It is often said that clericalism is the enemy of the church and of Christianity. The Church founded by Jesus of Nazareth and his apostles was a community of men and women who set out to restore human dignity in a world where many were treated as less than human. In that society women were treated as second class. In the empire all were treated as subjects of the emperor who had absolute control over the lives of the people.
In the religious practice of the day the poor were dismissed and blamed for their own misfortune. The religious leaders were aligned with the imperial power. In the Roman empire people who challenged the status quo were executed by public crucifixion.
Clericalism is about control and power. It is always a threat to genuine religion. The Catholic Church must be about discipleship where all the Baptised are equal. That was the message of Jesus. It is the message of the prophets through the ages.
Discipleship is the opposite of clericalism. Disciples are people called by God to serve God and God alone and to show God’s love to the poor and oppressed. Jesus is the example and the first disciples have shown us that it is only through union with him that true discipleship in the form of service can be practiced. Disciples put Christ and his mission first. They are opposed to all forms of imperialism. Their first desire is always to follow Jesus Christ crucified and not to follow the way of the world or the way of any empire. Any other form of Catholicism or Christianity like clericalism is a total corruption of the Gospel. It must be eradicated.
The clerical church has had its day. I think Pope Francis did a lot to undermine it. He tried to take the focus away from the clergy and put it back on all the baptised and their role as evangelisers. That is what Pope Francis intended with his determination to put Synodality back in place in the Church. That process which is about listening to the whole people of God must continue.
The Irish Catholic church has been slow to take up this prophetic work. There seems to be little enthusiasm for the work of synodality in Ireland. Thus the die-hard Latin Mass brigade continues to grow and gain attention. There is a concerted effort by right wing Catholics from the US to make inroads in Ireland. The recent takeover of the former Cistercian monastery at Mount Mellary in Waterford by a right wing group from Florida is a typical example. The promotion of a right wing magazine like the Catholic voice in every parish in Ireland is another example of the determination of the right-wingers to undermine the teaching of the Second Vatican Council.
There is a lack of prophetic leadership in the Irish Catholic Church. Its influence is steadily declining. Until it gets rid of the clerical mind-set and recovers a prophetic stance that is prepared to oppose the right wingers -the Latin Mass brigade- it will continue to decline.
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