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How did we get to this place?
What is Christ's vision for us?
Where do we go from here?
'Can I stay?' is a question which many Catholics are asking in the light of the recent revelations of child abuse within the Church and the response of Church leaders to the resulting crisis. Alienation from the Church has been growing in Ireland for several decades, accompanied by doubts about many aspects of the Church's teaching, but the abuse crisis and the ensuing crisis of authority have brought these dramatically to a head in recent years.
This is a complex issue, of course, and there are many aspects to be taken into consideration. In this short series, Brian Lennon, S.J., will suggest that Church structures themselves have contributed to the way the crisis has been handled. He will suggest that there is an absence of transparency and accountability in the way our present structures operate, which, together with undue deference to authority figures, patriarchy and the exclusion of lay people from decision-making, cultivate a closed and defensive culture that has become distant from the experience of ordinary Christians.
Drawing on scripture and history, Fr. Lennon will show that our present structures emerged over time and are therefore not immutable. What kind of structure might emerge in the future is impossible to predict, given the complexity of the Church, the vagaries of history - and the freedom of the Spirit. But one thing is clear: any future structure must be firmly based on the gospel values of justice and respect. Meanwhile, the call for us is to work together in a focused, organized and coherent way to bring about the desired renewal of the Church, a renewal that must surely lead in time to a new Ecumenical Council.
On each evening of the series, Brian will give an input of the issues, including faith questions that he faced and which led him to write his recently published book Can I stay in the Catholic Church? (Columba). This will be followed by an opportunity for discussion.
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