Careerism and sycophancy breed incompetency

This week's INM Irish regional newspapers' column.

Michael Commane

Say a particular class in a school does badly every year in the Leaving Cert in some subject, which is taught by one specific teacher. It wouldn't be long before the school authorities and parents would be questioning the competency of the teacher. 

It would be most unlikely that the students in that particular class were weak students every year.When I hear church people bemoan the state of the church in Ireland I can't help but ask myself if there be a problem, why has it happened.

Okay, church attendance has seen a decline right across the developed world.

Church people will argue that 'secularism' has extended its 'nasty fangs' and people have walked away from church practice.

There will be those who will say we have lost our sense of God. If so, why? Is it as simple as that? I don't think so.

Before I write another word I have to come clean and say that I have never been in a position of authority within the hierarchical church.

Secondly, when  my late father would hear me criticise the management class within the church he would turn to me and say: "Michael, they can't all be getting it wrong."

He had a point but from where I stand, there is good reason to think that there is a chronic problem within the leadership of the church, and not just in Ireland but right around the world. That's some statement to make. It sure is.

Of course it's not just in the church that there are cases of inefficient and incompetent managers. It happens everywhere but within the church there doesn't seem to be any checks and balances.

Who are the people who manage and control the Irish church? At top are the archbishops and bishops.

What sort of management training and skills do they have? Who appoints them? To whom are they answerable?

Within religious congregations there are provincials, some of whom are elected and others appointed from a higher authority.

Since the election of Jorge Bergoglio three years ago I have been fascinated how church leaders seem to quote so easily the words of Pope Francis.

But before his papacy the same men were quoting in the same euphoric terms the words of Pope Benedict and before Benedict it was the words of Pope John Paul. Something suspicious there.

No doubt all good and wise popes. I can't help but smell a tad of sycophancy in the tone emanating from all those princes of the church.

I can't help but suspect so many of them have come from the school of careerism, an art in which they are so well versed. And it's the same within religious congregations.

Has it really been possible for a man, who thinks for himself, to be elected or appointed to a senior job in the church in the last 50 years?

It would seem that during the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict there was a tendency to appoint 'yes-men' as bishops around the world. It was as if they did not want strong independent bishops, who might question things. They wanted nothing to do with subsidiarity. And we are paying the price for that today.

Where there is an indulgence of sycophancy and careerism in an organisation there is always the danger that incompetency and inefficiency will have a greater chance of gaining a foothold.

And to add to that it would seem that jealousy is never too far away from the mindset of the cleric.

But then there is the Holy Spirit. At least Alleluia for that.