Tension between local authority and central control

  Arcbishop Charles Brown lays hands on Bishop Billy Crean
in the cathedral in Cobh. Bishop Crean 's will be the last
episcopa ordination in Ireland during the
pontificate of Pope Benedict.

The column below appears in this week's INM Irish regional newspapers.

By Michael Commane

My clothes were washed by ‘Magdalenes’. When we were religious novices our laundry was sent out to a Magdalene Laundry. Is it good enough for me to say I had no idea about what was going on? It’s exactly the sort of thing so many Germans said about what happened between 1933 and 1945.

But why were the ‘superiors’ in convents and priories, and bishops all over the country not speaking out about what was going on. It’s never good enough to say that they were different times.

Did you know that up until late in the 20th century many women religious congregations were under the authority of the diocesan bishop? Believe it or not, but congregations such as the Mercy Sisters came under the jurisdiction of the bishop in the diocese in which they worked.

In this column last week I offered a quick explanation about certain aspects of how the Catholic Church works and how it is organised.

Did you know that in Ireland up until the early part of the 20th century parish priests had a vote in the appointment of a diocesan bishop? With the revision of the Code of Canon Law in 1917 this changed.

Today in some countries the State authorities are consulted on the appointment of bishops.

If one reads the ‘L’Osservatore Romano’, which is the official newspaper of the Vatican, the reader will see the episcopal appointments made by the pope. But not even the pope could personally know all the world’s bishops. Yes, the pope probably gives his approval to episcopal appointments but the decision has been made long before the pope signs any piece of paper.

From time to time the papal nunciature in Dublin circulates a form to diocesan priests asking them to draw up a short list of priests that they think are suitable to be made a bishop. The form also goes to a select number of priests, who are not diocesan priests, that is, priests in religious congregations and orders who are considered to be ‘wise men’. All that material is collated and compiled.

Whether any of that information is taken into account I don’t know. But whatever happens, and I have never yet met anyone who knows the exact procedure, the papal nuncio in Dublin sends a ‘terna’, three names, to the Congregation for Bishops and it is they who make the choice and recommend someone to the pope. Or they reject the ‘terna’ and ask the nuncio to come up with three different names.

The papal nuncio is the person the Holy See accredits to a country. The current papal nuncio/ambassador in Ireland is Archbishop Charles Brown. Most papal nuncios come from the Holy See’s diplomatic service but Archbishop Brown is something of an exception as he was not in the Vatican diplomatic service. Before taking up his current post he was working in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).

There is always talk within church circles as to whether the appointment of diocesan bishops should be more transparent and whether or not the local church should have a bigger say in such appointments.

The Vatican Council, which began 50 years ago last year, placed an emphasis on giving local churches more control. As in all organisations, there is always tension between local authority and central control. The Catholic Church is no exception.

Central control has proved at times in history to have been a positive aspect in the church. But there are also negative sides to it. Central control can make for an authoritarian and autocratic institution. On the other hand, if local churches have too much independence, the organisation can be easily splintered and divided. But one thing is certain, there is always need for dialogue, and open and honest discussion.