Real Change

Somebody said ,- possibly Einstein ? – that it is useless to go on doing over again something that has failed already. But  this is not really true. When  something you do hasn’t worked , the circumstances in which it hasn’t worked may change and in that case this time round it may well work. Depends on the circumstances around you. Demanding negotiations to solve the Israel/Palestine problems will not work now; but if the time comes when  Washington’s economic needs  change and if the EU becomes less stable , then demanding such negotiations may well produce a result. There was a time when no amount of pleas  would produce political talks about N. Ireland. But when governments found their own situation had changed – public opinion began  to go against them – negotiations became possible. And  those who asked for talks were doing the same as they had always done.

In the Catholic Church  demands for  negotiations about change did not work .Now such  demands may get a better response, because circumstances in the Vatican have changed. To give up in despair because there was no response in the past would be a pity. There can be change.  But people must go on demanding it.  At the same time they cannot leave the work for change to the leaders.  Whatever they demand of the leaders they must be prepared to do themselves in so far as  they  are able.  It is not logical to demand dialogue  between leaders when  that may produce only  institutional adjustments – when what we  need is a thorough discussion of our whole intellectual spiritual way of life and what we ought to do about it. Dialogue which   is only   whisperings among the Titans means   nothing for such a life unless Dialogue  becomes normal  all over the place.

New groups are forming  in the Catholic Church as willingly   as did the various “movements”( liturgical, worker-priest, catholic action and such)  in the past  seeking new evangelisation, solidarity , the quest for meaning even. Whether they will be content to reintroduce people into  the  Church for whatever message happens to be there or whether they will help revive the intellectual , spiritual  life of the Church remains to be seen. There is a haunting fear that some of them may be content to  draw people  back into a church and its ceremonies to  hear the same message that persuaded them to leave them . Instead of that , a refreshed life- ideal is  what a tired world needs, the offer of nothing less than an exciting vision of a gracious world  we all  can help create. And which we all need.

And this is very far from repeating in the future what failed in the past. The world has changed.So have we. So has the message.

THE SEDIA GESTATORIA IS GONE.

If you look at a picture of a Pope of the last century you may see him wearing not one but three crowns; you may have had the experience of hearing people singing about “….the Pope, the royal Pope who rules from sea to sea”, perhaps been surprised by the  sedia gestatoria in which he was carried into audiences, and by other signs and symbols of royalty.

For Catholics  in Britain and Ireland most of whom had been excluded from taking part in royal things  but felt the need of royalty in their lives, it was consoling to have some equivalent – for them the Pope with  his entourage was their royalty.

Nowadays however things are different. Catholics have regained a lot of their self-confidence in the USA, Britain, Ireland , Europe, and the image of the pope has changed. Changed from the image of King to the image of President. No crown. Inauguration rather than enthronement. Talking to crowds not just making pronouncements to them. Visiting foreign countries, no longer “ prisoner in the Vatican” or quietly making sure not to arouse new antagonisms abroad.And so on .

But all that was then. What of now ? Now there are   further developments. Who would have thought  a century ago of a Catholic president in the USA? Or of a President of the USA playing a saxophone and letting “ordinary people” hear him?When such things occur, what is more natural – or more necessary – than that a Pope should wear more ordinary clothes, do more ordinary things , walk among “ordinary” people (if  people can ever be ordinary), even perhaps take the bus and cook a meal or two for himself ? Be more a president than a pope? That is to say, the Catholic Church leadership is passing though another phase of change which on the one hand is spectacular, and on the other is hardly noticed for what it is because this is the age of such leadership , a mighty transition working its way through from the period when monarchs ruled to that in which presidents rule . A time when even the Duke of Edinburgh bought himself a black taxi.

Many people, possibly most people, will welcome such a change. But some few wise heads will caution – don’t expect too much. Just because a Pope wants to have a significant rather than a spectacular presence , and wants to have conversation with the rest of us, does not mean he will be able to do it. He may be able to go part of the way. But if dialogue is required, and intellectual leadership and a fresh theology and goodness knows what else, many more people than he must be involved . Talking. Discussing. Stopped from talking by the strength of other people’s arguments sometimes  but stopped by fear, never.

The greatest  thing about change is not just that it happens. It happens so often we don’t notice most of it. The greatest thing is not even that we recognise it for what it is when we see it. It’s that we are the ones who actually make the change and invite the “great”people of the world to come along and enjoy it with us.

19.3.13

THE PAPAL ELECTION 2013

It seems agreed that whoever is elected Pope , the various Vatican departments of the Catholic Church have to be reformed.Not re-formed, that is, get now bosses and new officials but  be changed from head to toe. This is no new demand. As far back as the nineteen fifties the old among us can remember rather timid suggestions that this should be done. Later, less timid suggestions were made and occasionally a demand for reform. Unfortunately many of those who did this walked away in despair of ever getting it done.

In the nineteen nineties a book was published by a strongly non-religious company (Kaos) in which a Catholic group known as I Millenari made strong claims and assertions about how the Vatican departments managing Church affairs were working, not working or working for or even against the Church. The book was called Via Col Vento in Vaticano. The writers did not give their names although they were said to be important people – maybe that is why they did not give their names. That irritated , but it was a sign of times when  many  people gave other people power simply by being afraid of them.  James Connolly many years before had said the reason why some people  seem great is that we are on our knees looking up to them.

Anyway, the Vatican like any governing  body has its external and internal power struggles and these can be as severe as any other people’s.  When we ordinary folk try to enter into discussion about how our affairs are managed , we are told, The Church is not a democracy. Which is strange because the Church should be the greatest democracy in the world, since its members are told they are inspired by the Holy Spirit from perhaps the age of about 12. So they should have something useful to  say, especially about what concerns them most, the meaning of life, the careful management of goods, the existence of God. So whoever is appointed Pope, people know their own dignity and know how to keep it. So they speak and write and eventually make decisions. That has to be understood by the Vatican Departments .

11.3.13