ROSEMARY Goring's article on the need for change in Catholic Church is refreshing and opportune. ("It is time for the Catholic Church's own Reformation", The Herald, February 20). Too many of the rules and rituals of today's church are based on those of medieval Christendom and it is no surprise that the modern Church, particularly in the West, finds itself a victim of growing secularism and suffers dwindling congregations.
The theological rationale for a Catholic priest to embrace celibacy, as Ms Goring points out, is not based on Bible teachings, indeed in the earliest years of the church the clergy was comprised, in the majority, of married men. Enforced celibacy cannot be viewed as a natural lifestyle, regardless of church directives.
The forthcoming book by French journalist Frederic Martel sounds ground-breaking and controversial but it should stimulate discussion on how the Catholic Church can reform itself. Purging itself of a tarnished, self-inflicted reputation for secrecy and intransigence in the face of overwhelming evidence suggests that change is imperative.
Hypocrisy is, of course, not exclusive to the Catholic Church. However, the urgent demand for transparency and accepted Christian values has never been so great in the church's history. Pope Francis, if far from radical, has at least shown signs that he is, with appropriate encouragement and support, prepared to take on some reforms within the church. He has, admittedly, a hard task before him as many in the church remain inflexible and obstinate.
A 21st century revised church may, as Rosemary Goring says, inspire Catholics to trust in their church again and to reinvigorate the role of the priest within their institution.
Then, perhaps, an open debate on other worldly issues such as the place of women in the church today can be addressed with more than a modicum of hope for the future.
Owen Kelly,
8 Dunvegan Drive, Stirling.
ROSEMARY Goring’s article is shallow and valueless. Notwithstanding the reality of active homosexuality in the Vatican and throughout the Catholic Church, her prescription is only representative of minority practice within the Catholic Church and of a micro-minority within humanity as a whole.
Reformation in Christian history has always returned churches to their founding faith and practice. Ms Goring advocates the opposite, a departure from Christian teaching which would fragment the Catholic Church and drive many faithful in other continents to schism.
Millions upon millions of men and women serve Jesus Christ obediently throughout the global Catholic Church. They do not all necessarily suffer psychological torment but are enabled to live lives of Christian spiritual grace. Ms Goring offers no understanding of this. She speaks without any authority in Christian matters and reflects only our own narrow, ill-at-ease and desperately-confused contemporary society.
Rev Dr Robert Anderson,
8 Old Auchans View, Dundonald.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel