Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: November 03, 2019
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
I’ve been surprised in the past week or so at the number of questions I’ve gotten from parishioners and others about the just-concluded three-week special Synod of Bishops and others held in Rome. It was a meeting that discussed the unique situation of society and the Church in the huge Amazon region of South America, ending with a 28-page report with recommendations to Pope Francis.
The 3 million square mile Amazon River basin of mostly rainforest lies largely in Brazil, but also in the countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname. It’s huge, almost as big as the USA, which has 3.8 million square miles. Some 34 million people live there, with slightly more than half of them, 19 million, Catholic. Comparing this to the USA, we have 325 million people, including 51 million Catholics and 36,580 priests in our 197 dioceses. In all of “Amazonia,” there were only about 2,400 priests, spread out among 79 dioceses and 29 underdeveloped areas that aren’t even dioceses yet. While there is one priest for every 2,100 Catholics here our diocese, the ratio is one for every 8,100 or so in the huge Amazon region. The average Amazonian diocese has fewer than 20 priests.
Economically, the Amazonian region struggles. Most people live at “subsistence” levels, with limited access to clean water, sanitation, energy, health care, etc. Some large companies are clear-cutting forests and strip-mining for minerals, leaving the land scarred and unproductive. A great deal of native wildlife in the rainforest and waterways is endangered, as are the “native” peoples. There are over 200 different tribes of indigenous Amazonians, many still having little contact with “the outside world.” All of this is what the Church is concerned about: the welfare of the area’s huge ecosystem and especially its peoples.
The mainstream news media quickly jumped on the Synod’s proposals to explore the possibility of ordaining married deacons there as priests, and of expanding the possibilities of Catholic leadership and liturgical ministry to women. These are not new ideas: the Church already permits ordaining married men in some circumstances (former Protestant ministers who become Catholic, for example, and to preserve the special heritages of the 23 Eastern Churches and the Anglican ritual in the West). Bishops can already appoint women to administer parishes, to be diocesan chancellors and judges, and to preside at baptisms, weddings, communion services and funerals, and so on. But these are “headline grabbing” topics: remember, newspapers, TV networks, and other mainstream media exist to make money for their owners, so framing anything as controversial and increasing reader- or viewership makes good economic sense for them. The precise truth often suffers in such circumstances!
There’s another kind of media, though: “social media.” A different kind of sad spectacle has arisen mainly on Twitter, Facebook and other internet sites. Many who dislike Pope Francis and his priorities have become rather vicious in accusing him of everything from heresy to idolatry to political naïveté. I wonder if they just aren’t afraid that their favorite parts of Catholicism – like certain kinds of liturgy and art, or institutional structure – might disappear.
In any case, my advice to everyone is, basically, “Chill.” Don’t be overly concerned. The end of civilization (or religion) as we know will not happen if we return to a married priesthood or women deacons, to a more democratic and dialogic Church, or any of the other ideas being argued about. Staying close to Jesus Christ in prayer and witness is a far more important priority, and worrying about most other things in the long run takes a distant second to that!
Yours in Him,
Very Rev Paul D Counce
