By Don Aguiar

Mumbai, April 15, 2022: I have encountered all sorts of churchmen and women, some filled with the love of Christ, others less obviously so.

However, I always believed that, in spite of the temperamental oddities and outward severity of many Catholic clergy, they could be trusted at least to maintain a basic honesty and justice in their dealings with the laity whom it is their calling to serve.

The events of the past few years have shown that this pious belief was unfounded, a discovery which has, obviously, deeply shamed the Catholic clergy and, it is not an exaggeration to say, broken the hearts of the laity. Worst of all, it has brought the Catholic faith itself into disrepute.

How is the holiness of the Lord’s name to be displayed, if the laity is not allowed to speak the truth to the hierarchy?

If the proposed Synod is not to be an empty gesture, there must be a clear commitment to justice and truth on the part of the clergy and religious orders.

We readily understand that Pope Francis is trying to establish fresh relationships within the Church and an increased openness between laity and clergy.

This is very desirable, but, as with all relationships, it cannot progress if there is not, at the outset, complete honesty between the partners.

We all know to our sorrow that, over a long period of time, some members of the clergy have taken advantage of their position of trust and authority to abuse children and the weaker section, both in direct sexual acts and in physical violence which often seems to have had a sexual motivation.

No one is attempting to deny the horrible nature of this crime and we acknowledge that the vast majority of priests would recoil from the very idea of it.

However, in the public imagination it has become attached to the Catholic clergy to the extent that their reputation is now in shreds. For this, it has to be said, you, the clergy, have only yourselves to blame.

The process of disbelieving, then concealing, the complaints of the laity, the refusal to suspend accused priests and instead to move them to other parishes, and the consistent attempt to cover up the nature and extent of the crime, however much it was at first the response of panic and subsequently of shame, was in fact, if not in intention, wicked.

The extraordinary and shocking symmetry, with which this wickedness was repeated in Catholic dioceses throughout the world, brought into sudden focus, for the Catholic laity, the nature of the priestly training which over the centuries has wrought an ultimately corrupting effect.

Just as ‘walls’ are being erected by the political leaders in different continents, in the same way the Catholic Church experiences ‘the great wall’ that seems to exist between two distinct groups – the clergy and the Laity.

The existence of such a wall has hampered the mission of Christ in the Church and in the world. The Synod of Synodality of Pope Francis comes as a kairos to break the walls of discrimination in the Church to create a podium for collaborative mission between the clergy and laity for the renewal of the members of the Church and for the transformation of the world.

Through the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis invites the ecclesial members throughout the world to reflect seriously to dismantle the walls within the Church so that new structures can facilitate dialogue and interaction within the People of God especially between clergy and laity.

Having the call of Pope Francis on the Synodal Church at the background, the collaborations needed between clergy and laity in promoting the Synodal Church:

1) Blatant discrimination between clergy and laity in the Church such as call is restricted to clergy and religious.
2) More talking and less listening in church circles.
3) Clerical domination, lack of necessary formation.
4) Lack of sufficient funds for the formation of the laity.

We all know to our sorrow that change will not happen in the Church due to the catholic clergy’s attitude of brotherhood bonding and conservative opposition among themselves. If the Church is serious with a clear commitment to justice and truth for Pope Francis call on Synodality, then its collaboration with the laity should work towards constructive, positive and willing to accept collaborative change of attitude which takes us to the below conversation –

After ages, two multimillionaire friends met up for lunch and started chatting.
“So how’s your home life?” asks the first multimillionaire.
“Couldn’t be better,” replies the second multimillionaire.
“I bought an elephant!”
“An elephant? Are you crazy?”
“It’s the best purchase I ever made!

He grazes the lawn and makes it nice and even.
The kids love to ride him and slide down his trunk, so now they are playing outside and being kids instead of just watching TV all day.
My wife loves him too. He’s very strong and helps her move things when I’m not around.
Honestly, I can’t think of a better pet.”

The first multimillionaire thinks for a moment.
“That’s actually kind of amazing. How much did you pay for him?”
“Five hundred thousand dollars.
What a bargain, huh?”

“Can I buy him for one million dollars?”
“What?! I can’t sell him.
He’s part of my family now!”
“Okay. Two million?”
“You can’t put a price on something so useful!”
“Three million?”
“Fine. I’ll sell him for three million dollars, but only because you’re my friend.”

A few months later, the multimillionaires meet again.
The first multimillionaire is raging.

“The elephant may have been useful to you, but he’s a burden to me.
He may have grazed your lawn, but he ate all my trees and left dung all over my lawn.
The kids are terrified of that huge, noisy, aggressive thing.
My wife and I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in months because the elephant keeps us awake.
It’s the worst purchase I ever made!”

“I don’t know what to say,” says the second multimillionaire.
“But with that attitude, you’ll never be able to sell him!”

The same goes for Pope Francis call for the – Collaboration between Clergy and Laity in Promoting a Synodal Church….