Is the Church here finished?

The Church must relinquish pessimism and become “missionary”, writes Michael Kelly

Archbishop Michael Neary’s assessment of the state of the Church in Ireland is depressingly pessimistic. But, it’s hard to disagree with his conclusion that the Church here has lost the battle with secularism. The ground has shifted considerably and, in a certain sense, the tide is definitively out when it comes to the life of the Church.

Of course, it didn’t have to be this way. A combination of weak – often hapless – leadership and a massive failure to transmit the basic tenets of the Catholic Faith have conspired in bringing the Church to what Dr Neary describes as a “rather bewildering crossroads”.

There’s an odd naivety in a lot of Church commentary. Liberal commentators will often suggest that if the Church embraces the reforms that those who don’t go to Mass advocate, then people will come flooding back. Conservatives often think that a bit of old-fashioned catechesis will see a resurgence in the life of the Church.

Both approaches are woefully inadequate: the Church in Ireland can have a future, a very bright future, but only if we face the difficult reality that, for many Irish Catholics, even many Massgoers, the Church and the practice of the Faith have become little more than an elaborate form of social life.

With some admirable exceptions, many Irish Catholics have had their felt need for spirituality and transcendence unmet by the Church. The hunger and thirst of the human condition has often been met by pious platitudes or superficial forms of pseudo-spirituality aimed at enhancing something called ‘wellness’.

Comfort blanket

This has led many to see faith in Christ as little more than a comfort blanket. Those who don’t feel the need for such comfort have moved away. God is missing, but not missed (at least consciously).

The Church here has failed to see the extent to which it has been secularised and exists more as a service provider or a champion of social justice, rather than a gateway to an intimate relationship with Christ.

Without faith in Christ, the Church is nothing more than a “pitiful NGO”, Pope Francis warned in his first homily as Pope.

So what’s the antidote? The answer is complex, but it begins with embracing Pope Francis’ call for the Church to be missionary, to move away from a self-referential obsession with ecclesiastical affairs and inward-looking obsessions. Only a Church that is missionary, rooted in prayer and authentic spirituality, faithful to Christ and confident in the message of the Gospel and Christ’s enduring presence in the Church, can transform society and bring women and men to an intimate relationship with Christ.