Guest Column: Top-Down and Bottom-Up in the Catholic Church

Continued
By James D. Rooney

Through the first millennium and into the second, all Church members participated in the selection of a new bishop, considered a sacred obligation incumbent on all. In the second century, St. Cyprian said, “Who will govern all should be chosen by all.” In the fifth century, Popes Celestine I and Leo I insisted on the faithful’s right to elect their bishops and condemned any attempt to impose a bishop without their consent. Over time, royal interference in bishop selection led the hierarchy to exert more control over the process, but local selections remained the norm. The first bishop in the United States, John Carroll of Baltimore, was elected locally, not appointed from afar; some European dioceses still elect their own bishops. In fact, Episcopal appointment was not exclusively reserved to the pope until 1917.

In contrast today, although consideration may be given to the opinions of a few select laypersons, the nomination process is highly centralized and controlled. Highest consideration when determining the final list of recommended candidates appears to go to those whose strongest fealty is to Vatican policies rather than to local conditions. This process lacks the universal participation that was a hallmark of the earlier Church.

Voice of the Faithful proposes this is an opportune time for the Vatican to modify the process and return the Church to its roots. Encouraging broader lay consultation in the local recommendation process would be a visible sign that local needs and concerns are important. It also would enable the entire Church membership to influence universal Church governance indirectly because cardinals are overwhelmingly selected from among bishops.

Voice of the Faithful recently submitted a nine-point outline for requiring greater lay participation to the pope for his approval. This proposal features public announcement of an upcoming vacancy, establishment of a formal process to include lay comment, educational materials to guide the process and formal recording and transmission of the results to the Apostolic Nuncio, followed by Vatican review.

We are also beginning to reach out to VOTF affiliates in dioceses with pending bishop vacancies, like Chicago, to encourage lay members to commence the process for offering their recommendations now. This effort is in keeping with the Roman Catholic Church’s Canon Law 212, which expressly provides that the lay faithful are free to make known “their needs and wishes to the Pastors of the Church” and to share their views with other members of the laity and the clergy.

Benedict XVI now has appointed 40 percent of the College of Cardinals who will elect his successor. John Paul II appointed all but a few of the cardinals who elected Benedict. This self-perpetuating, circular system of governance reflects the ancient European style of monarchy that shaped the current Church structure, rather than the more participatory traditions of the early Church.

By regaining its role in bishop selection, the laity would help renew Church leadership and the institution itself. Catholics believe the Holy Spirit speaks through the “People of God.” It is time the People have a voice once again.

James D. Rooney is a member of the Voice of the Faithful Bishop Initiative Team. He holds an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School and a BA in Ethics and Political Philosophy from Brown University. He lives in the Boston area.