In May this year I celebrated my 40th anniversary with family, friends and parishioners in Eltham parish, 25 kilometres out of Melbourne. My first PP Lou Heriot preached magnificently as he did at my first Mass in Essendon in 1970, when he began by saying “God’s a gambler taking on a Burke as a priest.” I found the experience, especially parishioners’ responses, to be very affirming and everyone seems to have enjoyed the day.

Recently I wrote an article for our parish’s magazine as I reflected upon those forty years. I decided it was time to “out” myself, having been in the parish for two and a half years on a challenging and volatile adventure.

I was ordained in 1970, just five years after the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) which helped to open up the windows and let God’s powerful and life-giving Spirit flow freely. It was an exciting time and there were great hopes with a new and dynamic vision being presented to us. For nearly all of my first 25 years Archbishop Frank Little led our great Archdiocese in his gentle and caring way. He was a humble, kind and prayerful man. I know he was hurt by suggestions that he was a “dolittle” (a view promoted by the right, conservative elements of the Melbourne church), but his approach was to “let all flowers bloom” and he appointed visionary and dynamic priests to head up Catholic Education Office, ministry to priests, liturgy, social services and pastoral planning responsibilities. I believe that most priests felt a sense of freedom and personal responsibility in their ministry and appreciated the atmosphere and encouragement that Archbishop Little facilitated. From this open and supportive environment arose outstanding priests with pastoral zeal and prophetic vision such as Lou Heriot and Bob Maguire (my first two PP’s), and other “giants” of the Melbourne Church. Many of the priests and lay leaders appointed since those days are conservative, subservient people, light on humanity, spirituality or vision. The Melbourne church is poorer for it.

In 1999, our ministry to priests’ group invited Max Charlesworth and David Tacey, both impressive academics and Catholics, to address our priests’ conference, but then they were directed to “uninvite” them. This was an insult to them and us. The then Vicar General, representing the Archbishop, spoke to the conference. I publicly and vigorously expressed my disappointment. Were they worried that these men might lead us into heresy? I’m appalled at such smallminded, ideologically driven vision. In less than 15 years we’ve gone from an open hope-filled environment to a reactionary, closed one. We’ve gone from inspiration to exasperation, from aspiration to exhaustion. The context has shifted from invitation and encouragement to rubrics and regulations. I must say in all honesty that I felt more comfortable, more empowered and more supported in those times in the 70’s, 80’s and most of the 90’s than I have in the past 12-15 years. So what’s changed?

Them, me, us?

On a global level – the youthful enthusiasm, hopes and joys of these years after Vatican II called for a new sense of community and collegiality with a genuine sharing of the responsibilities for church leadership. Bishops were much more than Vatican puppets and could exercise their leadership with significant freedom without interference or pressure from above and truly respond to the needs of their people and priests and encourage them to exercise their ministries with similar freedom and personal responsibility. Collegiality is an exciting concept.

Sadly, that’s about as far as it goes. Today it’s just a concept, an idea promoted by the highest teaching authority in the church, a Council with Pope, Cardinals and Bishops participating. That’s probably the major sadness and regret of my 40 years of priestly service; that the reforms of Vatican II with their fresh, dynamic vision have been gradually and vigorously wound back. This continues to happen at both an international and local level. “To read the signs of the times”, we as a church community have to listen genuinely to what the enriching and dynamic Spirit of our Living God is saying to us. In our noisy and troubled world, we need the Spirit’s help to recognize and discern the voices of faith-filled people. There are prophets among us. The Spirit is stirring and speaking, perhaps whispering. Who’s listening?

In 1997 and 1999 I wrote very comprehensive and challenging letters to the Archbishop. On both occasions I expressed my grave concerns at the direction in which he was taking our great Archdiocese. I received no acknowledgement or response. At the recent national priests’ conference in Parramatta, USA, theologian and writer Donald Cozzens suggested that institutionally the Church is in strife because it still follows a feudal system of governance that demands blind loyalty and that worked well in the Middle Ages but is totally out of place today. I’m sure he’s right.

The voices are there to be heard. Three people of faith whose voices I’ve heard recently are 75 years and older.

• Lauri, a 76 year old parishioner – she’s quite a character. On my first visit she colourfully paid out on our church leaders, internationally and locally. I must have been unusually discreet as she commented on a later visit that I didn’t say much but she sensed I was with her.
• A parishioner gave me a 3 page article by a 75 year old Egyptian – Lebanese Jesuit priest, who wrote to the Pope three years ago: “I am addressing you directly because my heart bleeds at the sight of the abyss into which our Church is sinking today”. He lists nine examples as he reads “the signs of the times” for two pages then devotes page three to “Rethinking the Church’s Pastoral Approach in Today’s World” where he highlights the need for and advantages of reconstructing the parish. His last paragraph reads: “In conclusion, I would say that the Spirit calls us to reflect, to invent and innovate: to come out of our preconceived notions and our set categories; to risk a new pastoral approach that responds to the needs of our day. No more timidity, no more caution, no more hesitation. “Fear not” said John Paul II, “Fear not” says the Lord throughout the Bible. We must once again find the creativity and boldness of St. Paul. Will we remain prisoners of the past forever? Will we know how to invent the future?” I believe he is still awaiting a response to his three year old letter.
• On April 17th this year, theologian Hans Kung wrote an open letter to bishops of the world, as he urged them to speak out and exercise their rights as leaders with God given authority and responsibility for their people rather than meekly acquiesce to a dominating and inward looking Vatican bureaucracy. He believes the Church is in its worst credibility crisis since the Reformation.
• I’d like to add a fourth voice. I’ve read two articles about a talk by Redemptorist, South African Bishop Kevin Dowling. His themes are “A fear-based Church? Why so many Catholics are afraid to speak out” and “Catholic social teaching finds church leadership lacking”. His refreshing address was not only about what he called the “dismantling” of Second Vatican Council but also about overwhelming “pressure to conform”.

Some issues that have caused many priests and people to be extremely disappointed and frustrated are:

• the disgraceful debacle of the “Statement of Conclusions” for the Australian bishops’ “ad limina” visit in 1998
• the pastorally poor decision to ban general absolution in 1998
• the hugely damaging sexual abuse cases with the attempted cover ups
• the pathetic politics of the imposition of the translation of the new missal
• several general issues such as the appointment of cautious, conservative bishops lacking in vision and pastoral awareness who are more attuned to the voice of the Vatican than the voice of their people and priests.

Having visited 12,000 Catholic homes and having regular contact with a wide variety of friends, many of whom I knew as parishioners, I’ve been privileged to share deeply in many people’s lives and to hear them voicing their hopes, fears and pleas. I know quite a few theologically aware women of integrity who are holding onto the church by the skin of their teeth. I empathize with the pain they express in feeling so powerless and frustrated in a male dominated church and it saddens me that some have moved away from the church because they feel their voices are not being heard.

When people ask me why I stick with it I offer a John Wayne rough para phrase of Peter’s reply to Jesus, “It’s the best show in town”. (John 6/68)

While writing this article I received the sort of ‘phone call that I receive at least ten times a year, often revolving around a baptism, wedding or funeral but with complications that church law doesn’t always envisage. Today’s involved cemetery prayers for a stillborn child of a single mother, where the grandmother has drifted away from church practice. Most of them as she did, say or suggest, “you’re the only priest that I and/or my children remember.” She’s part of a huge group of former regular Catholics who have drifted away from the church in the past twenty or thirty years, some through indifference, others after agonizing pain. All of them need a pastoral, caring attitude when they call upon us in their time of need. I’d suggest they are the largest group in the church today.

We are people of the SPIRIT. Our fascinating biblical narrative reminds us again and again that the SPIRIT blows where it will. The Spirit was there from the first moment of creation. The Spirit inspired the prophets and took them and other leaders like Abraham, Moses and Jacob to experiences and places they neither anticipated nor desired; sometimes they strongly resisted. Jesus was “driven” by the Spirit into the desert wilderness to prepare him for his public ministry. At His baptism the Spirit confirmed Him as the beloved son of the Father. Jesus lived His entire life with an intense awareness that He was guided by the Spirit. His earthly life was finally completed when He “gave up His Spirit” into the hands of His Father.

The Spirit is wild. It is a powerful, lifegiving, enriching and challenging force. Perhaps some of our church leaders need to be reminded that the dynamic and energizing Spirit is beyond even their attempted control. The Spirit moves beyond our formal teaching our regulations and rubrics. It’s full of surprises and leads us into totally unexpected twists and turns. The Spirit gave the Church the loveable old man who became Pope John XXlll in 1958, politically seen as a compromise, short term leader. But he believed in the Spirit and convened the Second Vatican Council to open up the Church’s windows, to let in some badly needed fresh air, even if some are now frantically trying to slam those windows closed and bolt them down with reinforced steel. Fortunately, despite our desperate human efforts, the Spirit finds a way through our fear driven crises.

How do I know? The bible tells me so.

As does both my life and faith experiences.

• The Spirit led the courageous bishop Helder Camara of Recife, Brazil, before the Vatican sidelined him to say: “When I feed the starving, they call me a saint, when I ask “Why have the people nothing to eat, they call me a communist.”
• The Spirit led the cautious, conservative Oscar Romero, Archbishop of El Salvador to be transformed and “radicalized” as he saw his people and priests being killed by the authorities to be an heroic, inspiring leader, whose Christ-like death in his cathedral was a fitting culmination of his Spirit-filled conversion. • The Spirit that gave us the “miracle” of the first Pentecost has not deserted us. To this very day the Spirit pours out gifts and blessing and if our minds are open and our hearts are receptive then we, our church and our world will be renewed, transformed and enlightened.

I believe that if we start out with an honest and realistic assessment of where we are as a Church (and that’s where I part ways with many of our leaders) and if we can be guided and enlightened by the Spirit to be people of hope and vision, then we can move ahead with confidence and a renewed sense of purpose.

I’m an eternal optimist, loving life and priestly ministry and stimulated by a dynamic parish community, but at times I feel as though I’m a spiritual schizophrenic being energized and challenged by parishioners and brother priests but distracted and dismayed by some of our leaders.

These and many other voices and images are coming out loud and clear for those whom Jesus says are prepared to listen, not just hear, and to understand, not just see.

Have we got the heart, the faith and the vision that empowers us to both hear and listen, see and understand and thereby be transformed and renewed?

Kevin Burke