At the outset, I would like to pay tribute to The Times/The Sunday Times for organising a debate on Cardinal Carlo Martini’s statement in August which urged the Church to acknowledge its mistakes and undergo radical reform, beginning with the Pope and his bishops.

Unfortunately, due to health reasons, I did not attend the debate although I have endeavoured to read and examine the proceedings and post-debate comments in the media.

If one were to form a judgement based on actions and pronouncements made by the last two Popes, one would feel compelled to conclude that three dysfunctional practices distinguish the regime of these two Popes:

Firstly, a culture of secrecy and its legacies – clerical sex abuse and Vatican finances stand out.

Secondly, silencing the questioning conscience is endemic in the Church – the way the Popes are placed on a pedestal and are immune from criticism has been damaging to the institution. A Church of bound spirits and bound hearts can only run the danger of ossification and institutional sclerosis.

Thirdly, there has been a creeping centralisation of an assertive magisterial authority. The institutional Church leadership needs to be listening far more to the thinking of the broad body of the faithful not just to the small sectors that crave authority figures and founts of certitude.