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Priest's talk will boost laity's role in the Church The bishops of the Catholic Church aren't the only ones responsible for resolving the clergy sexual abuse crisis. According to Rev. William Clark, SJ, laypeople have just as great a role -- and need to take action. "The authority of the Church is the authority of the Holy Spirit, and the work of the Spirit in the Church -- including the work of the laity -- gives a mission to every part of the Church," he said. "It's not a matter of the laity waiting for someone to give them something to do." He compared outspoken laypeople to biblical prophets, saying prophetic critique is "the best kind of support that can happen" in the Church. The role of a prophet, he said, is to put forth the implications of the word of God in different circumstances. He noted that while the views of prophets like Jeremiah often weren't welcomed in their lifetimes, the prophets were still given important work by God. Baptismal call The term "baptismal call" is often used by Church leaders in explaining why laypeople should become involved in Church life. Father Clark explained that through the Sacraments of Initiation, including Baptism, Christians are brought into a relationship with the Holy Spirit and become part of the "people of God." The implication of this, he said, is that "the baptismal call moves the people as a community." He believes it's important for laity to speak as part of a community. The most successful prophets, he said, "brought what they had been experiencing and hearing to the community, and if there [were] challenges or corrections to what [they] were offering, those [were] dealt with gracefully." Model laity Such people often gathered a community around themselves, he added, citing the examples of St. Paul, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Catherine of Siena -- all laypeople when they began speaking up about their beliefs. "They were laypeople who understood and experienced that they had a relationship with the Lord -- roles that were more than merely subservient to the leadership structures," Father Clark said. He cited the lay-begun Catholic group Voice of the Faithful, based in Massachusetts, as one example of laity taking a stand. The group sponsors talks (including a series by Father Clark), provides support for abuse victims and asks for reform in the Church. "Voice of the Faithful is doing some good things," Father Clark opined, adding that while some Catholics complain VOTF members are too focused on media attention, the group has held meetings with the bishop of its home diocese and encouraged announcing the names of priests who have abused children. Steps to follow The first step for laity taking on an active role in the Church should be education, said Father Clark. People need to understand the issues involved, he said, before speaking out on them. He also cautioned laypeople who want to organize into groups not to get into shouting matches with opponents. "When they're shouted down by people who think they don't even have the right to organize, that takes all the energy," he commented. "You become what those opposing the groups think you are already: marginal and irrelevant." Instead, he advised lay groups to defend their right to exist, but stay focused on their agendas, on their work within the Church, and "on what is needed and what can be done." New phase Father Clark called this time "a moment of crisis" for the Church. "It's not so much a new era as another phase in coming to understand what we were called to in the Second Vatican Council," he remarked. "It's a tragedy we have to be called in this fashion, [but] this is the unfinished business of Vatican II." He feels fortunate to have studied the Church and the issues it's struggling with, since he can now share his knowledge with fellow Catholics and help them understand "how to operate within" the Church. "One of the choices we could make now is to do very little or nothing," he added. "There's a depressive tendency in this [crisis]. The initial enthusiasm to do something to address the problems is waning; people are tired. I hope something I can say would help to invigorate people. This is the time we can least afford to take a break, because leadership and energy are needed." (Father Clark is an assistant professor of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. His doctoral dissertation dealt with the authority of local Church communities within the universal Church. On March 10 at 7 p.m., Father Clark will speak at Christian Brothers Academy in Albany on "Crisis in the Catholic Church: The Role of the Laity.") (2/27/03) |