---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Mon, Mar 7, 2011 at 2:43 PM Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] Fw: Vatican dynamics and Caritas To: Group <[email protected]>
Below is an excerpt from an article in National Catholic Reporter which examines some of the dynamics in the Vatican. It reflects on the current controversy over Caritas Internationalis as one example amongst several. I copy below only the bits relevant to the Caritas saga, but the whole article is worth a glance for those interested in how the Catholic Church in Rome actually operates. John BEGIN The Vatican beyond its worst days, and Rome beyond the Vatican by John L Allen Jr on Mar. 04, 2011 - NCR http://ncronline.org/blogs/all-things-catholic/vatican-beyond-its-worst-days-and-rome-beyond-vatican Popular culture is full of misconceptions about Rome, but here are two of the most persistent: That the Vatican is exclusively defined by its worst days, and that Catholic life in Rome is exclusively defined by the Vatican... ...one controversy brewing in the Vatican these days centers on Caritas Internationalis, the Rome-based confederation of 165 Catholic charitable agencies around the world. Recently the Secretariat of State decided to deny the nihil obstat, or approval, to its secretary general, Zimbabwe-born lay woman Lesley-Anne Knight, to stand for a second term. Knight sat down with me this week to talk about the situation, in her first interview since the news broke. It’s tempting to get bogged down in the behind-the-scenes politics, or to treat it as yet another chapter in the story of maladroit Vatican PR moves. Whatever one thinks of the merits of the case, firing a strong and articulate female leader, perhaps the most prominent lay woman representing the Catholic church in the international arena, is a tough sell for an institution already perceived as a boys’ club. In other words, even if the Vatican has legitimate concerns about the Catholic identity of Caritas, the PR question would be: Was there another way to make the point? More deeply, however, there are two observations worth making about the Caritas controversy. First, it’s been an open secret in Vatican circles for a long time that relations between Cor Unum, the Vatican office that oversees charitable activity, and Caritas have been strained. One can partly explain that friction in terms of personal dynamics, but fundamentally there are two different visions of what a Catholic charity ought to be at work, and the current crossroads is bringing that tension to a head. One vision, associated with Cor Unum, the Secretariat of State, and the writings of Pope Benedict XVI -- in other words, the current Vatican power structure -- sees Catholic charitable activity as an alternative to secular NGOs and civil governments. The accent is on what’s distinct about Catholic charity -- its underlying principles and its methods, its whole modus operandi, ought to be palpably Catholic, and its ultimate aim not merely to eliminate poverty or feed the hungry, but to bring people to Christ. That’s not to say Catholic charities ought to proselytize in the sense of dangling aid only if people convert, but their Catholicity ought to be so “thick” that people are naturally drawn into the life and faith of the church. There are plenty of outfits that offer bread, but only the church can bring salvation. Another vision, associated with many of the members of the Caritas confederation and the church’s broader peace-and-justice network, sees Catholic charitable activity more as a partner with NGOs, governments, and other groups. The idea is that Catholic groups ought to enter humbly into alliances with all people of good will, on a basis of equality and tolerance, to pursue shared humanitarian objectives. That doesn’t mean hiding one’s Catholic character, but it does imply emphasizing shared values rather than accenting points of division. It also means being careful about anything that smacks of explicit invitation to conversion, so that outsiders don’t suspect a hidden agenda. Feeding the hungry and serving the poor is already building the Kingdom of God. To be clear, these two visions are not contradictory. Alternatives can work cooperatively with one another, and partners can have contrasting identities. Yet they are nevertheless different: The “alternative” model accents those things that make Catholic charities different, while the “partner” model emphasizes what Catholic charities have in common with other groups. The shifting of the plates underneath the decision on Knight would seem to be realignment in favor of the “alternative” rather than “partner” model. Second, one point Knight made in our interview supplies a new piece of a much bigger picture. Some Caritas members, she said, are worried about what the eventual fallout from the Vatican decision may be, and have decided to withhold payment of their membership fees until they know what’s going on. The suggestion seemed to be that over time, some Caritas members who are more in tune with the “partnership” model could decide that they’re better off on their own, rather than being formally part of the Caritas network or even the institutional church. (To be clear, Knight doesn’t want that to happen; she’s keenly committed to preventing it.) For those who have been following Catholic affairs, the prospect of some Catholic charities throwing in the towel on formal institutional sponsorship bears comparison to conversations taking place in other arenas. Some women’s religious communities in the United States upset over the current Apostolic Visitation, for example, have pondered the prospect of “going non-canonical,” continuing under some other guise but not formally tied to the institutional church. In the wake of a recent case in Phoenix in which the local bishop declared a hospital no longer Catholic, some church-affiliated hospitals and health systems find themselves asking if the challenges associated with their connection to the institutional is really worth it. Would it be easier, they ask, simply to declare themselves “in the Catholic tradition” but independent of the church? It remains to be seen how real any of those prospects are, especially given that in each case, responsible people on both sides of the relationship seem committed to holding things together. Still, it’s tough to avoid the impression that we’re entering a period in which questions over Catholic identity are no longer theoretical. Increasingly, people and institutions within the church are being forced to choose. Whether that amounts to a regrettable fracturing of Catholic unity, or a long-overdue calling of the question, may be open to debate. In any event, it seems to be the temper of the times. END ______________________ John Ashworth Sudan Advisor Sudan Ecumenical Forum [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +249 919 695 362 (Sudan mobile) +27 82 853 3556 (South Africa mobile) +44 750 304 1790 (UK/international) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. 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