Humility -- Umiltà

 

Currently, the Catholic Church in Australia is preparing for the Plenary Council that will be held in 2020.  A Plenary Council is considered the highest-level formal meeting of local churches in a country.

 

It is being held following an invitation by Pope Francis for local churches to have a dialogue about significant changes in Australian society and fact that the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse was a significant and influential event requiring profound consideration and response.1

 

So now Catholics in the country are being asked to respond to the question ‘What do you think God wants from us in Australia today?’  I was invited to attend for a session in my parish and unfortunately the time was not suitable.  I’ve decided that instead I publish my thoughts here.

 

I have three main thoughts.

 

The first is prompted from the Royal Commission I mentioned previously, and similar investigations in other countries, in very catholic communities, which arrived at the same conclusion – the scandalous sexual abuse by minors by clergy and other religious (not only catholic, but I will focus on my own church), and the far more serious and scandalous behaviour by some church leaders who hid, concealed and moved around offenders hither and thither and hence permitted the perpetuation of this abuse for many years.

 

One needs to understand that from church leaders, some form part of ecumenical councils, and others even end up as the Pope.  It is a dogma that definitions by the ecumenical councils and the Pope about faith and morals are accepted by us Catholics as infallible.

 

I do accept that such definitions are authoritative, but infallible?  The Royal Commission of Australia has shown that some Church leaders weren’t even capable of taking morally acceptable decisions with respect to those being the example for entering into the kingdom of heaven, and were in a Church institution in a vulnerable situation,2 where there was no ambiguity whatsoever on the direction of decisions that needed to be taken.  At the same time, am I expected to believe that Church leaders, gathered in an Ecumenical Council, or in the person of the Pope, can make a pronouncement of whatever type and under whatever circumstance, that is infallible?

 

I think that the current wave, on a global scale, of obscene revelations and documented evidence of fallibility by Church leaders, is an invitation by God for the Church (not only in Australia) to do some soul searching on whether this dogma of infallibility by these same leaders is tenable.  For me, this dogma is in-credible.

 

My second thought regards new sensibilities in society about groups of people who throughout the centuries have been emarginated, discriminated against and kept from having a role in society fully reflective of their abilities and talents.  I’m referring to people who are gay, lesbian, transsexual or non-binary gender, who for so long were treated with disdain, outcast, shackled and persecuted by authorities in the country and who felt they had no place in the Church, which although teaches that they do not choose their sexual orientation, does not accept that they live according to it.

 

I’m also referring to women, who for so long did not have a place equal to that of men, neither in civil society, nor in the Church, whose main leadership positions are reserved for men.

 

I feel that there are calls by people growing louder and louder in favour of equality and the removal of discrimination, in civil society as well as the Catholic Church, and believe that if we want to discern the signs of the times, we cannot close our eyes and plug our ears.

 

Finally, I cannot not mention assisted procreation, that is IVF and its variations.  The lack of fertility by a not insignificant proportion of the population is but one of mankind’s health problems that are being researched by institutions around the world, and treatment and technology developments are happening at a rapid pace.

 

The Catholic Church rejects any form of assisted procreation3, considering them to be morally unacceptable, although this is not stopping many from looking for a technological solution where there is no other.  After all, if a person is kept alive only by means of a ventilator, or whose heart only functions with a pacemaker, aren’t these also technological solutions?

The Catechism gets into detail about how assisted procreation reduces the perfection of a couple, i.e. those that don’t have fertility problems.  Thank you very much.  This means that the Church prefers that children born using these techniques are neither conceived nor get born.  What place will these children feel they have in the Catholic Church?

The Church has no solution to people having medical fertility problems, except to lump them or get into adoption.  The latter incidentally is a good thing, but is not for everyone, not least as there are far more infertile couples than there are children for adoption.  In Australia, statistics show that one out of every 25 babies born are the result of IVF,4 which shows that people are going down this route in droves, in clear repudiation of the Church’s teachings.

Does the Church have the humility to investigate whether the voice of God may be heard in the anguished cries of his people?

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Bħalissa, il-Knisja Kattolika tal-Awstralja qiegħda tipprepara għal Kunsill Plenarju li se jsir fis-sena 2020.  Kunsill Plenarju huwa meqjus bħala l-iktar laqgħa għolja formali tal-knejjes lokali f’pajjiż.

 

Qiegħed isir wara li l-Papa Franġisku stieden lill-knejjes lokali għal djalogu dwar. il-bidliet sinjifikanti fis-soċjeta Awstraljana u l-fatt li l-Kummissjoni Rjali fuq it-Tweġibiet Istituzzjonali għall-Abbuż Sesswali tat-Tfal kien avveniment sinjifikanti u influenti li jeħtieġ kunsiderazzjoni profonda u tweġiba.1

 

Bħalissa il-Kattoliċi fil-pajjiż qiegħdin jiġu mistiedna jwieġbu għall-mistoqsija ‘X’taħseb li Alla jrid minna lkoll fl-Awstralja bħalissa?’.  Jien kont mistieden nattendi għal sessjoni fil-parroċċa tiegħi, u sfortunatament il-ħin ma kienx tajjeb għalija.  Iddeċidejt li minflok il-ħsibijiet tiegħi nippubblikahom hawnhekk.

 

Għandi tliet ħsibijiet prinċipali.

 

L-ewwel wieħed huwa mnebbaħ mill-Kummissjoni Rjali li semmejt qabel, u investigazzjonijiet simili li saru f’pajjiżi oħra, f’komunitajiet kattoliċissimi, li wasslu għall-istess konklużjoni – l-abbuż sesswali skandaluż tal-minorenni minn qassisis u reliġjużi oħra (mhux kattoliċi biss, imma jien se niffoka fuq il-knisja tiegħi), u l-imġieba bil-wisq iktar skandaluża ta’ xi mexxejja fil-knisja li ħbew, għattew, u mexxew lill-offensuri minn hawn għal hemm u b’hekk ippermettew it-tkomplija ta’ dan l-abbuż għal ħafna snin.

 

Wieħed irid jifhem li mill-mexxejja tal-knisja, wħud iffurmaw parti mill-kunsilli ekumeniċi, u oħrajn saħansitra intagħżlu bħala Papa.  Huwa mistenni minna l-kattoliċi, bħala domma, li definizzjonijiet tal-kunsilli ekumeniċi u tal-Papa dwar fidi u morali naċċettawhom bħala huma infallibbli.

 

Jien naċċetta li dawn id-definizzjonijiet ikunu awtorevoli, imma infallibbli?  Il-Kummissjoni Rjali tal-Awstralja wriet li wħud mill-mexxejja tal-Knisja lanqas kienu kapaċi jieħdu deċiżjonijiet moralment aċċettabbli fir-rigward ta’ dawk li huma xempju għal min jidħol fis-saltna tas-sema u kienu f’istituzzjoni tal-Knisja f’sitwazzjoni vulnerabbli,2 fejn m’hemm l-ebda ambigwità fuq id-direzzjoni tad-deċiżjonijiet li kellhom jittieħdu.  Fl-istess ħin, jien mistenni nemmen li mexxejja tal-Knisja, miġbura f’Kunsill Ekumeniku, jew fil-persuna tal-Papa, jista’ jagħmel pronunzja, ta’ kwalunkwe tip u taħt kwalunkwe cirkostanza, li hija infallibbli?

 

Jien naħseb li din il-mewġa, fuq bażi globali, ta’ rivelazzjonijiet oxxeni u x-xhieda dokumentata ta’ fallibiltà tal-mexxejja tal-Knisja, hija stedina t’Alla biex il-Knisja (mhux biss fl-Awstralja) tistħarreġ kemm din id-domma tal-infallibiltà tal-istess mexxejja hija tenibbli.  Għalija din id-domma hija in-kredibbli.

 

It-tieni ħsieb jirrigwarda sensibbiltajiet ġodda tas-soċjetà għal gruppi ta’ nies li matul is-sekli kienu emarġinati, diskriminati kontra u miżmuma milli jkollhom rwol fis-soċjetà li jirrifletti bis-sħiħ l-abbiltajiet u t-talenti tagħhom.  Qiegħed nirreferi għal dawk li huma omosesswali, lesbjani, transsesswali jew ta’ ġens mhux binarju, li għal tant żmien kienu imżebilħin, imwarrbin, imxettlin u imjassrin mill-awtoritajiet tal-pajjiż u li ma ħassewx li għandhom post fil-Knisja, li għalkemm tgħallem li l-qagħda sesswali tagħhom m’għażluhiex huma, ma taċċettax li jaġixxu b’koerenza magħha.

 

Qiegħed ukoll nirreferi għan-nisa, li għal tant snin ma kellhomx post ugwali mar-raġel, la fis-soċjetà ċivili, u lanqas fil-Knisja, li fiha l-postijiet prinċipali tat-tmexxija huma rriżervati għall-irġiel.

 

Jien inħoss għajta b’volum dejjem jiżdied tal-poplu favur l-ugwaljanza u t-tneħħija ta’ diskriminazzjoni, kemm fis-soċjetà ċivili, u kemm fil-Knisja Kattolika, u nemmen li jekk irridu niddixxernu s-sinjali taż-żminijiet ma nistgħux nagħlqu għajnejna u nsoddu widnejna.

 

Fl-aħħarnett, ma nistax ma nsemmix il-prokreazzjoni assistita, jiġifieri l-IVF u l-varjazzjonijiet tagħha.  In-nuqqas ta’ fertilità ta’ persentaġġ mhux żgħir tal-popolazzjoni hija waħda biss mill-problemi tas-saħħa tal-bniedem li qiegħdin jiġu rriċerkati f’istituzzjonijiet madwar id-dinja, u żviluppi ta’ trattament u ta’ teknoloġija qiegħdin isiru b’rata mgħaġġla.  

 

Il-Knisja Kattolika tirriġetta kull forma ta’ prokreazzjoni assistita3 u tqishom moralment mhux aċċettabbli, għalkemm dan mhux qiegħed iwaqqaf lil ħafna li jfittxu soluzzjoni teknoloġika fejn m’hemm l-ebda soluzzjoni oħra.  Wara kollox, jekk bniedem jinżamm ħaj jieħu nifs biss permezz ta’ ventilatur, jew qalbu tħabbat biss bil-pacemaker, dawn mhux ukoll soluzzjonijiet teknoloġiċi?

 

Il-Katekiżmu jidħol f’ħafna dettall fuq kif il-prokreazzjoni assistita tnaqqas mill-perfezzjoni tal-koppja, ċioe dawk li m’għandhomx problemi ta’ fertilità.  Grazzi ħafna.  Dan ifisser li tippreferi li t-tfal imwielda b’dawn it-tekniċi la jiġu kkunċepiti u lanqas jiġu mwielda.  X’post se jħossu li għandhom dawn it-tfal fil-Knisja Kattolika?

 

Il-Knisja m’għandha l-ebda soluzzjoni għal min għandu problemi mediċi ta’ fertilità, ħlief li jibqa’ bihom jew li jidħol għall-adozzjoni.  Din tal-aħħar inċidentalment hija ħaġa tajba, imma mhix għal kulħadd, mhux l-anqas għax hemm ħafna iktar koppji infertili milli tfal għall-adozzjoni.  Fl-Awstralja, l-istatistika turi li wieħed minn kull 25 tarbija mwielda huwa riżultat tal-IVF,4 li juri li n-nies qiegħdin jagħżlu din it-triq bi ħġarhom, b’repudazzjoni ċara ta’ tagħlima prinċipali tal-Knisja.

 

Għandha l-Knisja l-umiltà li tistħarreġ jekk il-vuċi t’Alla jinstemax fil-karba tal-poplu tiegħu?

 

1http://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/frequently-asked-questions/, retrieved 13/11/2018

2Mt 19:14

3Catechism of the Catholic Church, para 2376-2377

4https://www.smh.com.au/healthcare/australia-ivf-rates-revealed-one-in-every-25-births-an-ivf-baby-20180908-p502ja.html, retrieved 14/11/2018

1http://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/frequently-asked-questions/, retrieved 13/11/2018

2Mt 19:14

3Catechism of the Catholic Church, para 2376-2377

4https://www.smh.com.au/healthcare/australia-ivf-rates-revealed-one-in-every-25-births-an-ivf-baby-20180908-p502ja.html, retrieved 14/11/2018