Michael KellyThe work of the Irish bishops’ conference is in need of some reform, writes Michael Kelly
When the Irish hierarchy meet for their quarterly meeting next Tuesday, the first item on the agenda will be the election of a new president. Most people expect that the new Primate of All-Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, will be elected to replace Cardinal Seán Brady. By convention, the Archbishop of Armagh has always served as president of the Irish bishops’ conference. But it is not automatic, and there are indications that at least a handful of bishops would like a change.
In the United States, for example, any bishop can be elected president of the episcopal conference and with 272 serving bishops the campaign can often be overtly political. Stateside, the bishops’ conference has embraced transparency and the vote for the president and vice-president is held in public and streamed live on the internet.
The same happens in many other countries where the presidency of the conference rotates. Now, a few Irish bishops have suggested that Ireland consider adopting this model.
Consensus
If there is a consensus for change, it would be seen as an early blow to Archbishop Eamon’s authority as Primate of All-Ireland. It would also appear to short-circuit the Vatican’s reform of the Church in Ireland, since a key reason for Archbishop Eamon’s appointment was his noted reputation as a man who can get things done.
Most observers believe that there is a dysfunction at the heart of the Irish bishops’ conference. Some long-serving members of the body dispute this, but most people would accept that it is need of radical reform.
The hierarchy meets four times a year. In between, there is a standing committee made up of senior bishops which meets more regularly and sets the agenda for the general meetings.
The general meeting rarely gets to thoroughly and comprehensively discuss all the items on the agenda and many issues are long-fingered. Before the meeting, each bishop is sent a folder containing a huge amount of reading material from the various commissions and agencies of the bishops’ conference which is supposed to inform discussions at the general meeting.
In reality, however, some bishops grumble that some of their colleagues never read their ‘homework’ and regularly interrupt meetings to ask questions that are answered in the folder.
Over the years, the bishops have established various episcopal commissions, departments, councils, agencies and other bodies which focus on specific projects or areas of interest.
The problem, however, is that virtually everything has to go back to the general meeting for discussion again. In practice, this means that decisions and actions that one would expect to proceed organically from the relevant episcopal commission are discussed in full at the general meeting.
It can take months to get a decision, or even a consensus, from the conference. The potential for gridlock is clear and is accentuated, some bishops say, by the fact that some of their colleagues seem to take pleasure in slowing down decisions.
Before his appointment to Armagh, Archbishop Eamon served as executive secretary of the hierarchy. This will have allowed him to witness the dysfunction first-hand and, undoubtedly, reflect on how the process could be streamlined and the work of the bishops’ conference made more efficient and effective. Archbishop Eamon has also spent the last 17 months attending as a full member of the bishops’ conference.
There will undoubtedly be need for a revamped office of the president of the bishops’ conference as a coherent focal point. This office could profitably include an office of public affairs responsible for liaising with governments North and South.
As the recent abortion legislation in the Republic proved, the Church was often too late to influence lawmakers when it issued statements.
An effective office of public affairs could include legislative liaison and, by building networks, it could act to alert the hierarchy about issues coming down the line that need to be addressed.
A key part of this will be a rational and articulate communications strategy with realisable and verifiable goals and a clear process and timetable for the achievement of these goals.
The Church in Ireland needs to embrace a proactive communications strategy and prioritise getting better at the business of reactive media relations. In fairness, for most of the last 20 years the Church in Ireland has lurched from one crisis to another struggling to respond. In the midst of crises, even the best laid plans can go by the wayside.
At the same time, the president of the bishops’ conference should be empowered to speak on behalf of the Church as a whole. Of course, different bishops will have different emphases, and different bishops may want to say something differently in their own diocese, but it’s hardly unreasonable for the president to speak as titular head of the Church in Ireland without having to get the consent of more than two dozen of his fellow bishops.
The current 28 bishops might consider a smaller core group which would be empowered to approve statements that would be issued on behalf of the Church here. This would facilitate a quick response where necessary.
Of course, for Archbishop Eamon to concentrate on this, he will need help in Armagh and it is likely that the Vatican would react positively to a request for an auxiliary bishop to help him.
A well-respected priest drawn from among the clergy of Armagh could ensure that the priests and people of Armagh do not suffer due to Archbishop Eamon’s commitments at national and international level. A local appointee would also be able to hit the ground running, and intimate knowledge of the diocese would be an invaluable assess to assist Archbishop Eamon.
The new atmosphere and the energy created by the appointment of new bishops is a unique moment to renew and reform the Irish bishops’ conference.
There will be resistance, there will be those who will argue that “we’ve always done it this way”, but the status quo hasn’t worked. If the Church in Ireland is to embrace Pope Francis’ radical transformation of the Church, it will have to ensure that it is fit for purpose and fit for mission.