From the Editor's Desk

What we're all about

Who’s right? Who’s wrong? This week’s announcement by the Vatican to lift restrictions for the Latin Mass has ignited emotional outbursts from one end of the spectrum to the other. Some are jubilant; others are fearful and concerned. As with most announcements of this type, the middle is trying to make sense of it, including many of us at NCR. Why now and for what purpose?

I was in first grade when the Second Vatican Council began in 1962 and so references to the Tridentine Mass have little meaning for me. Yet, to describe myself as simply a Vatican II Catholic is not quite correct either, though Vatican II considerably shaped my understanding of faith, church and the challenges of the Gospel in the modern world. I embrace the documents of renewal with fervor and delight. But I’ve been influenced by other forces as well, many of which have yet to be adequately addressed by the church. For instance, change is inevitable, authority is relative and human beings are not at the center of the universe, but part of a bigger creation story. For lack of a better word, I refer to this as the post-Vatican II world.

In general, people my age and younger do not make up the NCR audience. Those who do are interested in our coverage of justice and peace, and not necessarily in issues of the institutional church. Let me share with you a little more about NCR readers, which I suspect will surprise many of you. The average age of an NCR reader is about 68. This average has been on a continual rise since the late ’60s, when the average age was about 36. During Vatican II, most of our readers would have been in their mid-20s to mid-30s, formative adult years.

Though an aging readership is not unique to us, it does raise concerns when planning for the future. At NCR, we’ve been discussing for some time the ongoing polarization within our church. Whichever way one turns in the church, there’s a new battleground taking shape. It’s hardly life-giving for anyone, regardless of where one falls on the political spectrum. Many Catholics, particularly the young, have left quietly in search of something more meaningful.

Our plan for this issue was to present to you the interviews with Dominican Fr. Albert Nolan and the emergence of an idea that is of significance for our church. As the week progressed, we were struck by the coincidence that we would be printing two stories relating to church doctrine that represent very different perspectives; one that goes forward to the future beyond Vatican II and one that goes back to a time prior to Vatican II.

Is there hope for the church’s breaking out of its present stalemate? I think so. But it won’t come without new ways of articulating who we are and what we believe that take into consideration sociological forces shaping our thinking today. This is the task Nolan tackles in his books. Nolan sees Christianity as alive and relevant, but obscured by old ways of formulating church doctrine.

The Nolan story, our cover story, presents the first of what we hope will be a series of voices speaking at points throughout the coming year, voices that call us beyond our current confusing situation to new ways of thinking about church for the 21st century. We hope you enjoy.

You may write me at either of my e-mail addresses: rita@ncronline.org or ritalarivee@ncronline.org.

-- Sr. Rita Larivee, SSA

National Catholic Reporter, July 20, 2007