POPE FRANCIS

Amoris Laetitia (henceforth AL) has been the subject of discussion among supporters and critics alike. Apparently, and especially within the Philippine context, there is not much discussion about its success as a pastoral thrust that seeks to journey with persons who are broken either as individuals or as families. If read side by side with Evangelii Gaudium and other writings of Pope Francis, it is clear that AL's pastoral thrust promotes the Gospel of Mercy in the sphere of family life and sexuality. It is in line with the Church's need to carry out internal reforms and thus it addresses the growing concern of secularization. This paper contends that for the Church to truly journey with those who need its pastoral care, as envisioned by AL, it has to address the problem of clericalism. The case of the Philippine Church is used to elaborate the contention that more than just the profound pastoral pronouncements of AL, there must be changes within the Church's system, and primarily this means serious efforts to address clericalism.

2022

In its July 14, 2022 article “The unending storm” The Economist asserted that several researchers identify obligatory celibacy as a root cause of clerical abuse in the Catholic Church. In the following days, Hans Zollner immediately sent The Economist a letter calling into question this claim. All independent studies, Zollner insists, “conclude that abolishing clerical celibacy is not the solution to the sexual abuse crisis as such, as celibacy is not the root cause of sexual abuse”. It is false to assume that “that married Protestant clergy, or, for that matter, Orthodox priests, or rabbis or priests of other religions, are less abusive than celibate Catholic clergy”. Such an assumption, he pursues, “has not been scientifically substantiated”. I am deeply troubled by such a sweeping claim by Zollner. Even more so because Zollner is not an ordinary Catholic but a Jesuit priest and licensed psychologist and psychotherapist who, in 2015, as ever more revelations of abuse were plunging the church into a historical crisis, was asked by Pope Francis to head the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, an institution he created to address this crisis. Contrary to most catholic priests, bishops, and cardinals, Zollner clearly identifies several of the roots of abuse that I discovered in my research. He also demonstrates remarkable courage in systematically siding with victims and detailing their pain and trauma, something that is refreshing and very commendable in an institution that, to protect its image, has traditionally done the exact opposite. Yet I am nevertheless deeply troubled by the fact that Zollner fails to identify two of the roots of clergy abuse that to me are fundamental: mandatory priestly celibacy on the one hand, which is supposed to allow one to lead a more spiritual life totally dedicated to the Catholic Church’s mission, and the sacred type of priesthood the latter institution attributes to its priests on the other.

Why? Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse, 2020

Watching the documentary that appeared on RDI's (Radio Canada International) program "Les Grands Reportages" on April 25 and 26, 2019, Abus sexuels des religieuses : l'autre scandale de l'église" was quite an eye-opening experience for me. Based on a rigorous two-year investigation on four continents conducted by Marie-Pierre Raimbault and Éric Quintin with the collaboration of the journalist Élizabeth Drévillon, the documentary unveils yet another terrible scandal plaguing the Catholic clergy: the sexual abuse of nuns. Victims of the clergy sexual abuse of minors led the way in forcing the Catholic Church to finally address a scandal that it had been sweeping under the carpet for decades. And now we see nuns in various parts of the world, undoubtedly encouraged by the MeToo era, joining the chorus of victims, and breaking the silence imposed by the Vatican about the Catholic Church's other scandal, the reduction of nuns to virtual sexual slavery by priests and bishops. Another very troubling aspect of clericalism is to see the rapidity with which the Vatican cracked down on American nuns in 2012 when they started being outspoken about some of the much-needed reforms in the Catholic Church. A rapidity that sharply contrasts with the mind-boggling slowness and incapacity of the Vatican in addressing the roots of the clergy sexual abuse crisis!

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 2019

Under normal circumstances the church would function as an agent of change and transformation, but this article focuses on the church herself that needs radical change if she is to remain relevant in mission and ministry in this current era. Clericalism and the centralisation of hierarchical control can be identified as the root causes of institutional pathology and weakening collegiality. To address clericalism may require the adjustment of seminary training, as in the current system seminarians are nurtured in a sense of separateness, promoting male-ego and feed gender exclusivity and doctrinal self-righteousness. While the seminary was once an instrument of reform in the Catholic Church, established to counter problems such as clerical concubinage and illiteracy, but now it is no longer suitable as it has become the forum that breeds other problems. Priority attention should be paid to purge the church of rampant clericalism, discriminatory scapegoating of gay persons, marginalis...

The reformation of the 16 th century was a religious revolt in the western church resulting in the formation of new Christian communities separated from Rome. They believed that the church of Rome had betrayed the faith by going against the Bible and actually there were texts that seem to support that. There were remote developments like the stay of the pope in Avignon, Conciliarism, Nominalism and Humanismm in the 15 th C and the religious climate in the church. John Wycliff and Huss all gradually and remotely pave way to the reformation. However, of immediate concern was the fact that the church in the middle ages was very much centralised-governed by a very centralised system and very legalistic rather than by the prophetic and evangelical norm -spirit of love of love of God and neighbour.

A co-authored article looking at three main contributors to Pope Francis's theological influences.

Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, 2024

t: As the title suggests one session of the Synod is over, but we have to journey together and in the meantime wait for the Lord. The event has been an enriching experience for all who took part. But it is important to think again of the spirit of the process and how one “agrees to disagree” while maintaining communion. The article suggests that there is a distinction between true and false reform and highlights the peculiar process of the Synod. The article concludes with a call for intellectual, moral, and religious conversion in order to bring the fruits of the Synod, expected by Pope Francis, to fruition or at least to maturity.

In northern Europe, the Free Spirit of Beghards and Béguines led the war against the established Church. From around 1250, they cited Cathars, Waldenses, and Joachites. Their common beliefs included hatred of the Church, that sacraments are worthless, the spiritual value of poverty, and most important of all, that each of us can become God. Organized in small groups, they faded away when trouble threatened, “migrating from mountain to mountain like strange sparrows”, a good description of the lifestyle the fleeing Cathars were obliged to follow. If they differed, they were merely variations on the Cathar original.

HORIZONTE - Revista de Estudos de Teologia e Ciências da Religião

A discussion of synodality in the Catholic Church, addressing the competing claims of prophecy and law, and examining the ways lay people are excluded from governance and from having their voices heard. The paper addresses the question of whom to obey, the law or the prophets, and reviews the ongoing confusion between the two apparent opposing forces. The paper describes the creation and recent functioning of the Synod of Bishops and lay-clerical tension in the Church, and the ways each contributes to either positive or negative discernment. Finally, in light of the ongoing Synod on Synodality, the paper examines and explains the discernment process in Ignatian terms, concluding that only Spirit-driven discussion is fruitful.

Journal of Moral Theology

There is a certain urgency about this volume, which is not often reflected in works of theology or theological ethics. The sheer scale of the undermining of human dignity through sexual abuse that has occurred within the Church asks questions of these disciplines and scholars within them: to what extent have we been blind to these issues? Why have our efforts in theology and theological ethics been so slow to wrestle with this crisis? How are theology and theological ethics implicated in the crisis? And how might the disciplines be constructive in responding? In this volume, we encounter a diverse range of scholars from all around the world wrestling with these and other questions.