UP FRONT
Models of Hope and Wisdom
by Carroll Juliano & Loughlan Sofield

Some of the current challenges facing today’s church are found in a statement made by the late Pope John Paul II when he met with the bishops of Pennsylvania and New Jersey during their ad limina visit on September 11, 2004. He spoke of a “crisis of confidence” in the church’s leadership in the United States. He noted the need for the development of “accountability in the church’s governance at every level.” In addition, he called for “a spiritual discernment and critique of certain styles of government,” pointing out that some of the present styles can distance church leaders from the people of God. The leaders must create “better structures of participation, consultation and shared responsibility,” which will involve the laity at every level of church. The church must become “more open to collaboration.” John Paul II indicated that the answers to today’s pastoral problems can be found “in the wisdom enunciated during the Second Vatican Council.” The pope addressed these comments not only to the bishops who were present, but also to “your brother bishops from the United States.” The pope invited the bishops to live their lives as servant leaders as modeled by Jesus and “to recover a fuller more authentically ‘apostolic’ understanding of the episcopal office.”

We contacted the eight living archbishops in the United States who were installed as archbishops prior to 1971. Of the eight contacted, six agreed to be interviewed. These men were chosen because they were in church leadership immediately following the Second Vatican Council. They are in a unique position to share their wisdom about recapturing the vision of that prophetic council. Two of the six subsequently met with us at Notre Dame University to reflect on and to expand the findings gleaned from the six interviews. The interview consisted of two basic questions: What do you perceive as the major issues in the church today, and what recommendations would you make?

While we initiated the interviews to search for answers to these two questions, we discovered much more. We were impressed not only with the archbisops’ wisdom, but also by the depth of their faith and by the hope that they exuded. The hope emerged not from Pollyanna-ish ideals, but from their realistic perception of the world and the church. It became evident that their sense of hope is what is needed in the church today. They were both a council of elders and disciples of hope. The corporate wisdom was captured by one of them who stated, “the church has all sorts of problems but the church is very much alive.”

The archbishops covered a wide range of subjects, including:

• the hope that the church at every level would become a place for true dialogue and collegiality;
  
  
• the central role of church leadership in directing their energy toward the development of “meaningful” lay involvement at every level of the church;
  
  
• an honest evaluation of the successes and failures of the church in implementing the decrees that emerged from the Second Vatican Council; and
  
  
• reflections on the role and the desired qualities of bishops.
  
  

The Need for Greater Collegiality

During the meeting at Notre Dame University, as the archbishops reflected on the individual interviews, the issue of collegiality became a major focus of discussion. The discussion spanned every level of collegiality, from the collegiality between Rome and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to the collegiality between bishops and priests with the entire people of God.

“If ecclesial relationships … were really founded upon a vision of collegiality, truly involving everybody, I think a lot of our problems would find some pretty darn good solutions,” an archbishop said.

As one archbishop proposed, effective collegiality must start with an honest engagement of people. He distinguished between consultation and engagement. Consultation, he said, is seeking the advice of people, but it can still result in a unilateral decision. Engagement, on the other hand, involves the gathering of people and asking the question, “What are we going to do?” Together they arrive at a decision. “Engagement implies that you must also listen to those with whom you disagree.”

An archbishop commenting on the collegiality between the pope and the conference of bishops indicated that he would like to see “a real system of collegiality… that’s not a fake.” In his opinion, real collegiality involves everyone who will be affected by the decision. It requires open dialogue and accountability. Time and again we heard these men proclaim that true collegiality begins with an agreement that every issue must be open for discussion. There are no issues that cannot be discussed, including mandatory celibacy and ordination of women.

Collegiality requires what Pope Paul VI called “a change of attitude.” That attitude is based on the belief that there is an imperative to “involve the body of the church in the governance of the church, tapping the gifts of the people.”

Achieving collegiality is not one-dimensional. The challenge is to “involve the whole body of the church” and yet “safeguard” the hierarchical structure. There is value in maintaining that tension and in searching to achieve the balance between the two poles.

Continually woven through the discussion of collegiality were the issues of dialogue and relationships. These were seen as a sine qua non for collegiality. In order for dialogue to be credible it must be “reflective of the gospels” and be public.

The archbishops challenged the disproportionate emphasis that is, at times, placed on the topic of structures. “We talk structures when we should be talking about relationships … We end up focusing on mechanics” and missing the relational aspect. Collegiality will never be perfect, they said, but we should keep working at it.

In discussing the collegiality between Rome and the conference of bishops, one archbishop stated his understanding. “Many people still believe that a bishop should roll over and do exactly what comes out of Rome. That’s a misunderstanding of both offices. All are successors of the apostles.”

The archbishops proposed a number of practical suggestions regarding the role of the laity in the continuing development of collegiality. There was a sense that the laity are often overlooked in the decision-making processes of the church. They provided an example of a recent decision made by the Vatican that affected the laity. The laity were not consulted. “They weren’t asked …what they think.” When it comes to actual decision-making, there is a sense that the laity “have hit the glass ceiling.”

Relationships are the glue that makes collegiality possible. In discussing Pope Benedict XVI’s first encyclical, Deus caritas est, God Is Love, one archbishop reminded us that “the whole thing is about love. He didn’t condemn anything.” The archbishop mentioned how Pope Benedict made the connection between love and relationships. “We have to talk with one another and build relationships with each other.” That is the model for true collegiality. At one point, the archbishops gathered at Notre Dame concluded, “If we dialogue, we build trust; and if we build trust, we develop relationships. When relationships have been established then collegiality becomes a reality.”

The archbishops emphasized faith as essential to collegiality. “We’re talking about a community of faith … The exercise of authority has to be based on the notion of service and brotherhood and sisterhood.”

The archbishops identified the major obstacles to collegiality: lack of trust; fear; restriction on discussing certain topics; lack of respect; and the lack of training to handle authority.

Role of the Laity

The role of the laity emerged as a major issue in each interview, and sometimes with great passion. “The church is the people of God. It is not just the bishops or priests or sisters or brothers.” It was stated that we will only become a “dynamic church” when this vision becomes a reality and produces the “enthusiasm” that is too often missing in the church.

The increasing involvement of the laity is not seen as an option. It is at the heart of who we are as church. It’s not only a necessity by reason of the situation, but it’s a necessity by reason of the church’s faith that all must participate in the church’s life and mission. This is a theological doctrine, a principle, but it needs to be applied to the actual daily living in the church.

The term that was used by a number of the archbishops in describing their belief and hope was the need to involve the laity in a “meaningful manner” in every aspect of church life, in ministry, in leadership, and in every level of decision-making. Two of the archbishops registered concern that canon law is still too vague in providing real authority to the laity. One indicated that we give the laity responsibility but we do not give them the corresponding authority. A recurring theme was the need to develop structures that embody real accountability.

More than one archbishop commented on the fact that the sexual abuse scandal might have been averted if there had been “a more meaningful, significant involvement” of the laity. Another indicated that too often a bishop’s sole concern was for the priests and the good name of the church. He is convinced that the laity’s major concern would have been, “How can I be sure that my child is safe?” Together, these two perspectives might have produced a climate of concern and integrity.

Real progress regarding the fuller inclusion of the laity in every dimension of church life won’t happen until there is a “change of attitude” that leads to involving “the body of the church in the governance of the church and tapping the gifts of the people.”

The Second Vatican Council

One archbishop who attended the discussion on Gaudium et spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World at the Second Vatican Council recalled his surprise when the members rejected what was placed before them and earnestly began to craft a new, prophetic document.

There were more than three thousand fairly conservative bishops. The debate was intense. They then presented the document, Gaudium et spes, which was probably the most radical from a practical point of view. You know what the vote was? Better than 3000 to 17. I was sitting next to a Scottish guy who said, ‘We have 17 guys here who do not know what is going on.’

The archbishops identified Gaudium et spes and Lumen gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, as the documents that most influenced their pastoral vision. While they affirmed the progress that has taken place since that prophetic council, they could also honestly acknowledge that there is still much left undone. As one indicated, “What we have really lacked is consistency and a clear ecclesiology.”

Another reflected that while we have a Vatican II vision, we are frequently operating from a Vatican I ecclesiology. Still another commented that the structure remains too dependent on the bishop. Nevertheless, while much remains to be done, they have not lost their sense of hope. “The imperatives of Vatican II are irreversible … There will be bumps in the road, but don’t lose your enthusiasm. The church is in motion.”

The Hierarchy

Reflection on their lived experience bred thoughts that they would share with their brother bishops. Their primary conviction was the need to allow others to share in their hierarchical responsibilities. “A bishop cannot possibly accomplish his mission all by himself.”

One archbishop wished that he had an opportunity to appoint bishops. He then proceeded to indicate both what he would look for in candidates and what he would recommend. The first quality would be a “good strong pastoral and theological background.” He then listed the following additional qualities: a humility that acknowledges dependence on God; knowledge of both the world and the church; and finally, a commitment to enabling and empowering others. His advice to these men was very simple, “Keep an open mind. Pray and then listen.”

A good leader attends first to his own relationship with the Lord. One archbishop compared working on one’s personal spirituality to the advice given by a flight attendant to “put the oxygen mask on yourself first,” before trying to help anyone else. “You’re not going to be able to do any good if you become a nervous wreck, exhausted, chronically tired, nervous, and angry.”

One archbishop’s advice to bishops was borrowed from William James, “The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.”

Bishops are leaders of faith communities, and the focus on the faith must influence everything they do:

The emphasis must be placed more on brotherhood and sisterhood than on authority. We have to maintain the hierarchical structure, and that will produce tension. Nevertheless, the exercise of authority has to be based on the notion of service and brotherhood and sisterhood … Do we really see Christ in the person we’re talking to, the people we’re shepherding? Do we really believe we’re serving them in the humble way that the Lord demonstrated?

The challenges given by Pope John Paul II to the bishops of New Jersey and Pennsylvania were not just an invitation to them, but in some way were a last testament or last discourse to the hierarchy and the church of the United States. The words of John Paul provide a road map for both hope and focus. In speaking to the bishops of New Jersey and Pennsylvania as “brother bishops,” he declared that because they share in the ministry and mission of Jesus Christ, it “demands of us a pastoral style inspired by the example of Christ, the Good Shepherd, and aimed at fostering holiness, communion and mission in the ecclesial community.” With that declaration, Pope John Paul II set a threefold focus for all bishops. The question remains, will the people and the hierarchy accept the invitation and challenge? Will all of us, as the people of God, provide a model and vision of hope for those who experience extreme hopelessness in our world today?

Conclusion

This article recounts a few of the many issues on which the archbishops focused. If you are interested in reading the transcripts or summaries of the interviews and the Notre Dame meeting, we refer you to the STEP Web site at Notre Dame.

Sister Carroll Juliano, S.C.H.J., and Brother Loughlan Sofield, S.T., are co-authors of a number of award-winning books, including Collaboration: Uniting Our Gifts in Ministry.