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BISHOP ROBINSON’S BOOK ISHOP GEOFFREY ROBINSON, re- the ‘Holy Father [has shown] serious preoc- tired Auxiliary Bishop of the Sydney cupation in your regard’. This letter was fol- BArchdiocese, is not the kind of person lowed by another informing him that the rel- who sets out to shock or be disruptive. His evant documentation was being forwarded to book, however, published last August and en- the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, titled Confronting Power and Sex in the implying that he was suspected of heresy. Catholic Church. Reclaiming the Spirit of Je- If these are indeed a full enough account sus (John Garrett Publishing, Mulgrave, Vic- of the events, one is left to wonder at the heavy- toria. ISBN 978 1 920721 473), is classified handed response from Rome. If Bishop under ‘Catholic Church—Controversial litera- Robinson has not done justice to Rome’s ef- ture’. forts, we and the Church at large would like to The main message of the book is that the hear the other side of the story. Otherwise, we scandals of sexual abuse perpetrated by clergy are left with the impression that the Roman and religious. together with what he declares authorities have been found wanting and are to have been the inadequate response to these covering up their failings with bluster. scandals from the leadership of the Church at Bishop Robinson reflects on how differ- the highest levels—Rome—raise deep issues ent he believes things could have been if the concerning the Church institution as we have papacy had given leadership: it. The author sets out to identify those issues and to suggest ways forward according to the In this book I have criticised the pope’s lack of sub-title of the book: ‘Reclaiming the Spirit an adequate response to sexual abuse. And yet, of Jesus’. if the pope had responded immediately and Bishop Robinson was given special re- forcefully, speaking directly to victims and de- sponsibilities in this whole area when he was manding a humble, honest and compassionate elected in 1994 by the Australian bishops to response from all members of the church, the the National Committee for Professional Stand- power of the rock [the Petrine Ministry] is so ards, the committee that co-ordinates the re- great that the response of the Catholic Church sponse of the Catholic Church in Australia to could have been a model (p.139). revelations of sexual abuse. Between 1997 and 2003 he was co-chairman of that committee. Such is the main message of the book. From He felt that the Roman authorities, includ- some of the publicity surrounding its appear- ing the pope, showed insufficient leadership ance one might get the impression that this is on this matter. As he relates, when in a public yet another demolition job on what Catholics meeting—with a journalist present—he an- hold dear. Far from it. I do have some criti- swered a question from a victim of sexual cisms on theological matters that I will get to abuse by candidly admitting that he was not later, but overall this is a most edifying read. happy with the level of support being received The chapters are a series of clear, elegant from ‘Rome’ (which the journalist reported as and original presentations of central themes, ‘the pope’), he received an official letter from the most fundamental being that God is all the Congregation of Bishops expressing ‘on- about growth, and so also must be God’s going concern’ that he had ‘expressed views Church. The Kingdom—Reign—of God is the that are seriously critical of the magisterial transformation of the whole world. The Bible teaching and discipline of the Church’, that is the story of a journey towards a deeper un- 1 CCOMPASSOMPASS 44-R.indd-R.indd 1 221/12/20071/12/2007 112:33:192:33:19 PPMM COMPASS derstanding and a higher morality. The Church catechesis. For me, Peter’s infidelities and be- is an offer of life to the whole world, not prima- trayal only strengthen the doctrine of the rily an institution for itself and for its mem- Petrine ministry as the Rock established by bers. Tradition is precious, transmitting as it Christ. does the fruits of the journey of the Church In Chapter 12 Bishop Robinson makes a down the centuries—but tradition is in need strong case for the reality of ‘The Prison of of discernment as the legacy of the past is not the Past’, which is described as a culture that all good. makes Church representatives, priests in- Bishop Robinson urges the need for a more cluded, feel a need to be right at all times and satisfactory presentation of the Church’s moral on all matters. This is clearly a culture that teaching—every pastor and moral theologian perpetuates the over-clericalisation of the and most Catholics would agree. He provides Church that was in principle rejected in Vati- very good material in that chapter. He reflects can II. In the post-Vatican II Church all, clergy on the widespread lack of trust of authority, included, need to be more accountable to the and yet the need for authority. If the Church’s Church community. Hence the value of ap- teaching on sexual morality comes across as praisals, as Bishop Robinson points out. They ‘nothing goes’, then people are tempted to are beginning to be accepted more as ideal accept the ‘everything goes’ of the surround- standard practice in the Church—certainly for ing culture. How true! parish priests. As one might expect in a book on this sub- But Bishop Robinson links ‘The Prison of ject, Bishop Robinson gives a fine presenta- the Past’ with doctrines, and here I part com- tion of the healing process. pany with him. A lot of powerful language sur- At the end of each chapter the reader is rounds doctrines: they are dogmas, definitions provided with ‘Meditations’ composed of of doctrines solemnly promulgated to the points that summarise the chapter and stimu- whole Church to be believed as ‘of the faith’, late reflection. Often these are suitable for essential to the ‘integrity of the faith’, essen- group reflection and discussion. tial to the correct communication of the Gos- All of this is stimulating reading. I see no pel, and ‘irreformable’. Most importantly, dog- reason to disagree with any of it. It is when mas are signposts. Their primary function is Bishop Robinson moves into a more funda- not the communication of information, of new mental level of doctrine, especially truth, but the setting up of markers from which ecclesiology, that I find myself unable to fol- we are to take our bearings as we seek to ex- low him all the way. plore the riches of the mysteries of the faith. For instance, he links the question of Je- They are springboards—not last words but first sus’ knowledge—Son of God but truly man, words. They can never be contradicted by new so what did Jesus know?— with the question enunciations of the mysteries, but they intend of Jesus’ intention to found the Church. I do to indicate a direction along which we can ap- not see the two as linked. I also place more propriately explore the deposit of faith. They importance on the symbolism of ‘The Twelve’: are liberating, not imprisoning. the Twelve chosen disciples correspond to the Most certainly I am not saying anything of twelve tribes of the Old People of God, and which Bishop Robinson is not fully aware. But are chosen to be the foundation apostles of the it seems to me that he lays too heavy a burden Church institution that Jesus intended to es- on dogmas and definitions in the course of his tablish. I consider the lists of the names of the discussion. As a result, in his argument, they Twelve are very significant, with their group- become part of the structure of the prison of ings into three lots of four, with Peter always the past. first—evidently derived from the primitive In an earlier chapter he writes about the 2 CCOMPASSOMPASS 44-R.indd-R.indd 2 221/12/20071/12/2007 112:33:292:33:29 PPMM BISHOP ROBINSON’S BOOK sensus fidei, or instinct for discerning what is tion: we know now not to waste our efforts of the faith. He attributes the following state- with theories that in some way contradict the ment to Henry Newman: ‘While the multitude fact of the bodily assumption of Mary into may falter in its judgment’, we have certainty heaven; also, the doctrine speaks to us of the when the whole Church ‘in due course rests sanctification of the whole human reality by and acquiesces in a deliberate judgment’. That Christ. being so, and well said, I would like the sen- I do not share Bishop Robinson’s concerns sus fidei to have been given more considera- about ‘ascended into heaven’ in the Creed. We tion in his discussion of the promulgation of all surely know by now that this is imagery— the doctrine of Papal Infallibility. Bishop theology, not history in some literalist under- Robinson complains that the arguments in Pas- standing of history—and therefore, I believe, tor Aeternus, the document in which the doc- quite in place in an ancient statement of be- trine was formulated, do not satisfy as a proof lief. We would not be likely to put it that way of the doctrine of infallibility. I do not see that now, of course. as being particularly relevant, since the argu- As with all institutions, the Church is con- ments offered in the document are not claimed tinually prone to rigidity—to becoming fro- to be infallible, only the solemn definition zen in the past.

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