Reform movements discuss need for change
Ian McGinnity, Parramatta priest, writes about recently attending the International Reform Conference in Slovakia.
When it was mooted in the final days of our gathering in Chicago in October 2016, of what is now known as the International Catholic reform network (ICRN), that our next gathering may be in Slovakia I must confess I initially wondered: why there? Our previous gatherings had been in Austria (Bregenz) Ireland (Limerick) and the US. I had some understanding of the Catholic church in these places probably because there was plenty of available information in English about these areas but Slovakia, I must confess, I was ignorant.[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]
I was pleasantly surprised to learn of the rich history of the Church in this country and more specifically about the era of the underground Church operating during the Communist regime. We met in a town 20 km north east of Bratislava called Pezinok, once part of the kingdom of Hungary, it was a vineyard town that still produces quality wines (a bonus for our gathering!). We were wonderfully hosted by an organisation called ok21(referring to the church in the 21st-century) an informal group of Christians mostly from the Roman Catholic tradition founded in 2014. However, the community roots go back to the underground Church, which operated during the Communist regime. Several founding members of ok21 were active members of illegal Christian communities that were meeting in households or remote, non-public places who risked their lives to continue the faith. The experience of the authentic secret Church is rooted in the very DNA of this community.
After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the integration of the underground Church into the official structures of the Roman Catholic Church again after many years of persecution and paralysis since 1948, did not go smoothly. Some had collaborated with the Communist regime, others offered passive resistance, others immigrated to the Vatican, others actively resisted with official church support from afar allowing what was known as the Mexican faculties to secretly ordain priests and bishops (some apparently married and even one or two women). Most of the clandestine team of priests and bishops had a secular university education, as well as a job in the field they had studied. Some were officially recognised by the Vatican others including a validly ordained underground Bishop who attended our conference, Dusan Spiner, were told to wait by John Paul II. The official church did not award him a canonical mission and registered him as Bishop Emeritus. He eventually worked as a university teacher until retirement in 2016. He now lives in the independent community of the third order of St Francis in Austrian Axams near Innsbruck. His was one of many fascinating stories about how the official church treated members of the underground church after the Velvet Revolution. The personal witness and analysis of this difficult time for the church in Slovakia stimulated conversation about some similar parallels to the difficult time the Church is experiencing now: between Catholics looking for reforms and those who resist them with almost totalitarian vehemence!
There were 49 registered participants at the gathering from many parts of the world (including new places such as Russia, Korea, Bulgaria, Argentina et. al) that enriched our gathering. The common denominator was that all of them were involved in one way or another with Church reform issues. After the historical input, the gathering got down to the nitty-gritty of areas within our Church that required reform. Many of these issues had been raised at previous gatherings these included: the role of women in our church particularly their inequity in ministry and leadership (we seem to be waiting a long time for a decision regarding female Deacons and still do not formally acknowledge women to be Lectors or Acolytes, yet they do these jobs); the treatment by the Church of the LGB QTI community (for example the forthcoming World Meeting of Families in Ireland); the deprivation of Eucharist to communities because of a lack of priests and how that can be solved; and the need for a Charter of Fundamental Rights for all in the Church (particularly for those who have been treated abysmally by the institutional Church) and a better selection process for the appointment of Bishops were just some of the arenas discussed in large and small groups. A press statement was issued at the end of the gathering which can be viewed at this link https://icrn.info.
The hospitality of our Slovakian hosts was extraordinary. The interaction between the various participants from many different situations and cultures was enriching. The heroism and bravery of many of the participants inspiring. Particularly the Slovakian members of the underground Church who risked life and some who endured prison; but also, some of our contemporaries like Helmut Schuller, Tony Flannery, Sister Jeannine Grammick who have endured sanctions from the official Church for speaking their truth. Our liturgies and prayer together were very moving. The source of our unity, our faith in Jesus Christ and our common endeavour to support Pope Francis in his work of much-needed reform of the Church to align us again to the Joy of the Gospel and our shared mission to proclaim it authentically.[/s2If]
