Currently the Church, in various parts of the world, is feeling the heat of the acknowledgement of sexual abuse and abuse of power in leadership, particularly by our brother priests and bishops as the spotlight is focused on countries such as Ireland, Germany, Holland and other parts of Europe. North America, Canada and Australia continue to experience the crucible of this experience that significantly affects our church and particularly our priestly ministry. This is not to deny, in the process, that some of our brother priests have been falsely accused nor that in some cases there appears to have been almost a hysterical witch-hunt of allegations yet to be proven.

We can rightly debate the simplistic assumptions made by some, for example: Catholic priests are more likely to be paedophiles than other groups of men; the celibate state of priests leads to paedophilia; or that paedophilia is more common amongst those of homosexual orientation than heterosexual; or that abuse would be less likely if we had married priests (and many more). Nevertheless, we as a church (all who are baptised) still have to face up to the reality that this issue has done great harm not only to the Church’s reputation but has also made it difficult for evangelisation. We are called to acknowledge our individual and collective responsibility for this situation, confess our sinfulness and repent as part of the institution of the Church and hope that this ordeal will purify us so that we will be a more humble, less arrogant and self-righteous Church in the future.

Gerry O’Hanlon, former Provincial of the Jesuits in Ireland, wrote in the English Tablet (16 February) “What has happened in our Church as a result of this problematic relationship between sex and power is that there has developed a culture of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ as described in the Murphy report in relation to clerical child sexual abuse. But it is much more pervasive than this one issue. Catholics who have questioned this relationship have been ignored – sometimes silenced, more often simply regarded by the establishment as disloyal. This has resulted in an intellectual mediocrity and a culture in which often good people (lay, religious and clerical) keep quiet instead of submitting beliefs to intelligent scrutiny. And it is out of this mistaken culture of loyalty that the pool of bishops is replenished, thus perpetuating the institutional blind spot.”

On a more optimistic note, our convention registrations are already in excess of 200. I am looking foward to listening to our wonderful array of guest speakers, featuring:

• Fr Donald Cozzens author of The Changing Face of the Priesthood, Freeing Celibacy and Faith That Dares to Speak and many other reflections;
• Dr Richard Lennan, priest of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, lecturing at Boston College. Richard’s specialty is ecclesiology;
• Dr David Tacey, Associate Professor at La Trobe University, Melbourne, teaching literature, spirituality and Jungian psychology. He is the author of the books Edge of the Sacred and ReEnchantment: The New Australian Spirituality;
• Ms Geraldine Doogue & Ms Caroline Jones, ABC commentators and presenters;
• Numerous presenters of focus groups.

This year is shaping up to be one of our best conventions ever. There are still a few spaces available so get your registrations in as soon as possible.

The NCP executive recently met with the Bishops Commission for Church Ministry. We discussed the issues of: liturgical reform; the acculturation of newly arrived priests; the Church and IT; and professional care for priests. Further reports about this meeting will be given in the next members’ bulletin.

This edition marks the beginning of the cooperative editorship of Hal Ranger and Peter Maher who have kindly agreed to take this task on for two years. On your behalf I express our thanks to them both for taking on this important and essential task with the assistance of our National Office staff. Special thanks go to Rob Egar and Bob Wilkinson for their wonderful guest co-editorship of this journal in the interim period. Many favourable comments have been received from across Australia.

As we approach Easter may the Risen Lord renew our faith, inspire our hope and enrich our love.

Ian McGinnity