Report on Involving the Laity with the Clergy in the Selection of our Bishops
Introduction following the Opening prayer
The people having a say in the selection of our bishops is no longer just a hope and a prayer but is now the official position of the Church according to the Final Document from the Synod itself. If we are to be a synodal Church, this change in the process of how bishops are appointed is a necessity. You may want to review the report of an earlier presentation on why the current process isn’t working and suggestions for alternative methods to improve how bishops are chosen. Additionally, Fr. Tom Reese recently released an article on Why the people should have a greater voice in choosing bishops.
The purpose of today’s gathering is to offer guidelines for how to begin this process. The opportune time to initiate this is when the bishop has announced his retirement or when he has reached retirement age. All are encouraged not to wait for some instruction from the hierarchy. If this change is to occur, it is up to the leadership of the laity to step forward. Often this will be from the diocesan or parish council but, if these don’t exist, then it is up to leaders in the parish or the community.
Reinforcement of why the present system isn’t working and how the people must become involved in the selection of our bishops
1. The current system leaves the laity out completely. They are not even consulted about who their next bishop will be. Because of the clergy sexual abuse scandal and the coverup of this by many bishops, these bishops have lost their moral compass and bishops in general no longer command the respect of the people.
2. Gross mismanagement of funds: In the U.S. alone, more than $6 billion dollars have been spent in the coverups and payouts to the victims. So instead of dealing with this openly, many parishes are being closed or merged.
3. Many bishops, particularly in the U.S., inappropriately get involved in politics when this is a violation of IRS code. Trump was elected president in part by the encouragement of Catholic bishops focused on a single issue, abortion, without consideration for the multi-faceted issues that impact our Catholic values.
4. Many consider standing up for social justice to be the most significant aspect of being a Catholic and yet, all too many bishops remain silent on issues that call for speaking out.
5. The current process is intrinsically flawed with politicking for like-minded priests to be elevated to bishop without any concern for the needs of the people in the diocese.
6. Need for emphasis on the formation of the laity: Using the U.S. as an example, so as not to repeat the mishap that occurred in the recent presidential election due to the proliferation of social media misinformation with more Catholics voting for Trump than even the last time, it is critical that, if there is to be an election of bishops, that the electorate be well-informed. This calls for better emphasis on the formation of the laity. There are 6974 seminaries around the world, and they service only a small percentage of single men. If we are moving toward becoming a synodal Church, we need to devote far more time and money educating the larger makeup of the Catholic community, namely the laity.
We owe Pope Francis much appreciation for reintroducing synodality, i.e. clergy and people working together, into the Church. Suggested steps to further involve the people:
1. Partner with our clergy who are actively working in parishes and small communities to promote synodality.
2. Promote the involvement and inclusion of young adults in the decision-making in our parishes and communities instead of just bemoaning that our children and grandchildren have left the Church.
3. Become more knowledgeable about scripture and the workings of the early Church.
4. Promote co-ed formation in ministry with seminaries of isolate young men considered a thing of the past.
5. Have awareness of the qualities needed in a bishop (listed at the end of Tom Reese’s article noted above).
6. Widen our circles of involvement to include laity, clergy, and bishops encouraging all to work together to move our communities forward into becoming a synodal Church.
Look back at the life of Blessed Antonio Rosmini who published a concrete proposal for the election of bishops back in 1848
Fr. Antonio Belsito, author of the book on Rosmini, offered an introduction to his writings with specific reference to his work The Five Wounds of the Church. Antonio Rosmini was a holy priest but also a philosopher, a theologian, and a spiritual master. Writing this book caused him immense personal damage but he felt so strongly the need to bring about the renewal of the Church that he was willing to suffer for this.
The Five Wounds:
1. First Wound: The Wound in the left hand of holy Church: the division between People and Clergy at public worship: Rosmini had a lofty view of the dignity of the Laity. The “faithful”, for Rosmini, are the clergy and the laity together, making up the Church. The division between the faithful and the clergy was notable as the clergy with their miters and distinctive garb stood out from the people in the public liturgical celebrations. The use of Latin at that time and not the vernacular language of the people was noted as one of the causes. This has been corrected today but, as noted by Sr. Elizabeth Davis after the 2023 Synod, when the members left the synodal style arrangement of circles of tables in the synod hall to attend the Eucharistic celebration, the division of the hierarchy sitting by rank was again unmistakable as they distinguished themselves from the people. When clergy and people are gathered, this kind of division continues today.
2. Second Wound: The wound in the right hand of holy Church: the insufficient education of the clergy: Priests were taught how to preach but not how to listen; they were taught how to perform the Sacraments but not how to live them. Their textbooks lacked warmth and compassion.
3. Third Wound: The wound in the side of holy Church: disunion among the bishops: In the 1800s, bishops became the intermediaries between the people and the barbarian rulers but soon fell prey to enjoying their power, wealth, and privileges. This continues today as Pope Francis has pointed out in the form of clericalism.
4. Fourth Wound: The wound in the right foot of holy Church: the nomination of bishops left in the hands of civil government: This is our main concern today. Rosmini felt strongly that the first six centuries were the golden era of the Church. He advised returning to the practice of the early Church providing witness that in these times the people chose their bishops. As Pope Leo the Great said: “who is to preside over all, must be elected by all.” To assure that the people are in support of the person chosen as their bishop, they are asked for a third time if they concur. Once it is agreed that this is the person who has been chosen, he will be ordained in that community where the people can be present to witness this. An example was given of Ambrose, being chosen the bishop of the Italian city of Milan. Although he was a just a catechumen at the time, he was chosen as an outstanding leader, preacher, and author in the Western part of the Christian Church during the 4th century.
5. Fifth Wound: The wound in the left foot: restrictions on the free use by the Church of her own temporalities: Rosmini believed that the Church should be poor but free of the political pressures from outside. If the Church is to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, his plea was that the Church of his time, the Church of our time, should embrace once again the seven maxims which regulated the acquisition, administration, and use of material goods. Few people today would consider the Roman Catholic Church poor.
Various ways candidates might be chosen but there are complexities of this process none of which is perfect
Fr. Tom Reese, S.J., columnist for Religion News Service from the U.S., described the current system of how the Apostolic Nuncio of each country, often with recommendations coming from the clergy, comes up with three names and description of prospective candidates along with a description of the diocese for which he is being recommended. He in turn submits these names to the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome. A committee of cardinals and bishops who oversee this dicastery evaluate these further and then recommend their choice to the Pope who generally approves him. In the process, the committee typically defers to the member who is from the country being considered with the understanding that they will defer back to them when a bishop from their country is being considered. Classic politics! There is no perfect way to select bishops. Jesus Himself failed one out of 12 times. He believes it is absolutely necessary that the people have a voice in the selection of their bishops. He supports Pope Leo the Great’s proposal that the bishop be nominated by the clergy, approved by the people, and ordained in the community where he will preside. Democracy is not clean. There was fighting in the streets of Rome over who would be selected there. Even Ambrose had to restore order after his election. Certainly, the outcome of the recent presidential election in the United States goes to show that democracy has its imperfections. He recommends that we need a synodal process for selecting our bishops – one that involves prayer, involves Conversations in the Spirit where we listen to one another in a structured fashion where everyone has a say and no one person dominates the conversation. Hopefully this process will prevent misinformation from being dominated by social media (as was the case in the recent U.S. election) and instead truly inform the electorate with essential facts. No matter how imperfect, involving the laity with the priests in the selection process will be an improvement to the current system where the majority of the faithful are not even consulted. Maybe nominations should come from diocesan or parish councils . . . or maybe from priests’ councils. Each diocese must search for the best way for them, and then continue improving their system over time.
Once candidates have been nominated, a period of public discussion is essential
Dr. Luca Badini Confalonieri, with the Wijngaards Institute for Research in the UK, stressed that, despite the flaws with a democratic election, it is still the most ethical and efficient way through this process. Conversely, he sees any system outside of this process as both immoral and inefficient. It is not a doctrine that requires changing; it is a practice that must be changed. Both the New Testament and Church history witness that elections were the process used in the early Church. The example of the election of St. Ambrose indicates that, in Church history, even a non-baptized person could be elected a bishop. If it was done in the past, it can be done now.
Once there is a list of candidates, the essential requirement of any method of appointment must have a period of common discernment, which should provide the candidates’ relevant credentials and, more crucially, their understanding of the Gospel in general and the specific requirements of the Gospel for the local Church they want to lead. Their testimony should include their vision of concrete proposals of what they want for the local church, and how they propose to get there. To avoid the influence of money, this process should be at no cost to the candidates. All this should be made public by all available resources including parish bulletins, social media, newspapers, and the like. Such a system would allow the people to ask questions of the candidates. The outcome desired is for the electorate to be able to determine the best candidate who reflects the faith of the local Church. This is important because, once they become the bishop, they are called to reflect not their own beliefs but rather the faith of the Church community. Once this period of public discernment has run its course, a process needs to be set up for a vote to be taken. The people cannot truly be co-responsible for their local community if they do not have a say in the election of their bishops.
Rene noted that the suggestion has been made that once the pubic discernment process is complete but prior to the election, each parish or Small Community host a series of Conversations in the Spirit, led by trained facilitators allowing each person equal time to express their views, followed by a period of silence, followed by an opportunity to share what others said that impacted their thinking, again followed by silent reflection, and finally to which candidate the Spirit is calling them to cast their vote and why.
Bishop must go through a process to prepare himself to serve the community
Alan Doulton, founder of the E-VAAC group (Evangelizing for a more Vibrant, Alert and Aware Church) in India addressed the need for bishops to be groomed to prepare them for this work and for the Vatican to have an operating model for bishop functioning. Once the candidates have come forth, the next step is to better inform the people about each candidate under consideration for bishop. Candidates should be considered based on their knowledge of the community and Scripture, their skills – especially their ability to listen, and their pastoral experience. Far too many seminarians ready to be ordained seem to have little preparation for serving in a parish. And priests appointed as a new bishop have little preparation to serve in this role. He told the story of Billy Graham going to a town to give a talk about the way to heaven. Afterwards, when Mr. Graham wanted to post a letter, he asked a little boy how to get to the post office. After being given directions, Mr. Graham asked the boy why he hadn’t attended his talk. After some thought, the boy thought finally said: “If you don’t know the way to the post office, how are you ever going to know the way to heaven?” Each person looks at bishops from his/her own vantage point. To have an effective election, we need the right combination of what is being done today along with an understanding of what is needed in the community and who is the best person to fulfill that need.
Rene thanked all the panelists. We have noted that of the 434 bishops in the United States,158 are already retired. Of the remaining 276 active bishops in the United States, 59 will be reaching retirement age this coming year. That is more than 20% either retiring or of the age to retire. Given the aging clergy throughout the world, this ratio is reflective globally. The opportune time to initiate the election process is upon the announcement of a bishop retiring or when he’s about to reach the age of 75. With the aging of the clergy, there will be ample opportunity to initiate this process in every part of the world.
Questions and Comments
Frank Callus said a precursor to this process is to inform the Faithful of what we are being called to do. The laity need to be educated about their role and responsibility when a vacancy of a bishop does occur. This reflects a synodal Church.
Fr. Joe Healey noted that the final document for the 2024 Synod said that synodality should be a normal way of life in the Church. It is time to move forward and use the synodal process for selecting our bishops and he agrees this should include Conversations in the Spirit with time for silent reflection. Drawing on Fr. Tom Reese pointing out the politicking that occurs in the Dicastery of Bishops, Fr. Joe noted that we in the U.S. are fortunate in that we two synodal bishops serving on that committee, Cardinal Cupich and Cardinal Tobin.
Frank Manning of Oklahoma raised the question of which laity. Thanks to the Christian Family Movement back in the ‘80s, there were progressive clergy and a well-informed laity. But today, Oklahoma has had a series of conservative clergy and newly ordained priests emerge. His state voted overwhelmingly to elect Trump as president, which raises the question. How can the laity be trusted to make a good choice in electing their bishop?
Fr. Bernard Survil of Pennsylvania said about ten years ago, they got wind that a vacancy was coming up. So he and a group of laity gathered and determined the qualifications that they felt were needed in their diocese. Over 400 members of the community supported this list. They sent it to the Nuncio who at that time was Archbisop Vigano (who has since been excommunicated for his questioning the legitimacy of Pope Francis and the authority of the Second Vatican Council). Needless to say, their proposals went nowhere.
Vicki said a revival of small groups (SCCs) would be beneficial in parishes. It could provide a kind of formation for the laity to come together, pray together, and share Conversations in the Spirit. If these were pre-existing when a vacancy for a bishop came up, it would be a logical way to move forward with the process of selecting a new bishop. This could be an answer to Frank Mannings question about “which laity.”
Rene said Vicki’s comments remind us of the need to have an evaluation committee for the bishop made up of laity, clergy, and staff as recommended by the 2023 Synod.
Fr. Ed Reading, celebrating his 78th birthday today, noted some young people present may not have been alive when he was ordained. His ordaining bishop attended Vatican II and returned having voted in favor of everything without full understanding of it all. But he started a priests’ council and a pastoral council, which was elected/selected by members of the parish. When he died, the pastoral council and the presbyteral council each met and began to determine: what are the needs of the diocese, what kind of person could best fulfill these needs as our bishop, and who are some people we might consider? Some were from the local diocese, some from neighboring dioceses, and some for religious communities. The lists of names were merged and narrowed down to three, which were given to the delegate. From this process, they had their first home-grown bishop! That was during Pope Paul VI’s papacy. This example is proof that it worked then and can work again now.
Margary Mary Moore suggested that we come together with those of us gathered today and begin a School of Synodality to educate the laity in how this process works. She praised the synodal gathering that recently concluded in Africa: www.Pactpan.org which was a forum for conversation and collaboration meeting for 14 consecutive weeks with cardinals, bishops, clergy, and laity.
Rene closed encouraging everyone to check out when a vacancy of your bishop is forthcoming, reach out to the parish council or parish leaders and begin preparing for this process in advance. Don’t wait for the hierarchy to lead the way. This will only happen if the clergy and laity step forward together. The meeting closed with the closing prayer from the Synod.
You may find the Chat carried on during the presentation quite interesting.
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We have begun to genuinely join our voices together behaving as a synodal Church. Let us now be willing to assume co-responsibility for our role in selecting our bishops. It will not happen unless we the laity together with our clergy initiate the process. We will keep you informed of more to come on this topic and continue to gather online as a community.
On behalf of the CCRI steering committee,
Rene Reid, CCRI director