This past August, an article appeared in the Toronto Star informing us that Ontario bishops will be visiting Rome this month for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. In the meeting, they are expected to receive a "lecture" from the Pope about bringing more evangelism to their churches.
We also learned that several months ago, the Pope met with bishops from Quebec and Atlantic Canada. He told the bishops to boost Church attendance. He also sent another message: Increasing "secularism" was to blame for the shortage of priests in the country.
It's no secret that attendance at Mass in Catholic parishes has declined in recent years. The story is the same in other Christian churches too. This past spring a Statistics Canada report found just 32 percent of Canadians attend church regularly. That's down from 41 percent in 1985, but up slightly from 31 percent in 2000.
There are many reasons for the drop in Church attendance among Catholics. Some are complex. Others are more straightforward. But it's too easy to pin the blame on an increasing secularism alone. For starters why doesn't the Pope address the serious divisions within the Church itself? Frequently this has been exacerbated by bishops disempowering lay Catholics. One example: The radical overhaul of the Kansas St. Joseph Diocese in Missouri by Bishop Robert Finn since he was appointed two years ago. These developments were enumerated by the National Catholic Reporter in May.
What are some other reasons for the decline in Mass attendance among Catholics? At the risk of overstatement, many people don't feel welcome. A friend of mine (who was a lay Catholic chaplain in the 1990s) used to say that many parish priests ought to unveil a large colourful banner at the altar exclaiming: "Welcome Back!"
I'm not trying to lay all the blame on pastors and bishops. Being a spiritual leader of a Catholic diocese or parish isn't easy. There are many challenges Church leaders face today. But that's one reason lay Catholics should be more involved in Church decision-making.
Some observers have said Church leaders should have re-convened five-years after the close of Vatican II. Perhaps the impact of the changes could have been addressed in a more collegial manner. Others like Hans Kung have called for a Vatican III to grapple with the profound divisions, issues, and problems facing the Church. His idea has some merit.
In his meeting with the Canadian bishops this past spring, Benedict XVI spoke of the priest shortage. Not surprisingly he didn't mention the issue of optional celibacy. But even though the priest shortage is an important issue, what the bishops and Pope should be talking about is something much more profound: The appalling lack of dialogue among Church leaders, priests, and laypeople today.
It's sad that "dialogue" has hardened into a cliché in the Church. But if we understood dialogue more deeply things might be different. For example, the educator Paulo Freire once explained that: "Dialogue requires an intense faith in man, faith in his power to make and remake, to create and recreate, faith in his vocation to be more fully human."
We're not seeing that dialogue in the Church today. Instead there is a feverish use of labels and stereotypes cast upon Catholics. Creative, joyful, and trusting dialogue is frequently smothered by bitterness and mistrust.
Are there some bishops who desire a transforming dialogue? Yes. But too many are sending a message that lay Catholics should leave the Church to the hierarchy. I thought the old mantra "Pray, Pay, and Obey" was dead and buried. But some Church leaders are coaxing it back to life.
U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy used to say that the one thing hampering the effectiveness of most Christians is that they give advice and point the direction "without the support of example." That's a sobering thought.
Some bishops believe entering into dialogue with priests and laypeople (who may disagree with them) is a sign of weakness. It's not. Instead it's a sign of hope.
If there's one person who has a reason to be bitter about the Church hierarchy today its Fr. Charles Curran. In his recent memoir Loyal Dissent, Curran recalls the Vatican's investigation of his writing and teaching 20 years ago. The investigation led to his dismissal from the Catholic University of America.
But Curran isn't bitter. In the concluding remark of his memoir he writes that: "And while I was disappointed in the election of Josef Ratzinger as Benedict XVI, I respect him as pope, and I pray for him every day." That's an example worth contemplating.
The Catholic hierarchy should take a hiatus from blaming their woes on secularism. Instead they need to look into their own house. Church leaders must lead by example --opening their hearts, risking dialogue, welcoming people back, following the Spirit, and reviving their social engagement with the world.
Gerry McCarthy is Editor of The Social Edge.
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