Author:
Publications: The Navhind Times,
Panaji, Goa
Date: May 23, 2001
Despite a papal call for 'unity',
the first signs of dissent emerged as 155 cardinals entered their second
day of brainstorming over the future of the Roman Catholic church.
In an interview with the French
Catholic newspaper La Croix yesterday, Brazilian Cardinal Aloisio Lorscheider
said the Pope was "a prisoner of circles that surround him and cut him
off from the roots."
Kick-starting delicate discussions
on the issue of decentralisation of power and "collegiality" - a Catholic
term for lower-ranking clergy being given a greater say in church government
- the 76-year-old cardinal said local churches "suffer, on the ground,
from a distant bureaucracy that is increasingly deaf."
Cardinal Lorscheider, a human rights
activist, said Pope John Paul-II had worked hard to loosen Rome's grip
on local churches and bishops. "However, I don't think he has succeeded,"
the outspoken Cardinal added.
Vatican insiders said it would be
interesting to see whether Cardinal Lorscheider would repeat his criticisms
behind closed doors at meetings presided over by the Catholic pontiff.
In a statement that could be interpreted
as seeking to quash further anti-papal grumbling, another Brazilian Cardinal,
the conservative Eugenio Araujo Sales, recalled that fidelity and unity
with the pope were "an integral part of the Christian faith."
The 4-day extraordinary consistory,
the sixth such gathering of cardinals to be presided over by Pope John
Paul-II, is seeking to evaluate the state of the church and outline its
priorities and strategies for the future.
Among the topics being discussed
are inter-religious dialogue and ecumenism, evangelisation and the need
for new pastoral strategies.
The second of the Pope's consistory
battle cries, 'Missionary Work', resounded in the words of Cardinal Jozef
Tomko, the former prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of
Peoples, who urged prelates to "leave the temples, houses, offices and
university halls."
"We are not interested in a maintenance
church that stops at minor repair works, we need a missionary church,"
Cardinal Tomko said. Portuguese Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins recalled
the Pope's third catchword, 'Universality', when he coined the phrase:
"Sanctity should be globalised."
Globalisation, according to Cardinal
Martins, should not be criticised but seized upon as an extraordinary opportunity
to spread the Christian message.
Meanwhile, the Vatican is to publish
a dictionary to update priests and ordinary Catholics on the subject of
sex and procreation, Holy See spokesman Joaquin Navarro Valls said.
Speaking at a press briefing on
this week's consistory Navarro Valls yesterday said the "lexicon" would
include such modern-day terms as 'gender' and 'sexual health'.
Around 50 international experts,
including non-Catholics, sociologists and sex experts, have worked on the
project, which according to Italian press reports was commissioned by the
Vatican's pontifical council for the family.
Other concepts included in the dictionary
refer to unmarried couples, long-term relationships involving homosexuals
and artificial insemination. The utility of such a lexicon was outlined
to fellow cardinals by Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, who heads the pontifical
council.
Among the subjects being discussed
by cardinals at this week's extraordinary consistory are ways of bridging
the growing gap between traditional Christian teachings on sexuality and
the attitudes and behaviours of ordinary Catholics.
