The European Federation of Married Catholic Priests

A Letter to the Bishop of Rome

Dear Bishop Francis,

On the occasion of your being called to serve the community as bishop of Rome, we, the members of the European Federation of married Catholic priests, would like to offer you a warm greeting. We look to you for hope, for joy and for spiritual nourishment.

We wish to share with you a wonderful biblical image. In the book of Genesis, on the 7th. day of creation, the creator God ceased from the work of creation. God had seen that it was, not only good, but indeed very good.  We have an image of that God, seated, rejoicing in the wonderful diversity of the universe and allowing it to grow and become what it can become.

“Diversity” turns our attention to how all of our thinking should be incarnational. Life can come to be and grow in all of its diversity only in the diverse soils which alter so much from locality to locality.  What a splendid diversity!

Consequently, we ask that the governance of our church community be changed from a governance of power, which controls and limits, to a governance which supports, sustains and nourishes the life of faith in our worldwide community in all of its diversity.

Hence, we must look to develop what was touched upon at Vatican II, the concept of collegiality.  The governance of our community is astonishingly over centralised. We must realise that it is impossible to micromanage a community which is universal in scope without stifling and killing off the very life which we wish to support. However, one has to add that the principle of collegiality is of little value unless it is constantly and strictly bound to the principle of subsidiarity.  We are all obliged and called by virtue of our baptism to the service of the community and must be allowed to respond freely and willingly without being restrained by the upper echelons of the hierarchy.

Governance must also be representative of the community it serves. We have been thinking along the lines of growth and nourishment.  In our families and communities what a wonderful contribution is made by the women in our community! Our thoughts turn to that lovely image from the Book of Proverbs, that of ‘Lady wisdom’, active in the created universe and delighting to be with humankind.  We must immediately include women in the governance of our community. They are the incarnation of lady wisdom and have so much to contribute to our growth in the garden of God’s kingdom.

‘Lady Wisdom rejoices to be with humanity’. If we dare offer an exhortation: ‘Embrace all that is good’. Too long we have listened to the dreary and stultifying language of sin and sinners. Certainly we fall short of the glory of God.  However, listen to parents and teachers. Until we help the young to build up their self image they will not be capable of good, creative work.

While allowing the communities of our worldwide church the freedom to become what they can become they have to be helped to see what is good in themselves, to build up a confident self image. The diversity of creation is indeed very good!