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"The Bishops’ Secret Letter"
Crisis Magazine -- e-Letter from
Deal Hudson, Editor
2002-07-30 9:00 PM PST
_______________________________________
Dear Friend,
When I started this e-letter in April, my primary motivation was to have
a way to get urgent information to you immediately. There are some
things that just can’t wait to be printed in the magazine.
This is one of those things.
As you may already know, the Catholic world has been buzzing about a
confidential letter composed by eight American bishops in which they
called for a Plenary Council to address problems in the Church.
Journalists and pundits have been speculating and debating about the
alleged contents of the letter and the identities of the authors. But no
one really knew for sure.
Until now.
This morning, Crisis managed to obtain a copy of the letter that
was sent on July 18 to all the American cardinals and bishops. In it, a
group of eight bishops asks that a Plenary Council be called as soon as
possible to discuss the "root causes" of—and possible
solutions to—the current crisis in the Church.
Before I get ahead of myself, let me explain what a Plenary Council is
and why this letter is so dramatic. Basically, a Plenary Council is a
meeting of all the bishops of a given area—in this case, the United
States. This isn’t an ordinary meeting though. It’s the highest form
of council that can be called on a national level. It would be like a
Vatican Council for the States. In fact, the American bishops haven’t
called a Plenary Council in more than 100 years.
And it’s much different from their semiannual conferences, too: There,
the administrative business is done. A Plenary Council, on the other
hand, is much more proactive, focusing on "teaching the truths of
the faith" (as the letter says). Priests and laypeople would also
be able to participate.
The eight bishops who wrote this amazing letter are taking a brave stand
by urging discussion of those issues that were swept under the rug at
the June bishops’ meeting. While I can’t send you the whole body of
the letter, I can share some of it with you.
First, the authors of the letter seem to have a pretty clear
understanding of the crisis. Here are a few of the issues they want to
face head-on at the Plenary Council: "What has happened to the life
and ministry of bishops and priests that makes us vulnerable to the
failings that have humiliated us all? What things need to be going on so
that in this cultural milieu priests and bishops will preserve their
celibate chastity along with all the other virtues that constitute the
life of holiness proper to pastors? How can the purification upon which
we shepherds have embarked help us, in turn, support our people in
achieving greater holiness?"
Notice the absence of wishy-washy bishop speak. These men know there’s
a problem, and they’re going to face it squarely.
But it gets even better. The bishops get very specific about what they
hope to accomplish at the meeting:
Goal 1: "Solemnly receiving
the authentic teaching of the Second Vatican Council...on the
identity, life and ministry of bishops and priests; on matters of
sexual morality in general (cf. Gaudium et Spes, Humanae Vitae,
Veritatis Splendor, and Familiaris Consortio); [and] on
celibate chastity as an authentic form of human sexuality renewed by
grace and a share in Christ’s own spousal love for His Church."
It’s heartening to hear these bishops
raise the issue of sexual morality as taught by Humanae Vitae, as
well as "the very soul of holiness" for a priest! These topics
have been taboo for so long that it’s phenomenal to see bishops
address them head-on.
Goal 2: "Giving unequivocal
endorsement and normative force to the means outlined in the documents
of the Council...to foster the acts of virtue required of pastors and
the means needed to achieve those virtues, especially celibate
chastity (e.g., daily celebration of the Mass, frequent Confession,
daily meditation, regular acts of asceticism, obedient submission to
Church teaching and discipline, simplicity of life)."
You can’t argue with a return to the
fundamentals of the priesthood. This is EXACTLY what priests need to
hear: a public endorsement of their vocation and the support of the
bishops in encouraging a real back-to-basics approach to religious life.
Goal 3: "Confirming the
bishops in the authoritative exercise of our ministry for the health
and well being of the church, and strengthening our coworkers in the
Presbyterate in their ministry of teaching the Gospel, especially in
regard to sexual morality, so that we can give support to the lay
faithful in responding to their call to holiness."
Who hasn’t been demanding greater
accountability and action from the bishops? Clearly, these men seem to
understand what’s really been bothering American Catholics.
The bishops who drafted the letter also listed the benefits of calling a
Plenary Council: It "would provide a galvanizing focus that is
authentically evangelical and true to the Church’s identity and
tradition...[witness] unambiguously to the fact that the Church relies
on the grace of the Holy Spirit...involve all strata of the People of
God in the experience...have maximal impact in shaping the ecclesial
culture...[and] give a definite stamp to identifying what is the
authentic heritage of the Second Vatican Council."
"Galvanize"..."witness
unambiguously"..."maximal impact"..."definite
stamp"... the "authentic" heritage of Vatican II... These
are strong words for bishops—a group usually known more for its
inaction than its decisive action.
One last thing. Unfortunately, I can’t reveal the names of the authors
at this point. However, I can tell you that the list is surprising.
These bishops represent the entire theological and political spectrum.
That in itself is reassuring: The idea that we need a deep and lasting
change isn’t limited to any political or theological ideology.
My hat is off to these eight courageous and dedicated bishops—all that’s
left now is to hope their colleagues will follow suit and sign on.
In 10 years or so, when this current crisis has hopefully faded away, we
may look back on this letter as the event that triggered the renewal of
the American Catholic Church. Let’s all say a prayer of thanks for the
eight bishops who took the first step.
Talk soon,
Deal Hudson
P.S.: Please forward this to anyone you think might be heartened
by it. With so much bad news in the Church, it’s great to finally have
something positive to say.
Contact: Crisis Magazine http://www.crisismagazine.com
Deal Hudson - Editor, 202-861-7790 |