“To Feed The Flock” wonders…

A French philosopher- well, you know the French- was all in favour
of strangling the last king with the entrails of the last priest.
We’ll have none of that nonsense here in Glasgow. We’ll actually need
the last priest for our Easter duties.
Mind you, he’ll probably be up on the Cathkin Braes, supported by two
pass-keepers, giving General Absolution to all members of the Archdiocese,
and those who have come in from surrounding areas. They’re used to big
crowds in King’s Park and Mount Florida because of Hampden Park,
but that day will be something special. Can you imagine the traffic
in Main Street, Rutherglen ?

Churches are going to be closed down.So we’ll be used to doing without
having many baptisms. Confirmation to see us along the road will be quite
rare. The last church service booklet for Nuptial Mass with Papal Blessing
will be in the People’s Palace if there’s not one there already. Many a
death bed scene will be a scene and a half.
And above all, we will have been deprived of the Eucharist despite Christ’s
quite explicit order to the Apostles to feed His lambs and sheep.
And forgive their sins.

All this is because the Eucharist and the other sacraments can only be
provided in Glasgow and everywhere else by secular priests, i.e. those
who are celibate ,have had a theological education and are supported by
a parish (I know about religious orders. I also know about deacons. )
Or of course they could be provided by ex-Anglican vicars with four of
a family, oddly enough, although there’s not many of them round about here. .

There aren’t enough secular priests to provide the Eucharist throughout
the world. But why does this mean we cannot receive It ? What is the problem
in extending ordination to a group of parishioners in every parish? Worldwide ?
When I am found lying on the kitchenette floor some day, waiting for the last
Sacraments from the local newsagent or garage mechanic or whoever is on duty
from my parish that day,I shall not ask him first if he is married or quiz
him about his knowledge of St Jerome. What exactly is the problem in extending
ordination ?

Glasgow? Well, we’ve worked out all sorts of clever ways of closing churches,
admittedly with some consultation with some parishioners, in at least one case
with an insistence that no minutes of the meeting be taken. We’ve got to
assume that all this being done in accordance with the latest developments in
the very respectable science of decline management. Well, we’ve got to assume this.

This blog is far from a voice crying in the wilderness. Within days of Pope Francis
being appointed,in March 2013, a group of Catholic MPs petitioned him to extend
ordination to married men. More significantly,in September,the then Archbishop
Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, pointed out that “celibacy is
not part of church dogma and the issue is open to discussion because it is
an ecclesiastical tradition.” In England this year , the Bishops of Brentwood,
Hexham and Newcastle and Menevia added their support for extending ordination.
Bishop Krautler of Xingu in Brazil, who has 27 priests for 700,000 people, had
an audience with Pope Francis in April, in which the Pope indicated that
“regional and national bishops’ conferences should seek and find consensus
on reform” and then communicate this to Rome.

At the end of May this year, Pope Francis pointed out, on his way back from
Jerusalem , that celibacy is not a dogma and is always open to change.
This may bring an end to the silence from the rest of the English Bishops
and all of the Scottish Bishops on the subject.In Glasgow, the response to
priest shortages is only to close church buildings. There has been no mention
of joining the above to petition the Pope to extend ordination,i.e.to provide the
Eucharist. And even if some gesture of token support is offered, that will not
be enough as the Flock drifts away. Idle words are inadequate.

“To Feed The Flock ” welcomes your opinion on exactly what the problem is,
here and everywhere else, about carrying out Christ’s Eucharistic imperative.