Since Vatican II, the winds of change have blown through the Catholic Church. Even as they have sometimes blown away some of the cobwebs, they have caused major upheaval in a number of areas.

Despite an emphasis on the collegiality of bishops, and on greater participation of the faithful, the Catholic Church still has an authoritarian, hierarchical structure that sometimes causes anger and alienation among the faithful in every rank. While there are more Catholics than ever, and even as their numbers continue to grow, there is a decline in vocations to both the priesthood and to religious orders.

Celibacy is no doubt an issue, but the clergy has also lost its revered status and its special place in the hierarchy. With the acceptance of the idea of the universal priesthood of Christ, the clergy is now merely a subset of the priesthood of the faithful. With fewer young seminarians and priests coming in, an ever-growing number of ailing and elderly priests have to be cared for. This is a drain on the financial and personal resources of the Church. With fewer priests to look after parishes, there are also fewer priests to staff the missionary endeavors of the Church. Islam is a huge threat to the growth of the Church in Africa, for example.

Nuns and Catholic laywomen are still battling for the right to be ordained. However, the Church has ruled that only men can be ordained because priests must imitate Christ, the bridegroom of the Church. The Church points to the fact that Christ chose only men to be his disciples, even though he had a good relationship with women.

Facing the Challenge

The Church has developed a number of strategies to help remedy some of the current problems facing the ministry. It has adopted techniques for determining who is qualified to handle the demanding role of diocesan priests and has improved the education programs in seminaries that prepare men for the priesthood. The Church has also encouraged bishops to provide support for their priests.

The Church is also confronting the Catholic dissatisfaction with its rigid stands on birth control and divorce. The Church does not permit any form of artificial contraception, but many clergymen at high levels within the Church do recommend it. Divorced Catholics are not allowed to remarry while their partners are still alive, and if they do, they are not allowed to receive the sacraments. Regardless, some pastors have gone so far as to bless second marriages, even though they could not marry the couple.

Individually, the clergy recognize the gray areas that exist in marriage and family life. Prominent theologians have concurred that singular moral rules and moral judgments cannot be applied to humanity as a whole. Where there is a human relationship, each case must be judged on its own merits.

Despite the Church's authoritarian structure and tradition, there is more debate and dissension as well as openness to new ways of thinking and approaching issues around morality, tradition, and ecumenism. Theologians are coming to acknowledge that doctrines reflect the tenor of the times in which they were enshrined and must be interpreted as such. And Catholic dialogue with other faiths has made great strides.

The Church is, despite its problems, vigorous and healthy. It displays the four qualities by which it has come to be defined:

• It is catholic in its embrace of all humanity.

• It is one in its common beliefs.

• It is holy in its union with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

• It is apostolic in its succession, tradition, and ongoing mission.