March into Darkness or Hope
The Church has two choices either grow, or die. We are witnessing in the United States, and Western Europe the demise of influence of the Church within the cultural and political arenas of life. The Church which had a place of privilege now is lucky if it can partially fill its Churches, not alone staff them.
Some are evening using Pope Benedict XVI's call to renew a Christian Europe as a way to stem growing influence of radicalized Islam within Europe. Moslem's are not the problem rather I would suggest political bigots under the mantle of Christianity are. Moslems are our neighbors. Christian and Moslem fundamentalist are the real problems. The Pope would do well to look at his own Curia if he wants to renew a Christian Europe.
The Church under its present leadership has been unable to tackle the twin problems of sex abuse and power. Instead of directly confronting the problem of sexual abuse within its clerical ranks, it merely manages it. I fault Pope John Paul II, and Benedict XVI for allowing the sexual abuse crisis to ravage the Church.
Obligatory celibacy - not celibacy itself is the problem within our traditional seminaries and novitiates. Obligatory celibacy only produces unhealthy places where one cannot develop into maturity. Especially if the candidates are at young ages.
There must be a way to balance the sensus fidelium of the people of God, with the Teaching Magisterium. The distribution of authority is the only way save our dying Church. There must be accountability and not privilege. This would bring about a radical change in authority within the body of the Church, and allow for growth and reform.
The way we understand the sexual ethic must be addressed. Love must be focus not sexual orientation and/or divorce. Diversity in the Church is the starting point for our understanding of unity. Diversity is a sign of the Holy Sprit among us, not authority.
In order to breathe vitality into the structure of the Church there must be first a change of heart. We have talked far too long about the reform since Vatican II, and nothing has changed. The re introduction of the Latin Mass is the most recent sign of our march into darkness. Cosmetics and theater will not make the Church relative in the world we live, authentic diversity will.
