A concise book from a long-time Catholic reformer and theologian. It’s a well-structured and very accessible series of reflections on how best to exercise authority in the Catholic Church, which compares the current arrangements with what Jesus said and did on the topic, as well as with stories drawn from the author’s personal experience.
The central argument revolves around the idea that the Catholic Church’s hierarchical structure and exercise of authority have often deviated from Jesus’ teachings. The author doesn’t reject the distinctively Catholic view that bishops and priests are “ordained”, that is “assigned to their ministry”, through the laying on of hands with the invocation of the Holy Spirit. He relates this to Jesus himself who always used the laying on of hands when healing and conferring power. When Jesus chose the 12 apostles (Matt 10,24), he will have commissioned them by the laying on of hands. The same when he commissioned the 72 disciples (Luke 10,1). This custom was maintained by the apostles and the bishops (regarded as the apostles’ successors). “There is no doubt that Jesus gave authority to Peter, the head of the apostolic team, and by implication to his successors, popes and bishops included”, and that “Jesus appointed the apostles and their successors to guide people in their quest of God’s new realm of love. Part of that guidance was to consist in telling them, authoritatively, what was allowed and what was not” (pp. 31-32).
The author shows that, at the same time, latent spiritual authority was given by Jesus through baptism to all believers. In case of need any member of the faithful can fulfil all sacramental functions like hearing confessions or presiding at the Eucharist (pp. 57-60).
Also, the author greatly mitigates the potential for abuses and authoritarianism by arguing in favour of a democratic relationship between ordained ministry and the broader community. He recalls that several passages in the New Testament witness to the entire community 1. examining and then selecting who their leaders are (e.g. Acts 1:15-26; 6:1-6), and 2. making church decisions, including doctrinal ones (Matt 18:15-18; Acts 15:12, 22; one could add 1 Cor 5,1–13 and 2 Cor. 2:6).
On this first point, the author also argues that access to the clerical hierarchy should not be based on gender – the ban on women’s ordination should be dropped. On the second point, he also argues that every baptised may give voice to the Spirit, and so all can voice their opinions to inform church decision-making. Relatedly, he claims that their “‘sense of faith’ is the ultimate source of the Church’s inerrancy”, a Catholic belief with a powerfully democratising potential.
Again, on the same line he observes that “Ordination to the priesthood or the episcopacy does not impart theological knowledge, in spite of bishops presumptuously claiming the title of ‘Doctor of Divinity’. This also applies to popes. They should therefore listen to the advice offered by scholars who have studied Sacred Scripture and other sources of doctrine in depth. Though guided by the Spirit in their own way, priests or bishops do not enjoy the specific insights acquired by biologists, psychologists, sociologists and other academics. These too are guided by the Spirit” (p. 67).
He then concludes that decisions must ultimately be taken by the community, either directly or through pastoral councils, and suggests that those decisions should be *binding* on ordained ministers too: “Christ’s minister has a special function within the community, yet it is the whole community that should take the decision according to Jesus’ directive”, and “the minister cannot replace the community. A pope cannot overrule a General Council. A bishop may not ignore his diocesan faithful” (pp. 79-80).
There’s potentially a tension between the author’s conclusion on the decisive role of the community, and his insistence elsewhere that ordained ministers should listen to advice – the implication being that it is the ministers who decide, while the laity merely advise. How does the community’s decision-making authority relate to the authority of the hierarchy in making decisions?
However, in light of the author’s reference to the New Testament witness of the community democratically selecting its leaders, such a tension may be only apparent. Should candidates to ordained ministry be democratically elected by the community, as it already happens in some Christian Churches, then that would go some way towards ensuing that church leaders were truly representative of their communities, and their decisions more likely to reflect common values and priorities. It would also inject another measure of democratic accountability to the community (especially if the appointment were to be term-limited).
Overall, the author makes his points very clearly and concisely, and the use of personal stories and case studies makes this short book very readable, and a timely, much-needed contribution to the ongoing process of reforming the Catholic Church.
Dr Luca Badini Confalonieri
Published in Equality for Women in the Catholic Church, 27 September 2023
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