March 2, 2012                                 Peter Wilkinson (Melbourne)                                Peter's previous articles

Barry Jones' words apply to Catholic Church

Here in Australia over the past two weeks we have witnessed an almighty brawl within the Australian Labor Party (ALP) , the party in government, over who should be the leader of the parliamentary wing, and therefore Prime Minister. A caucus vote last Monday settled the matter, but not before open warfare and some very frank statements were made by a number of leading players, including government ministers. One particularly frank comment came from Barry Jones, a former ALP president and minister in the Hawke government, and published in the Fairfax dailies on 25 February. With a few slight substitutions and alterations, it might have relevance to the Catholic Church:

"Part of the destructive cycle the Catholic Church is experiencing is the unresolved question as to whether ecclesiastical politics is a public or private process, open or closed.

Church factions and powerbrokers are very much committed to the second view, making effective use of private (not to be revealed, not to be debated) soundings and the use (inevitably selective) of delating groups. The ambush or the conclave becomes a preferred model of changing leaders - and it's nobody else's business except the players and their camp followers.

Church factions are committed to the mafia code of 'omerta' - keep everything secret, inside the family. Ecclesiastical power-brokers are uncomfortable with questioners because they haven't met many and they are fiercely resistant to being asked questions or held accountable. Like Basil Fawlty, they think the hotel runs best when there are not guests."

Ideally, the Catholic Church should not have factions or power-brokers. Nor should there be any power struggles. The Church was established by Jesus to be about service ('diaconia'), ministry and the truth, always accountable and subject to oversight. Factions and power-broking only emerge when there is an unhealthy focus on authority, power, centralism and control. Lack of transparency and accountability are toxic ingredients when added to the mix.

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