwhile, Cardinal Martini of Milan called celibacy a historical decision that could be reconsidered, and the retired Cardinal of Vienna recommended a change.

(3) Silence in the Official Church - Last month 40 U.S. Bishops endorsed a 12 page statement calling for a more open discussion between Bishops' conferences and Rome on controversial issues. It questioned whether "collegiality" was a reality or an illusion. The examples it gave included changes by Vatican officials of U.S. statements on women, on the translation to English of the Catholic Catechism, and on women's ordination. All without any prior discussion or consultation with the U.S. Bishops' Conference.

Discussion rather than denial seems to me to be both healthy and holy. Even though the examples are limited to the past rather than the present, Pope John Paul has given considerable leadership here. In an address to the College of Cardinals last year, he called for public acknowledgement of past errors. He has confessed error in the Galileo case, drawn a straight line between methods of the Inquisition and those of Stalin and Hitler, called the Church to correct the record on John Huss, Church reformer burned at the stake in 1415; he has deplored the Church's involvement in the slave trade, asked pardon for the Church's failure to bring just treatment to the native peoples of the Americas, condemned the excesses of the Crusades and visited a Roman synagogue to apologize for the wrongs of the Inquisition.

Being "dysfunctional" sure gives you a lot to talk about!

Your Pastor,
Brian T. Joyce