I was surprised by Mgr An­ton Gauci’s reaction (He is Not Qualified to Criticise, The Sunday Times, Sep­tem­ber 23) to my article Rescuing the Church from Itself.

Does Mgr Gauci prefer to take refuge in the comfort zone of entrenched but untenable positions, constrained by a self-serving doctrinal straitjacket?- Martin Scicluna

My surprise was occasioned not so much by his apopleptic concern at the mild aside in my article wondering aloud on what grounds Gozo had its own bishop (“this man is an enemy of their [Gozo] diocese”), nor by his refusal to countenance that an ordinary, humble member of the laity should have views about the shortcomings of the Church (“if the local Church is wisely and faithfully following in the Vatican’s footsteps, then, for Scicluna, the Vatican too could be outdated, no?”).

What really surprised me about his reply was that, just a couple of weeks after the death of one of the most towering figures of the Catholic Church, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, whose deathbed interview had exposed the rigidity and outdated dogma of the Church in so many fields, Mgr Gauci felt unable to acknowledge that, when even this world-renowned scripture scholar has raised fundamental questions, there might perhaps be some allowance made for my concerns, at least to deserve a polite hearing.

In his last interview, Mgr Martini called for “a radical transformation” of the Church “beginning with the Pope and his bishops”.

“The Church is tired... Our culture is out of date. Our churches are big. Our religious houses are empty. The Church’s bureaucratic apparatus is growing. Our rites and our vestments are pompous.

“To overcome its fatigue, the Church must admit its mistakes and begin a radical change.

“The sex abuse scandals re­quire a journey of conversion and transformation.

“The Church is 200 years out of date. Why don’t we rouse ourselves? Are we afraid instead of courageous?

“The question of whether the divorced can go to Communion should be reversed. How can the Church help with the sacraments those who have complex family situations?

“We must ask ourselves if people still listen to the advice of the Church on sexual matters. Is the Church still in authority in this field of reference, or only a caricature in the media?”

I must confess, as a layman, that all that Mgr Martini said had the deepest resonance. None of it was new. Many – probably a majority – of the educated Catholic faithful have been saying it ever more vocally since Vatican II 50 years ago, especially when the late Pope John Paul II and more conservative cardinals worked to slow down the grand vision of the reforming spirit of the Vatican Council.

Mgr Martini had proposed 13 years ago the establishment of a new Council – Vatican III – which would “unravel the doctrinal and disciplinary knots” which the Church had clearly got itself into.

And who can doubt that he was right to propose it? Mgr Martini showed more educated, intelligent and more questioning Catholics the way to live the Church’s more difficult teachings faithfully and creatively, especially in the realm of human sexuality and social justice. From beyond the grave he has presented a manifesto for the next conclave.

He was noted for supporting the use of condoms at least a decade before the Vatican grudgingly accepted that they might be acceptable in certain situations to prevent the transmission of AIDS.

He questioned the Church’s line on gay relationships and divorce, calling on it to reconsider what constituted a family in the 21st century or risk losing even more of its flock.

In language very carefully couched he espoused views on priestly celibacy, the right to die (he himself refused any life-prolonging treatment), “openness to the possibility of allowing married priests under certain circumstances”, even the possible ordination of women deacons.

Mgr Gauci will be scandalised to hear that I agree with every sentiment expressed here. As a representative of the ordinary Catholic man in the street, a mere layman not a theologian, an impartial and dispassionate observer of the universal Catholic Church and the Maltese Church in particular, it is my duty to make my voice heard. To speak truth to power, even if those in power, like Mgr Gauci, find that truth unpalatable.

Perhaps one day people like Mgr Gauci might dare take a leaf out of Mgr Martini’s motto as Cardinal Archbishop of Milan: For the Sake of Truth, Dare to Confront Difficulties.

Mgr Martini was a visionary. He had a clear vision for the Church – a Church that was not backward-looking. He was a great leader, encouraging Christians to live in the Bible’s light and going where others hesitated to tread.

Can Mgr Gauci claim the same? Or does he prefer to take refuge in the comfort zone of entrenched but untenable posi­­tions, constrained by a self-serving doctrinal straitjacket?

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