Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Democratize the Catholic Church

By god, I never thought of the Church this way. But this is so spot on. Thanks to Emily on FB for the link!

The Catholic Church is an authoritarian institution, modelled on the political structures of the Roman Empire and medieval Europe. It is better at transmitting instructions downward than at facilitating accountability upward. It is monolithic. It claims the unique legitimacy of a line of succession going back to the apostolic circle of Jesus Christ. Its leaders are protected by a nimbus of mystery, pomp, holiness, and, in the case of the Pope, infallibility—to be sure, only in certain doctrinal matters, not administrative ones, but the aura is not so selective. The hierarchy of such an institution naturally resists admitting to moral turpitude and sees squalid scandal as a mortal threat. Equally important, the government of the Church is entirely male.

8 comments:

Resty Odon said...

Sparks: The Church is not a democracy. Why? Because right and wrong does not depend on popularity.

GabbyD said...

in a sense, xtianity is already democratised.

no one is forced to be a catholic. you can be any denomination. you can even leave xtianity.

Resty Odon said...

There's truth in that idea. Great. "Come and go as you please. We won't kill you."

sparks said...

resty,

i suppose you dont believe in the wisdom of the crowd? and that in essence the many must always be guided by the select few?

gabby,

i was born catholic. had no choice in that. the articles talks about democratizing leadership. and making the catholic hierarchy accountable to its flock.

Teo said...

I see that you have linked me in your blog. Thank you. Maybe you'll be the first -- and only -- Akbayan blogger that I'll link to in my blog. Hehe.

Resty Odon said...

no i dont -- at least not always. vox populi is not always vox Dei

sparks said...

resty,

ano yun? di natin pwedeng palaging alam ang sarili nating bait?

at dapat tayong maniwala na ang kaparian alam ang tama para sa atin? bakit? ano'ng special training ang meron sila na di natin pwedeng alamin?

Resty Odon said...

di ganun yun. that's why i had that qualifier "not always." that means everyone is able to discern; everyone can be a 'minister.' but to believers, it's a matter of whom to put trust in consulting matters spiritual. without such a centralizing agent, it's disastrous anarchy. call it tyranny if you will :) to the follower, it's of the willing kind of bowing to that tyranny. absurd?