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Archdiocese of Córdoba PARISH OF NUESTRA SEÑORA DEL VALLE
Avda.. R 5. Laplace 5186 (ex.República
333) July 24th, 2004 Letter from the community of the Crypt in response to the Archbishop's invitation.
In response to the invitation of our Archbishop to "the respectful and cordial participation of everyone", we would like to comment on some of the considerations presented in his letter of July 11th, 2004 to the community of the Archdiocese. "It is the responsibility of the bishop to take permanent care of everything related to the proclamation of the gospel in the portion of the Church that has been confided to his pastoral leadership." We recognize, of course, that it is the bishop's responsibility to ensure "conditions suitable for the task of evangelization", and we are grateful that he has offered his personal assessment of the repercussions of Father Mariani's book in the mass media and thus in the diocese. "… the sensation that has prevailed in me as a bishop and that I have been able to confirm also in the testimony of priests, religious and lay people who have expressed this to me, is that of deep pain for the consternation and confusion that these declarations have aroused". We also recognize that the declarations made before and after publication of the book, not only by Father Mariani, but also by other representatives of the Church and by commentators in the media, have caused "consternation and confusion" in different sectors of the Church at Province-level and nationally, and even abroad, and that this fact pains many well-meaning people. We would like to point out, however, that this was by no means the only reaction either inside or outside the Church. There was also a massive response from many, also well-meaning, people, of happiness and relief that a priest was finally opening up realities within the Church which many people have known of for a long time, and that a new opportunity was being created for frank reflection on the implications of these realities. These people include many who, within the Church, have lived and continue to suffer in their own experience the persistent contradictions between some aspects of the practice and discipline of the Church and those truly Christian values that make us more human. They also include many people who have drifted away from the Church precisely because they perceived its dual discourse on topics of ethics and politics, and who are pleased to see the possibility of the Church opening up to an honest and transparent dialogue with the society in which they and the Church live. The fact that some in the Church receive the declarations with pain and others with happiness would suggest that it is necessary to look beyond such immediate reactions. Whenever it is clear that dealing with certain topics may cause pain, consternation and confusion, it is necessary, before speaking, to apply the "prudence and charity" of which the Archbishop speaks. In this case we are sure, because he himself declares it in his book and in public, that Father Mariani thought about this long and hard before publishing, asking the opinion of twelve different people. As the Archbishop says: " ...there are certain topics, certain experiences that it is best to consider with authenticity but at the same time with delicacy, out of respect for persons, their intimacy and their convictions." Father Mariani has shown this "delicacy" towards his own person, his intimacy and his convictions, because this is the subject of the book. The book invades the nobody else's intimacy. We recognize, as the Archbishop says, that " ... the Church, beloved of the Lord Jesus, is a reality that must be considered always from the view of faith; if we do not do so from this perspective, we will certainly be left with a partial and even deformed view." But the Church cannot be considered solely from the view of faith, because the Church is a reality that is not only divine, but also human, and various human realities at once. It is a supra-historical reality, but is incarnated in historical realities. To act, and speak and present it as a reality that is above any criticism would also be "a partial and even deformed view". "This Church has the promise of the irrevocable gift of the Holy Spirit who assists her permanently so that she keeps fidelity to her Lord." We accept this idea, but the gift of the Holy Spirit does not guarantee that the Church in all its manifestations will always be faithful to her Lord. As the Archbishop says: "she is always in need of purification", and the question must be: Where does this purification come from? "Our sincere and humble purpose of conversion to the Lord and to his Word, rather than bitter criticism, will certainly contribute to making her more and more transparent." "Our sincere and humble purpose of conversion" is a necessary but not always sufficient condition for bringing about the renewal of the Church – often we fail to hear the Spirit speaking within our own conscience, and He has to speak to us through human beings who make us aware of our own need of conversion. Part of the work of the Holy Spirit is seen in the prophetic criticism of the faithful towards the institution of the Church itself. So the pain that is sometimes felt at being criticized is not a pain to be soothed at all costs, but more like a birth-pain, which is to be humbly accepted as an essential part of giving birth to a new reality. For a criticism to be described as "bitter" depends on the disposition of the person receiving it. "... the priestly ministry is a gift which God the Father concedes to those whom he calls to follow his Son. The priest's mission is to be the living prolongation of the Lord Jesus and of his saving ministry among men. For this he receives an abundant communication of the Holy Spirit that constantly drives and animates him." We also recognize, as the Archbishop says, that "the priestly ministry is a gift", but we know that all of us, lay people as well as priests, are called "to follow his Son". It is the mission of all the faithful too "to be the living prolongation of the Lord Jesus and of his saving ministry among men." It does not seem very appropriate to suggest that the priest receives "an abundant communication of the Holy Spirit", as if the Holy Spirit were a source of special inspiration for all the priests, to a greater extent than the rest of the Church. Priests themselves as well as the faithful who hear their homilies know very well that they are human as much as anyone, that they make mistakes in words and in deeds, that often they find no way to inspire the faithful under their charge, that they have doubts, "fragility and shadows" like everyone else. To raise them up on a pedestal is exactly what has led to situations that priests themselves are humanly unable to bear, and thus to scandals for the entire Church, like the current bankruptcy of a diocese in the United States because of the lawsuits against its clergy. It is not a sufficient remedy to suggest that "Every priest must cultivate this gift, permanently renewing the freedom and generosity with which he embraced it". This is too much to ask and demand of one person in isolation; it is the responsibility of all the community of the Church to care for its priests, and try to keep them human, "to accompany and encourage them in the effort … to live their response to God's gifts with generosity and faithfulness", to criticize them when appropriate, and to contribute to the institution of the Church being a healthy environment for the development of human beings of integrity. To get into a discussion of "priestly celibacy", and of "priestly formation" is not the subject of this letter, nor is the sole, or even the most important subject of the book. Sin Tapujos: La vida de un cura [Unveiled: The life of a priest] deals with one priest's experience and his reflections and criticisms arising from his evident love for the Church, from his many years of parish work close to the people, and from his conviction that his ideas and criticisms are shared by an important segment of people committed to the welfare of the Church. It criticizes the political role of the Church within Argentina, the compromises it has made with every type of government over and above its evangelical mission, the close relationship it has with the rich rather than with the poor, its prevailing prejudice against women, the hypocrisy of the double life of many of those who have the duty of service within the Church. These are much more significant topics, ones that deserve an open and transparent, "unveiled" debate within the Argentine Church, and within the diocese, between its hierarchy and its faithful. These are institutional themes that seriously affect the image of the whole Church, that cause a scandal as a result of which many leave the Church, and many others never even think of approaching it because they find nothing attractive in it. They are not topics that must be dealt with "with delicacy, out of respect for persons, their intimacy and their convictions". When Jesus came across hypocrisy and contradictions in the Jewish institutions of his time, he did not treat them with much delicacy, or avoid such topics for fear of any pain this might cause his audience. We accept the Archbishop's invitation to join in "the challenging and hope-filled task of proclaiming the gospel in Córdoba", aware that this task requires a Church with institutions that are open to participation, transparent, with the capacity for self-criticism, in open dialogue with society, with ears to hear, speaking a language that can be understood by its contemporaries, and showing a personal and institutional life that matches the principles it expresses. We hope that the opportunity offered by the publication of Sin Tapujos will give all of us in the Church a stimulus towards that new reality. "In our archdiocese we are taking a path that aims to be marked by the respectful and cordial participation of everyone." It is to be hoped, then, that the response of the archdiocese to Father Mariani will also demonstrate that its authorities receive the participation of our parish priest with due respect and cordiality.
Parish Council of Nuestra Señora del Valle. |
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