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Not worth the paper it’s written on

New instruction on Catholic parishes is latest proof that it will be hard to wrest control from the clericalists

La Croix International

The Congregation for the Clergy caused a bit a surprise and a whole lot of consternation earlier this week when it issued a new document on “the pastoral conversion of the parish community at the service of the Church's evangelizing mission”.

There had been no inkling that any such thing was even in the works, let alone that an important Vatican text would be released in the middle of summer while Pope Francis was still on his stay-at-home, month-long holidays.

“The document deals with the theme of the pastoral care of parish communities, the various clerical and lay ministries, with a view to greater co-responsibility of all the baptized,” the congregation said in a press communiqué on July 20, the day the text was released.

It is in the form of an “instruction”, which is something Roman congregations issue to explain or clarify ecumenical (and general) council documents or papal decrees. The pope must approve the publication of instructions, which Francis did in this case.

Move along, nothing new here…

And that’s what must be so bewildering for many people. While this new document begins promisingly with the fresh and creative language the Jesuit pope employs with such courage and foresight in his 2013 apostolic exhortation, Evangelii gaudium, the text quickly hits the proverbial canonical speed bump.

Instead of proposing creative changes for re-envisioning the diocese-territorial parish structure that is no longer sustainable, it actually goes on to reaffirm this Tridentine model.

“This instruction does not contain ‘new legislation’,” admitted Monsignor Andrea Ripa, the congregation’s under-secretary (No. 3 official), in a commentary released to the press.

“This is outside the remit and possibilities of an instruction, the aim of which is to ‘set out the provisions of a law and develop the manner in which it is to be put into effect’,” he said, citing article 34 §1 in the code of canon law.

The title of the document is itself a tip-off. It uses an ambiguous phrase that Pope Francis repeats a lot – “pastoral conversion”. What in God’s name does that really mean if it is not coupled with juridical or structural reform?

In its press release, the Congregation for the Clergy seemed to say it was something like this:

“The role of the parish priest as the ‘proper pastor’ of the community is emphasized, but the pastoral service connected with the presence in communities of deacons, consecrated and lay people, called to participate actively in the Church’s unique evangelizing mission according to their vocation and ministry, is also emphasized and highlighted.”

Except for one, not so minor point: canon law says the parish priest, not the faithful, makes the final decision.

Father knows best

For example, canon 536 says “a pastoral council is to be established in each parish”, but only if the diocesan bishop “judges it opportune”. And such a council “possesses a consultative vote only”.

The bishops. The priests. All men. They make the final decision.

I’ve known of parish priests who have refused to even meet with the parish or pastoral council. And they have also made decisions contrary to the advice of the financial board or council. They boast proudly of their right to do so.

The new instruction does nothing to change that. The Congregation for the Clergy says it does not have the authority to do so. In the end, and despite long and cheerful quotes from Pope Francis’s writings and speeches, it doubles down: the parish priest is the one in charge.

The text’s exhortations in favor of synodality, shared mission, proximity, listening… are empty words its authors try to carefully apply to a no longer useful or attractive model as if they were smearing lipstick on a pig. Everyone can see what they are up to.

This instruction is not worth the paper on which it’s written. And, yet, what a waste of good paper it is.

Reaffirming existing canon law

The text itself is more than 13,000 words and fills 25 pages of a single-spaced A4 sized sheets. Then there are the footnotes. They take up another 10 pages.

There are 182 footnotes in all – 85 of them are direct references to canon law, around 40 refer to the words and documents of the current pope, while there are about a dozen citations of documents issued by the Second Vatican Council.

Previous popes are also quoted several times – John Paul II is cited six times, Paul VI four and the still-living Benedict XVI gets two honorable mentions.

One may be tempted to just dismiss this latest Vatican instruction as a low-level document that doesn’t carry any weight or binding force. Theologians – and a long, long time ago even some bishops – tried to do that in the past, much to the Roman Curia’s chagrin.

These types of texts have no real teeth to change existing structures or legislation. But none are necessary when dealing with craven and compliant bishops and episcopal conferences.

There are instructions, and there are instructions…

The painful example and proof of that is the instruction that the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued in 2001 regarding the translation of liturgical books.

Liturgiam authenticam – the fifth instruction on the right implementation of the Vatican II constitution on the liturgy– successfully stripped the local bishops of their right to oversee the translation process in their native languages.

But it wasn’t all that difficult. The English-speaking bishops – especially in the United States – gave up their authority to foreign-speaking bureaucrats in Rome with hardly a fight.

The result is the awkward translation of the current “missal” in which we are forced to endure a convoluted, grammatically incorrect and “sacral” form of what the hierarchs dared to call English, without even blushing.

The problem with this new instruction on the “pastoral conversion of the parish” – that odd phrase again – is that all there is no way to enforce any implementation of all the soaring words and ideas found in its first eight pages.

All that can be demanded is what comes afterwards – as it was in the beginning (of the implementation of the 16th century Council of Trent), is now and (if many of the clericalists in the Church have it their way) always shall be. 

Pope Francis has repeated many times that any reform of structures will be useless and ineffectual unless there is first a change of mentality.

And in the more than seven years of his pontificate he has carried out a rather successful “attitude adjustment program”.

Need for a change of laws and structures

There are priests and even a growing number of bishops who appear to have been “converted” to his vision of a synodal Church where all the People of God – both those who are called clerics and those who are called the laity – would share responsibilities, even in making decisions for the life of the community.

But there are still too many Catholics who are stiff necked and hard of heart. They certainly will not change their mentality unless they are provoked to do so by the force of law, which includes new structures and models.

And this is where Francis’ call for “pastoral conversion” comes up short.

It is not enough to simply urge drivers to slow down when going through narrow streets in residential areas. It is necessary to establish and enforce a speed limit.

The law must be changed. More adequate structures and avenues must be created to favor, encourage and reflect the new mentality.

Evangelii gaudium offers a valid and inspiring vision for a renewed and reformed Church.

Documents like this latest instruction from the Congregation for the Clergy are not doing anything to help bring that to fruition.

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