Clericalism in Indian Catholic Church: A layperson’s guide

By M K George

Rome, April 10, 2023: Pope Francis speaks incessantly against clericalism. ‘He keeps insisting that clericalism can be a sin for both clergy and laity: for clergy, when they demand to be treated as superior to the laity; and for the laity , if they resign themselves to the status quo -‘Let Father do everything’- and shirk the responsibilities proper to their own vocation as baptized Christians.’ (Kathleen Hattrup, 2018)

Here is a recent happening. Maundy Thursday, 2023. A parish in Bengaluru city. After the ceremony of washing the feet was over, the main celebrant introduced as a psychologist, went up to the altar and began the sermon with the introduction, ‘Don’t any of you try to complain that my preaching is long. Today is the day of priesthood and I have the right to preach on the value of priesthood’ and went on to preach for 45 minutes.

It did not matter for him that Pope Francis himself repeats; “do not make your sermons more than ten minutes.” In Evangelii Gaudium the Pope says, the homily “is not a casual discourse, nor a conference or a lesson”, but is rather a way of resuming “that dialogue which has already been open between the Lord and his people, so that it finds fulfilment in life.” It did not matter to him even the fact that most of his listeners had come after a full day’s work and had to get back home and still do more work.

To me the priest in question is a good example of clericalism in its day-to-day occurrence and the silence or the acquiescence of the parishioners too. (To the best of my knowledge, no layperson spoke up, though they complained among themselves).

In recent years, Pope Francis and many others have warned us about the growing culture of clericalism in the Catholic Church. In countering clericalism, we need to develop a keen awareness of what it is and what it is not.

In an interesting article, Father Peter Daly (2019) described some elements of a culture of clericalism. They are,
1. “Priests and bishops spend huge amounts of parish and diocesan money on themselves, with no controls. E.g., redecorating the rectory, building a new episcopal residence, taking lavish trips at church expense, or giving lavish gifts to each other with church money.
2. When the priest says, “This is my parish. My way or the highway.”
3. When 18-year-old college seminarians wear clerical garb to set themselves apart.
4. When parents tell their children, “Never question a priest.”
5. When people say, “the priests are ‘next to God.’
6. When bishops prioritize avoiding scandal over protecting victims of abuse by priests.”
7. Clericalism is leading the Church to destruction.

As Pope Francis says, “Clericalism, far from inspiring various contributions and proposals, gradually extinguishes the prophetic flame of which the entire Church is called to bear witness in the heart of her peoples.” (Address to participants in the Pontifical Commission for Latin America plenary assembly, April 26, 2016).

What we are specifically called to in the Indian Catholic Church seems to me the following:

The first and foremost, attend to the tone of arrogance in the priest, like the one the Bengaluru parishioners heard in the priest mentioned above. If you hear a tone of arrogance in the priests’ words, you sure are confronting clericalism.

Second, look for any claim of entitlement. Entitlement is in very simple terms, ‘one is deserving or entitled to certain privileges’. To get back to the example of the priest, he thought he had the right to preach long and teach with no sensitivity to the needs of the people in front of him. The Australian Royal Commission on abuse in the church had reported years ago, ‘Clericalism is linked to a sense of entitlement, superiority and exclusion, and abuse of power.”

Third, a lack of willingness to listen. If the priest in charge refuses to listen to the people of God, then one can be sure that he is showing clericalist tendencies. To get back to the example I began with, the priest in question did not listen to the feelings of his people in the church. Once again to get back to Pope Francis, ‘Church needs to walk with others and listen to them like Jesus did.’

Fourth, the way women and specially women religious are treated. It will be an interesting study in the Indian Catholic Church institutions, how many women religious are under paid, and treated as ‘domestic workers’. Or, for another matter, an enquiry into how many women religious are assistant directors of social work centres run by the dioceses, and how many are directors. At least a few years back there was not even one women religious as director. Maximum they could aspire only up to asst. Director level.

Recently, I happened to read a faith formation text prepared by one of the most traditional dioceses in the country. The author is allegedly a religious nun. However, in the foreword by the bishop, there is no mention of the author, but two priests are mentioned by name and congratulated.

The listing of the characteristics of clericalism is obviously incomplete. However, these are hints of where we can begin. These points can help priests and laity to become aware of and be alert to gently question when a ‘culture of clericalism’ is being lived out around you.

This reminder from Jerome Buhman (2021) is a sound theological advice: “In order to overcome clericalism, we need to reclaim the common priesthood of the faithful. As St. Paul tells us (1 Cor 12:12–31), together we make up the body of Christ — each with our particular vocation, each necessary for the healthy working of the body. We should not equate distinct roles with differences in worth, dignity or holiness. As Pope Francis advocates, let’s work together to create a new culture and renew the Church.”

Priests, religious and laity alike need to be on guard against this scourge that is cancerous to the church and alienating her from the gospel of the Lord.

Can priests and laity together do a collective self-examination and speak up when they experience clericalism, eventually to lead to a conversion of heart and change of culture in the Indian Catholic Church?