Viewpoint
Boston lay leader proposes a plan
By DAVID W. ZIZIK
One of the most frustrating aspects
of the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic church has been the failure of the
constituent elements of the church -- laity, hierarchy, priests and women and
men in religious life -- to come together in structured dialogue to seek
answers to the following question: What must the church do to understand the
root causes of the sexual abuse crisis and to make sure that it never happens
again?
I submit that it is the bishops -- not lay or clergy reform groups
-- who must take the lead in bringing forth answers to this most critical
question if the church is to recover and move forward with its essential
mission in a way that is authentically Catholic.
Shortly after the March 2002 annual convocation of the Roman
Catholic archdiocese of Boston, I attended a “listening session” at
St. Ann’s Parish in Wayland, Mass. The west regional bishop attended the
session, along with a large number of mostly lay Catholics from the 52 parishes
throughout the west region, some priests and archdiocesan representatives.
After presentations by archdiocesan representatives about what the archdiocese
was doing in response to victims of sexual abuse and their families, all were
welcomed to an “open microphone.” Many took advantage of the
opportunity. Most were angry and frustrated, but underlying the emotion was a
sincere -- and sensible -- desire for answers.
The regional bishop listened intently. He seemed absorbed by what
he was hearing and noticeably affected by what people were saying to him. At
one point, he asked a man who had just finished speaking: “What do you
want us to do?” The man responded, “Bishop, I wish I could give you
an answer, but I just don’t know.”
The regional bishop was Richard Lennon. On Dec. 13, Pope John Paul
II appointed Lennon apostolic administrator of the Boston archdiocese following
Cardinal Bernard F. Law’s resignation as archbishop. With that
appointment, Lennon assumed the role as apostolic leader of 2.1 million
Catholics in greater Boston, with full authority for church governance.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Lennon
faces a monumental task. With Law’s resignation after 18 years of heading
up the archdiocese, the landscape of episcopal leadership has been radically
altered.
The question Lennon asked at St. Ann’s Parish some months ago
lingers.
How should the bishops govern the church? That central question
will take much time and effort -- and a lot of prayer and discernment -- to
answer. It is a question that must be asked in light of what we have learned
from the crisis. Bishops, laity, priests and religious should lead the
discussion and welcome input from all elements of the church. As answers
emerge, bishops should remain open to new approaches, to “thinking outside
the box.”
The laity can and must be at the front lines of this effort. But
how should we do that in a manner that is consistent with the apostolic
tradition of episcopal leadership that is at the core of church governance?
This is a difficult question for many lay Catholics, and even priests, because
this crisis has for most of us been the first and perhaps only time that we
have witnessed an institutional breach of duty of such magnitude by those to
whom we believe Christ entrusted the sacred duty of governing the church.
To Lennon’s question “What do you want us to do?”
here is my answer:
Our new apostolic administrator should call a news conference and
say something like this to all Catholics in the Boston archdiocese:
“As a result of the sexual abuse crisis, trust in the
episcopal leadership of our church has been badly shaken. This trust is
critical for the church to fulfill its mission, for it is Jesus Christ himself
who empowered Peter and the apostles to establish and govern the church. Every
bishop since Peter has shared this sacred responsibility by virtue of apostolic
succession. This responsibility of episcopal governance is one that has served
the church well for many centuries; it is a part of fundamental Catholic
doctrine and Catholic tradition, and is not subject to change.
“When mistakes are made by those whom Christ has charged with
governing the church, all of the members of the church suffer harm. It is only
right and natural that Catholics who love and care for the church would want to
understand the root causes for such mistakes and see to it that steps are taken
to make sure that they do not happen again. Members of our local church --
especially those who are parents or guardians -- have a special interest in
understanding how some priests came to abuse children, and why some bishops
chose to respond to these issues in certain ways, some of which included not
removing such priests from active pastoral ministry. Here in the Boston
archdiocese, I am committed to making sure that these questions are openly
discussed, and that we take the time that is necessary to learn from what has
happened here, so that we can ensure that it never happens again.
“In recent months, I have listened to many voices within our
local church. The bishops of the United States have made significant progress
in ensuring that sexual abuse never happens again within our church, and that
if it does, that it is dealt with in the most responsible and direct manner
possible with the needs of our children and other potential victims as our
first priority.
“But much more needs to be done, because, although most have
not been harmed directly by specific acts of abuse, all Catholics have suffered
from the harm those acts have done to the entire People of God.
“My first order of business will be to reestablish trust here
in greater Boston, so that this archdiocese can move forward as one with the
mission of the church.
“I call all Catholics to engage with me and other
archdiocesan leaders in achieving a genuine understanding of what happened, and
to be heard in respect to what should be done to ensure that it never happens
again. That effort must and will involve open and honest dialogue, and the
sooner that dialogue begins, the better off our local church will be.
“To underscore the importance of this effort, I am
designating the years 2003 and 2004 as ‘Time for Understanding and
Renewal’ in the Boston archdiocese. This year, we shall begin anew to
rebuild trust in each other, work toward an authentic understanding of our
shared Catholic identity and mission, and lay the foundation for the work we
must do as committed Catholics in this archdiocese -- and as members of the
universal Catholic church -- for years to come.
“To achieve these goals I am calling on leaders of our curial
departments, seminaries, Catholic colleges and universities, Catholic
foundations and associations, and various groups that have expressed a desire
for reform within the church, to begin a systematic dialogue on the current
state of the archdiocese; and to discuss specific ways that priests, lay people
and bishops can work together to build a stronger local church that is faithful
to our shared Catholic principles, values and traditions. We will follow up on
this discussion with a series of concrete initiatives throughout the following
year, to be reported on at the 2004 Archdiocesan Convocation, to ensure that
this effort has a sufficient period of time to develop and come to fruition.
“The full participation of our 362 Catholic parishes will be
needed in this effort.
“Lay Catholics must come to understand their central role in
the life of the church, and how important it is for the future of the
church’s mission that they become as well-informed as possible about the
content of the faith and tradition that we all share.
“Parish priests must play an active role in this process as
well. Priests must encourage parishioners to become involved in parish affairs
and counsel them toward an authentically Catholic understanding of lay
leadership. Priests who do not yet have pastoral councils should quickly form
them in accordance with existing guidelines. Parish councils that currently
exist should redouble their efforts by working closely with their pastors and
administrators to develop plans for the spiritual development of all
parishioners.
“Together with the vicar general, the regional bishops and
the archdiocesan curial departments, I commit myself as apostolic administrator
of this archdiocese to a more open and transparent leadership. All Catholics
need to understand that ‘authority’ within the church is not about
the exercise of power, but about God’s call to each of us to serve him and
his people faithfully, each according to his or her special gifts, and each
according to his or her unique role within the church.
“Along those lines, I will soon issue new draft guidelines
for the archdiocesan pastoral council. During the next few months, I welcome
written comments from all interested Catholics on these draft guidelines so
that, before I make a final decision as to their implementation in the spring
of 2003, I can have the benefit of a variety of views and comment. One thing
that will be in the new guidelines: Beginning in the fall of 2003, meetings of
the council will include a public session open to all interested persons -- I
want to hear comments and viewpoints from a variety of voices within our local
community as I consider matters of importance in our local church.
“A few words in closing: Pope John Paul II has referred to
the Catholic laity as a ‘sleeping giant.’ As the giant awakens to
face the challenges of the church in the 21st century, we must commit ourselves
to working together, to better understand the spec-ial gifts that God has
giv-en each one of us as well as the special responsibilities that each of us
has within the church. It is our sacred -- and shared -- responsibility to
ensure the preservation of Catholic values and traditions in the modern world,
and to be open to a new spirit of evangelization, as one church.
“We have much work to do. Let us begin without further
delay.”
Attorney David W. Zizik resides in Sherborn, Mass. He is vice
chair of the Parish Pastoral Council at St. Theresa Parish, Sherborn, and chair
of Parish Leadership Forum of the Boston archdiocese.
National Catholic Reporter, January 31,
2003
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