At the risk of doing a Dame Nellie Melba, I write my final column as Chairman of the NCP for The Swag. (I prematurely thought the last edition was my finale!) Reflecting back over my time in this position I have been buoyed by the encouragement of priests across Australia. Sure I’ve also had my critics, some very justified in what they have said to me, most comments offered in charity. For those I have offended unintentionally I offer my apologies. Unlike Paul (and the motto of my old alma mater), I cannot be ‘omnia omnibus’. I will leave that unique role to Christ. That said I shall make a few last observations about our church.
The Australian Bishops have returned from their sojourn in Rome for their ‘ad limina’ visit and each of us has probably read Archbishop Wilson’s presentation and the Pope’s response as well as the statement from the Australian bishops regarding Toowoomba. Subsequently Bishop Morris himself as well as Bishop Pat Power responded to this document. The use of terms in the statement from the Australian bishops like “more adequate understanding” makes me concur with Don Watson (Paul Keating’s speech writer) that weasel words are alive and well, not only in the corporate and government world, but in the church as well! I’m not suggesting that it wouldn’t have been a difficult letter to write as they attempted to appease both Roman Church authorities and the large number of disgruntled faithful in Toowoomba and across Australia who genuinely feel aggrieved at the removal of Bishop Morris for honestly facing some home truths within our church.
They go on to say “What was at stake was the Church’s unity in faith and the ecclesial communion between the Pope and the other Bishops in the College of Bishops.” They omitted to mention that what was also at stake was the importance of the role of the College of Bishops in being able to speak the truth in love transparently and in good conscience. There has always been a healthy mutuality between the leadership role of the successor of Peter and the College of Bishops going back to the days of the Council of Jerusalem when the apostle Paul and Peter had to sort out early church problems in open, respectful and just dialogue. What is also at stake is the People of God’s respect and loyalty to church leadership (sorely tested by revelations of abuse and previous concealment) and those many souls have moved away from the institutional church for perceived hypocrisy and lack of accountability. Having recently read the biography of Roger Pryke Traveller to Freedom, the Story of Roger Pryke by Francis Ravel Harvey, publisher Freshwater Press (a must read for anyone interested in history and the Australian church – I don’t know why some authorities are so scared of publicising it) I can’t help but wonder whether we have learnt any lessons in the way we treat certain prophetic leaders in our church and how different our church might be if we became less authoritarian and judgemental in our dealings with such people and treated them as adults rather than at times like disobedient children! Perhaps I am an idealist but I do occasionally reflect on what the Jesus I encounter in the Gospels would think of his church and its machinations today!
I read recently this quote: “If we truly seek conversion, community and solidarity, we need to be completely frank with one another.” But in doing so, we should also take heart from the fact that people will continue to have a deep hunger for God. With good teaching and good pastors, they will continue to hear the voice of Jesus Christ, and they will respond…We preach best, and teach best, by our personal example. Anything which enables us to do that is good. Anything which prevents us from doing that, is not. Each one of us wants to minister to God’s people more fruitfully in the new millennium. But I believe this requires us to change — as individuals and as bishops. We need, first of all, to become simple again. By that I mean, Gospel simple. Jesus loved simplicity because it allowed Him to immerse Himself in the essential things of His Father’s business. I believe we are in danger of losing that Christ-like focus as bishops. We have plans and committees and projects and staffs. All these things are important in their proper place. But at the end of the day, are we apostles … or are we executives? And what do our people really need: managers…or pastors?
My concern is that the structures of today’s diocesan life too frequently prevent the very thing they were meant to help: a bishop’s direct contact with his people. Obviously, good stewardship requires skilled management of our resources. But it is too easy today for a bishop to abdicate his missionary zeal to others, and become a captive of his own administrative machinery. This runs exactly counter to the example of Jesus and the first apostles. We bishops need to be much more radical in our own Christian vocation.” I was pleasantly surprised to find that these words come from the recent Apostolic Visitor to Toowoomba, Charles J. Chaput OFM Cap. (in his intervention at the Synod of Bishops for America, Vatican City, November 1997 when he had only just become the new Bishop of Denver, Colorado). I can only concur with his words then which are just as appropriate now.
Whilst I say ‘adieu’ to you all and again thank the NCP office staff, Swag editors and all the members of our organisation I know it is not goodbye. I hope to see you all in Warrnambool next year at our convention and wish my successor, Eugene McKinnon all the best.
IAN McGINNITY
