Michael Kelly
In the Bible, the whole of salvation history is one crisis after another: expulsion from Paradise, the destruction of Babel, the Flood, exiles, and the obliteration of the monarchy. The history of the Israelites in the Old Testament – God’s Chosen People – is a story of being stripped of everything that they believed gave them meaning and their identity.
But, they learnt that crises can also be times of blessing.
Recent decades have seen what we call Irish Catholicism being stripped of power, prestige, status and control – all things which Catholics once thought gave meaning to their Church. In reality, however, if we discern the signs of the times we can see in the Catholic Church in Ireland an institution that clung to things like power and control really for their own sake.
There will be much soul searching to be done in the Church in the wake of the decisive vote to remove the Eighth Amendment from the Constitution. Like the ancient Israelites, many Catholics who voted ‘No’ are now asking themselves “how can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” But there is also the reality that many Mass-going Catholics voted ‘Yes’ in a referendum that will pave the way for a liberal abortion regime.
Reality check
This is a reality check for the Church. It would be easy to dismiss Catholics who do not share the Church’s vision that all human life is worthy of legal protection, but they are present in the pews in every parish in Ireland. Pretending that modern Ireland is a competition between Catholics and everyone else would be as foolish as it is wrong.
And yet the Church will continue to uphold the right to life of unborn children and will never waver from this commitment – regardless of how many Catholics disagree. The Church has to ask how so many Catholics can identify themselves with legislation that will lead to abortion on demand in many circumstances and still continue to describe themselves as Catholic.
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has observed that while there are many indications that “residual cultural Catholicism” is still strong in Irish culture it would be foolish “to ignore the fact that that Irish cultural Catholicism has a clear generational sell-by-date printed on it.”
The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said at the weekend that the referendum was the culmination of a quiet revolution. A quiet revolution has also taken place within the Church. Many people who see themselves as committed Catholics don’t share a worldview informed by the tenets of their Church. There are serious questions to be asked about Faith formation.
The religious education of most Mass-going Catholics ended when they were 17, their only regular exposure now is a few minutes of a homily on a Sunday morning. The issue of Catholic schools and Catholic education more widely also needs to be addressed.
The vast majority of Irish people spent their entire educational career in schools managed by the Church and nominally operating under a Catholic ethos. Indeed, many of those pushing for legislative reform on issues like abortion were educated in prestigious fee-paying Catholic schools.
Frederick the Great observed that “he who defends everything, defends nothing”. As Catholics we need to reflect on this seriously. Are we holding on to old structures and ways of thinking simply because we used to be a large institution? Wouldn’t it be better to relinquish control of vast numbers of schools to prioritise resources into the fewer schools that remain? Rather than dominating education and as a result being the default provider, might it not be better for Catholic schools to be a vibrant minority presence in a pluralist educational landscape?
Many people have told me that they are heartbroken by the outcome of the referendum. There is a need for healing and reflection. Those who voted ‘No’ deserve huge credit for standing up for those who cannot speak for themselves. They are a minority voice – but this should not leave people disheartened. It’s worth reflecting on the fact that the ‘No’ side in the referendum attracted a bigger percentage vote than any political party managed at the last general election.
No retreat
This is not a time to retreat into quietism or a Jansenistic pessimism about the human condition. The Church arose in a pagan culture by being willing to die for truth – the call to the Church in modern Ireland is one of profound humility and joyful witness.
We can’t predict what the future holds for Irish Catholicism, but we know it will be smaller, much smaller. The challenge is to ensure that we are a creative minority rather than a pathetic irrelevant minority.