November 30, 2012         John W         John W's previous articles 

Book review:  The Homeless Bishop
Orbis, New York, 2011,  295 pages By Joseph Girzone

Anyone who has read Joseph Girzone's "Joshua" novels, knows what themes to expect in The Homeless Bishop: concern about
- the situation of the Church
- the poor
- the divorced
- Ecumenism (in the widest sense)
- compulsory celibacy
- uncaring and ambitious clerics
- Jesus' message being compromised etc

THB has all of the above with the usual effect: every time one reads a bit of Girzone, for the next few hours or maybe even a day or so, one is more compassionate, forgiving, prayerful etc. No other books seem to convey the spirit of Jesus as powerfully as the works of Girzone

THB is particularly strong on the theme of the Church as the messenger, not the Message. For many centuries the Church has pushed itself as the message. Even today, well-meaning folk at the UK's Catholic Voices have the aim of "putting the Church's case in the public square", promoting debates like this one about transubstantiation which leave one wondering what's all this got to do with Jesus? Is Jesus just a doctrine that we should be persuading people about in a machine-gun salesperson-style of rhetoric, or a loving Person we should be trying to introduce people to by calm words and an example of witness?

THB also has the usual Girzone deep perceptions of what goes on in the human heart and mind, as when he says "we hide our shame, whereas (a street beggar's) shame is apparent to the whole world" (p.4) and  "...time passes very slowly when life is hurtful. Hours drag on slowly; minutes are like hours; days seem endless" (p. 56)

Cardinal Martini would like these words of Archbishop Carlo to the Pope: "There is something unhealthy about this show of obsequiousness. I do not feel at all comfortable about the way people treat the hierarchy" (p. 38)

Many bishops can identify with Abp Carlo's situation: "To have criticized the Church would have jeopardized his future. ... he felt...that his love for the Church...had prevented him from being loyal to Jesus (p.67)

Carlo's time living with street people teaches him many lessons, such as 
"The poor never have so little that they don't have enough to share" (p. 75) and "He realized that (the hard-working and industrious Hispanic migrant laborers) would in time raise the spiritual level throughout the whole country by sharing their deep faith, their gentle unselfish spirit, and their beautiful family life" (P 75) and "I know now why Jesus had such a tender spot in his heart for the poor. It takes great faith and simplicity of spirit to be poor and not despair. It takes enormous courage to decide to keep on living. The homeless are remarkable people. Their very life is a prayer - desperate, silent, unspoken pleading with God to keep them alive" (p. 100)

 Most enlightening in THB is the whole section on Iran...the historical reasons for Iran's difficulties with the US, the insights into Iran's rich culture, Iran's special relationship with the Church

Sure to turn heads, as it does in the book, is the fact that Abp Carlo adopts 8 orphan street children, and has his attractive cousin Madelena and the children share his home....with a prayer that he and Madelene maintain a Platonic relationship 

The final section of THB has lots of Curia machinations, with this interesting sentence: "Once you know you cannot feel comfortable sharing sensitive information with your immediate superior, you realize you are alone and begin to wonder whom you can trust" (p. 189)

There is also a section calling for a radical new international structure to oversee and work for full disclosure and genuine healing in the painful area of sex abuse of children

P. 254 speaks of how during 500 years of religious division in Christianity
"we have been teaching the medium (the Church) and not the Message (Jesus)....and p. 274 has "the countries of Europe have turned secular mostly because the people are tired of hearing about church. They hunger for spirituality and intimacy with God, and all we give them is church. Carlo was determined to make Jesus real again for the people, knowing from his own experience that when he preached Jesus to the people, it changed their lives"

Words for priests: "We have been ordained to preach the gospel...and not just to our own people, but to people who have never heard of Jesus. So we must now stay holed up in our rectories. We must be about our real work. We must be apostles" (p. 283)

Re the poor: "Each parish should have a committee to identify the homeless in its boundaries and to provide shelter for them....Treat the homeless with love and gentleness. They are Jesus walking your streets" (p. 284)

To implement reform a bishop needs to be very determined,
"like a bulldozer in low gear" (p. 286)

P. 293 quotes Cardinal Ratzinger: "The church speaks too much about structures. It needs to speak more about God"

The Homeless Bishop is a simple book with a profound message.
It shows what the Church could be like, with more leaders like Carlo.
May this lovely book be an inspiration to all who hope and pray for the Church once again to be the medium and not the Message  

------ Click here for 82 year old Joseph Girzone's daily reflections  -----