Democracy is the Antidote to “Clericalism” in Catholic Church

By Devasahayam IAS (Retd).

Synodality is the “way” of being Church. It means that the whole people of God, all members of the church, will be involved and participate in being the church. The title of the Synodal meeting says: For the Synodal Church, Communion, Participation, and Mission. This Synod is a call to shun “clericalism”: “The whole Church is called to deal with the weight of a culture imbued with clericalism that she inherits from her history, and with those forms of exercising authority on which the different types of abuse (power, economic, conscience, sexual) are grafted” (Preparatory Document No.6).

Dictionary defines clericalism as “a policy of maintaining or increasing the power of a religious hierarchy.” Pope Francis in his address to the Synod Fathers at Synod2018 decried clericalism thus: “Clericalism arises from an elitist and exclusivist vision of vocation, that interprets the ministry received as a power to be exercised rather than as a free and generous service to be given. This leads us to believe that we belong to a group that has all the answers and no longer needs to listen or learn anything. Clericalism is a perversion and is the root of many evils in the Church.”

Fact is that there was no “clericalism” in the original Christianity since there was no blueprint of religious hierarchy handed down from heaven. As Professor Sandra Schneiders writes: “There is wide consensus among reputable New Testament scholars that there were no Christian priests in New Testament times and therefore certainly none ordained or appointed by Jesus. The priesthood does not emerge in the early church until the end of the first century at the earliest and, even at that relatively late date, the evidence is scanty and unclear.”

In contrast Pluralism is a state of society in which there is diversity and authority is neither ordained nor imposed. Modern democracies are pluralist by definition. And democracy is a governance system in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation involving periodically held free and fair elections. It literally means rule by the people who in Church parlance are defined as “Christ’s faithful who are incorporated into Christ through baptism.” (Can. 204 §1)

Jesus stood for Democracy

It is democracy that permeates the teachings of Jesus Christ. When Jesus addressed the issue of governance He said: “You know that in the world the recognized rulers lord it over their subjects, and their great men make them feel the weight of authority. This is not the way with you; among you, whoever wants to be great must be your servant, and whoever wants to be the first must be the willing slave of all.” (Mark 10:42-43).

Jesus Christ advocated spirituality and negated temporal wealth, pomp and authority, the evils “clericalism” has brought about. He very clearly said, “My kingship is not of this world.” (John 18: 36). Just before His entry into public ministry, Jesus was tempted by the devil, “And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours” (Luke 4: 5-8). But Jesus spurned devil’s offer of “glory and authority” of this world.

In unequivocal terms, Jesus commanded the apostles not to accumulate wealth in this world. He said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Mathew 6:19). Jesus asserted “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon” (Mathew 6:24).

Apostolic Tradition is Democratic

After the crucification of Christ, the ten apostles convened a synod at Jerusalem along with the faithful. The major problem sought to be resolved by the apostles was the administration of the temporal wealth of the Christian community. The Gospel reads as follows: “…And the twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:1-4).

This is clear repudiation of “clericalism” and advocacy of democracy.

Canon Law mandates democracy

Can. 204 §1: Christ’s faithful are those who, since they are incorporated into Christ through baptism, are constituted the people of God. For this reason, they participate in their own way in the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ. They are called, each according to his or her condition, to exercise the mission, which God entrusted to the Church to fulfill in the world.

Can. 208: Flowing from their rebirth in Christ, there is a genuine equality of dignity and action among all of Christ’s faithful. Because of this equality they all contribute, each according to his or her own condition and office, to the building up of the Body of Christ.

Can. 212 §3: They have the right, indeed at times the duty, in keeping with their knowledge, competence and position, to manifest to the sacred Pastors their views on matters, which concern the good of the Church.

Vatican II upholds democracy

The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, was held in the autumn of each of the four years 1962 to 1965 (Sixty years ago). Preparation for the council took three years, from the summer of 1959 to the autumn of 1962. And it voted for democracy and not “clericalism” in the Church. “Let sacred pastors recognise and promote the dignity as well as the responsibility of the layman in the Church. Let them willingly make use of his prudent advice.  Let them confidently assign duties to him, allowing him freedom and room for action. Further let them encourage the layman so that he may undertake tasks on his own initiative.” (Lumen Gentium-37-Vatican II Document)

Jesus Christ stood for democracy, Apostles followed that path, Canon Law mandated the same and Vatican II upheld it. There has been no trace of “clericalism” in these. Yet, how is it that this “Clericalism” has taken vice-like grip of the Church forcing the Pope to call it as “perversion and the root of many evils in the Church?”

Casteism promotes “clericalism.”

Let us look at the evil of casteism in the Church through the example of Kottar Diocese in Kanyakumari where there is fair concentration of Catholics. On 22 December 2014, this diocese was bifurcated into two-Kottar and Kuzhithurai-largely on caste basis. Kottar Diocese (100 parishes) comprised of a mixture of coastal (Parava and Mukkuva) and Nadar and the new Kuzhithurai Diocese (120 parishes) almost entirely comprising of interior Nadar community. This was the fallout of the intense rivalry between these castes ever since Diocese of Kottar came into existence in 1930 comprising 220 parishes both coastal and interior inhabited by Nadar, Mukkuva, Parava and some other small communities.

Incidentally it was not the laity, but the power-mongering and caste-ridden clergy that demanded the bifurcation. The absurdity of all is that priests of the majority sub-caste (Mukkuvar) think that the Diocese is their fiefdom because they have more priests than other castes who constitute 60% of the community. They are now demanding further division of the Diocese on sub-caste lines! The evil of casteism is widespread and is a cancer among the clergy leading to “clericalism” of the worst type.

End Note: Bring Christ into Christianity

Catholic Church today is the most structured, law/dogma laden, hierarchy-bound, feudal and monarchic religious entity in the world. This is because the Church was born in an era of empires and monarchies, and it modeled its structure and leadership on the societies of the time. But while all those empires have fallen and most monarchies have become democracies, the church has stayed mired in the past, clinging to the medieval model of overlordship, pomp and splendour. Except for rituals, sermons and pontifications Christ is kept away from Christianity. Hence the perversion of “clericalism.”

The biggest temptation for “clericalism” is the wealth that flows from the dioceses, parishes, buildings and institutions and the lure of high-value landed property coveted by unscrupulous real-estate dealers. Even in worst cases of corruption, land-grab and embezzlement the clergy cling together saying “we are family” and no disciplinary action is initiated against the guilty under the Canon Law. Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore has been a standing testimony to this rot.

It is evident that Catholic Church is “clerical” because it is neither pluralistic nor democratic. While Christ stood for democracy, Emperor Constantine brought in “clericalism.” Why do we need all this bombastic and lengthy Synodal exercise to undo “clericalism.”? This can be achieved by bringing Christ back into the Church through pluralism and democracy. “Clericalism” will then vanish on its own.

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M.G. Devasahayam, IAS (Retd.) is a soldier, administrator, author, economist and advisor with a distinguished career spanning over several decades, with direct and first-hand experience in the working and ethos of the Indian Army, Indian Administrative Service, Public & Private Sector, Political system as well as NGOs. He is presently the Chairman of People-First, a pan-India network, Chairman of Cape Comorin Resource Foundation, Managing Trustee, Citizens’ Alliance for Sustainable Living and Convener, Forum for Electoral Integrity. He was closely associated with the former political leader Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) and Mother (Saint) Teresa. Devasahayam has been awarded the Raksha Medal; Samar Seva Star and General Service (Nagaland) Medal, the civil Loyola World Alumni Lifetime Achiever Award  and the Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan Memorial Lifetime Achiever Award.