Via We are Church's engelska nyhetsforum (IMWAC-english) har inkommit en ganska lång men mycket intressant granskning av ett frågeformulär som använts i Australien för att bedöma biskopskandidaters
lämplighet. Först publiceras frågeformuläret, sedan en analys och värdering av de kriterier som ligger bakom ett sådant utformat frågeformulär.
Krister Janzon
Analysing the Secret Vatican Questionnaire
used for the selection of new Aussie Bishops
By Dr. Paul Collins
APOSTOLIC NUNCIATURE AUSTRALIA
QUESTIONNAIRE for EPISCOPAL CANDIDATES
A- This questionnaire is " SUB SECRETO PONTIFICIO ": it must be returned to
the Apostolic Nunciature with your answer.
B- Please state how long you have known the candidate and in what way you
have come to know him.
I- PERSONAL
Appearance, health, application to work. Family's condition. Any
predisposition to hereditary illnesses?
2- HUMAN QUALITIES
Intellectual abilities Temperament and character. Balance and Soundness of
judgment. Sense of responsibility.
3- CHRISTIAN & PRIESTLY VIRTUES
Prudence, Fairness, spirit of faith and charity. Piety: daily celebration of
the Eucharist and Liturgy of the Hours. Marian devotion.
4- BEHAVIOUR
Moral integrity. How does he relate to people and to public authorities in
the exercise of his priestly ministry?
5- CULTURAL FORMATION
Is he competent and up to date in Theology and other Ecclesiastical
Sciences? General cultural attainment. Foreign languages. Works published.
6- ORTHODOXY
Doctrinal orientation. Loyalty to the Doctrine and Magisterium of the
Church. In particular: the attitude of the candidate to the Documents of the
Holy See on the Ministerial Priesthood, on the Priestly Ordination of Women,
on marriage, on sexual Ethics and on Social Justice. Fidelity to the genuine
Tradition of the Church and commitment to the authentic renewal promoted by
Vatican 11, and adherence to the "Statement of Conclusions, 1998".
7- DISCIPLINE
Devotedness to the Holy Father, the Holy See and the Episcopal Hierarchy.
Support for Priestly Celibacy and general and particular Laws of the Church.
In particular: as to Liturgical and Clerical Discipline.
8- PASTORAL EXPERIENCE AND ATTITUDES
Evangelization and Catechesis: preaching and teaching. Aptitude for public
speaking. Readiness to administer the Sacraments. Promotion of Vocations.
Interest in the Missions and Ecumenical activities. Formation of lay people
in the Family and Social fields of apostolate: of young people, of workers,
defenders of human rights?
9- QUALITIES OF LEADERSHIP
Does he have a capacity for leadership: for dialogue, for evoking and
accepting collaboration, for analysis and programming, for making decisions
and ensuring that they are carried through? Does he appreciate the role and
collaboration of religious and lay people ( men and women )? Is he able to
delegate and share responsibility? Has be shown an interest in the problems
of the Universal as well as the local Church?
10- ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY
Does he exercise due care of the Church's property? Ability in
administration. Sense of justice. Readiness to enlist the help of those
experienced in such affairs?
11- PUBLIC IMAGE Has he gained the respect of his fellow clergy? Of the
people and of the public authorities?
12- GENERAL OVERVIEW
Give a comprehensive judgment on the personality of the candidate and of his
suitability for the episcopate. Indicate, if affirmative, whether he is
particularly suited for appointment to a residential See, or as an Auxiliary
Bishop. Or for work in an urban, rural, industrial or in other social
context.
13- CONSULTATION
Please suggest the names of persons (ecclesiastic, religious, or lay) who
can provide pertinent and useful information about the candidate. Please
give names and addresses.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
1- a. Full name of the candidate.
b. Date and place of birth.
c. Names of parents.
d. Was he born in lawful wedlock?
2- a. Condition of his family: religious, moral, civil, economic; bodily and
mental health.
a. In what Seminaries and other Institutes has he studied?
b. What were the results?
c. What academic grades did he achieve?
4- a. Is he the author of any publications? b. If possible, indicate titles
and editions.
5- a. Does he speak, or in any way know, foreign languages?
6- a. Date and place of priestly ordination.
b. Diocese or Religious Institute for which he was ordained.
c. Diocese in which he was born.
d. Diocese to which he now belongs.
e. Diocese of actual residence.
f If a Religious, indicate the province for which he was professed and the
date of profession.
7- a. Ministries he has exercised and offices ( ecclesiastical, academic,
etc. ) he has filled ( place and dates )
CATHOLICA EDITORIAL COMMENT: It is almost beyond belief that the Vatican uses a document of this slant in the selection of bishops around the world.
From other versions that have been leaked in other countries and languages
it is clear that the Australian document is a slightly modified version of
the document used elsewhere. Do the men who compose such documents ever stop
and think of the accountability they might one day face from Almighty God
for the abysmal state Catholicism has descended into throughout the Western
world over the last 200 years? That is a serious question. One presumes in
their conservatism they continue to believe in some form of final judgment.
Do they, even for a moment, ever stop to consider the accountability they
might eventually be called to for this constant pandering to this dwindling
rump of the insecure and what Pope Benedict calls "the little people" while
the rest of the baptised Catholic population are effectively told "go to
Hell. We do not care about you at all"?
The sort of leadership this document calls for is what drives most
intelligent people out of the Catholic Church. It is time for these
kindergarten-level games of "playing Church" and "playing priests and
bishops" to stop. We urgently need in the Church men and women as spiritual
leaders who can lead — not men who are forever running around trying to
prove to their often long-dead mothers what "good citizens" they turned out
to be, what nice little social conformists they are, or what bullies or how
tough they are. Jesus Christ did not go through what he went through to
teach us social conformism and how to be "nice" to one another. He did not
come into the world to teach us how to be bullies. He came to teach us how
to love one another and how to discern the moral truths that lead us to
wholeness, holiness and eventually to salvation. He came to teach us, in the
words of St Gregory of Nyassa, how "to become like God". That is not some
kindergarten-level game of social conformism and running around trying to
prove to the rest of the world that "we (Catholics) are the only ones with
ALL the answers and everyone else in Creation are heretics, pagans and
damned".
This document betrays the reality that the men who control the Catholic
Church today have "lost touch with reality". They are pandering to an
unrepresentative, miniscule proportion of the population who crave certitude
and security at the expense of everything else in Creation, including Truth
itself. That game has to stop. We need a Church, and ecclesial leaders, who
will take us back to the core focus of what Jesus Christ came into the world
to teach the human family, and each one of us. …Brian Coyne, editor &
publisher, Catholica
Today's lead commentary analysis of the Vatican Questionnaire used for the selection of Bishops has been written by Dr Paul Collins…
Sub Secreto Pontificio...
http://www.catholica.com.au/breakingnews/Episcopal%20Questionnaire%2008.pdf
Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, Papal Nuncio to Australia
Image of the first page of the Episcopal Questionnaire circulated for the
selection of Australian Bishops.
Click on
http://www.catholica.com.au/breakingnews/Episcopal%20Questionnaire%2008.pdf
to access a pdf copy of the original document.
Recently Catholics for Ministry received an unsolicited letter containing a
copy of a document that the vast majority of ordinary, practicing Catholics
would usually never see. Nevertheless it will have already had and will
continue to have a real influence on their membership of the church and
their faith lives. It is entitled 'Questionnaire for Episcopal Candidates',
and it comes from the Papal Nuncio (or ambassador) in Red Hill, a rather
up-market Canberra suburb. The questionnaire I received is the one which is
currently in use to seek opinions from bishops, a small number of senior
priests, and a very small number of carefully selected lay people seeking
advice on potential candidates for ordination as bishops in Australia.
Under the heading it is marked in block letters 'SUB SECRETO PONTIFICIO'
which means 'subject to pontifical secrecy'. This attempts to suggest that
the recipient is bound to maintain an extremely high level of
confidentiality about the contents of the document and their comments about
the proposed candidate. According to one canonist it binds recipients to
maintain the secrecy 'under pain of mortal sin'. However, in fact the threat
is meaningless and no one takes a great deal of notice of it. The
questionnaire itself says that it 'must be returned to the Apostolic
Nunciature with your answer.'
Nevertheless, these kinds of documents rarely see the light of day. As far
as I know the only other example in the public domain comes from Spain where
a questionnaire from the papal nuncio about prospective bishops was leaked
in November 2002. It is available at a number of sites on the internet
including the excellent and helpful Women Priests Web-Page at
<http://www.womenpriests.org/teaching/secretexam.asp>
www.womenpriests.org/teaching/secretexam.asp.
Where this document fits in the appointment process…
To see where this questionnaire fits into the appointment process, it is
important first of all to understand how bishops get chosen. Nowadays it is
a closed, opaque process in which all power is held by the Vatican and very
little by the local church. The Code of Canon Law outlines the general
process in canon 377, paragraph 2: 'At least every three years the bishops
of an ecclesiastical province … are to compose in common counsel and in
secret a list of presbyters … who are suitable for the episcopacy and to
send it to the Apostolic See'.
In countries like Australia the process works like this: the papal nuncio
canvasses the names of priests for possible appointment and seeks the views
of the local bishops (e.g. the NSW bishops or the Victorian bishops),
including especially the bishop of the diocese. Selected senior priests and
a few very carefully chosen lay people are also asked, usually through the
questionnaire published below. A terna, a list of three names, is compiled
by the nuncio. Further checks are made, and then the list is sent to the
Congregation of Bishops in Rome. Another investigation is made in the
Vatican where they check whether any of the priests on the terna have been
reported to any Roman congregation or office for things like 'unorthodoxy',
or disagreement with the prevailing Roman line on any issue, or any critical
comments about the pope or the Vatican. At the end of the process the list
is sent to the pope for decision. He would normally choose the priest at the
top of the list.
This is a very modern process by church history standards…
However, this process is very modern by church history standards. Right up
until the nineteenth century bishops were usually nominated by the civil
ruler, or were elected by the senior priests of the diocese. At most the
pope and the Vatican got a say at the end of the process. In the first
millennium of church history most bishops were elected by the people of the
diocese with subsequent final approval by the Metropolitan (the senior
regional archbishop) and/or the pope. But as liberal democracy spread in the
nineteenth century and civil governments became less interested in the
appointments of bishops, Rome gradually gained complete control of the whole
process so that now there are only a couple of dioceses left (in Switzerland
and Austria) in which the canons of the diocese get the right to nominate
three names for bishop with Rome making a choice from the canon's list.
Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, Papal Nuncio to Australia
Former Papal Nuncio to Australia, Archbishop Ambrose De Paoli "known to have
blocked the appointment of very reactionsy priests to the episcopate in a
large metropolitian diocese",
The questionnaire from the Canberra papal nuncio is part of the local
process whereby names are sorted out. Very little notice is ever taken of
the diocesan community or the majority of priests, and sometimes even
out-of-favour bishops are completely by-passed or ignored. One archbishop
was told by a previous nuncio: 'I don't need to consult you; I know what you
think'. A lot depends on the peculiar ecclesiastical bias of the nuncio as
to what names get nominated. For instance, it was well known that Archbishop
Franco Brambilla, Nuncio from 1986-98, was conservative, whereas the
American Archbishop Ambrose De Paoli, nuncio from 2004-07, had far more
sympathy with the pastoral orientation favored by the majority of the
Australian bishops. De Paoli is known to have blocked the appointment of
very reactionary priests to the episcopate in a large metropolitan diocese.
In many ways both the Spanish and Australian Questionnaires are similarly
unimpressive documents. The Australian one, for instance, leaves out the
words 'God', 'Jesus', 'Christ', 'Holy Spirit', 'hope', 'ministry', 'belief',
'spirituality', 'prayer', let alone references to fundamental statements of
belief like the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, are all omitted. There
is no reference whatsoever to the Bible and not a single reference, let
alone a quotation, from any part of Scripture. The whole emphasis is on
loyalty to the pope, the Vatican and the Holy See.
The questionnaire nowhere mentions the candidate's primary obligation to
care for the diocese or to show loyalty and accountability to the priests
and people of the diocese. In fact, it turns the Catholic tradition on its
head. In the past the emphasis was on the bishop being primarily committed
to the local church, but this is entirely omitted in the questionnaire. As a
result the document is completely out of kilter with the ancient tradition
of the church, in the sense that the ecclesiology of the first millennium
talked about a bishop's relationship with his diocese in terms of marriage.
That is why bishops could not be moved from diocese to diocese.
Analysing the Questionnaire in detail…
Looking at the questionnaire in detail: firstly it completely ignores the
prospective candidate's right to privacy. For instance, in the section
headed 'Personal' (1) the questionnaire asks about the candidate's family
'condition', and about any predisposition to hereditary illnesses. Any
prospective employer in Australia asking for such information would face
legal prosecution. Some of these questions are simply against the law. And
what does the word 'condition' refer to here: is it asking about their
economic condition, or whether a brother is an alcoholic or a sister an
epileptic? This is re-enforced in the section on p 2 where the questionnaire
asks for 'biographical information'. It asks the respondent to describe the
'condition of his family: religious, moral, civil, economic; bodily and
mental heath'. So the question has to be asked what right does the papal
nuncio (a non-citizen in Australian who, as a foreigner, is here on
sufferance) have to ask for such information which no Australian prospective
employer would dare to ask for fear of litigation?
Another area of real concern is the section on 'Orthodoxy' (6). Here the
questionnaire is slanted away from the creeds and the traditional theology
of the church toward complete, myopic loyalty to the papacy and the Vatican
without any theological feeling for a bishop's many other roles and
functions in the church, let alone any sense of accountability toward the
diocese to which he is to be appointed. Despite one mention of 'Vatican II',
this account of the role of bishops is entirely rooted in the First Vatican
Council (1870) and is focused completely on secondary theological issues to
do with the priesthood, the ordination of women, marriage and contraception.
Social justice is thrown in as a kind of optional extra. It uses terms like
'genuine tradition' and 'authentic renewal' which actually give the game
away. This is the kind of rhetoric used by the Vatican to convey their idea
of what Vatican II was all about. What they are trying to achieve is what
they call 'a reform of the reform', but what they really mean is 'a winding
back of the reform'.
The most extraordinary demand of all in the questionnaire is 'adherence to
the "Statement of Conclusion, 1998"'. This rather odd document was imposed
on the ambushed Australian bishops by a group of senior Vatican bureaucrats
at the Synod for Oceania in October-November, 1998. Not a single one of
these Vatican clerics who composed the Statement was even a natural
English-speaker, let alone an Australian. Six of them were Italians, four
were Latin Americans and one was German. Few of them had any pastoral
experience anywhere in parishes. It is a safe bet that not a single one of
them had ever visited Australia, but this did not inhibit them from
informing the bishops that Australian Catholics were suffering from 'a
crisis of faith ... manifested by the rise in the number of people with no
religion and the decline in church practice ... [which was due to]
Australian tolerance and openness'. The bishops were told this 'can lead to
indifference, to the acceptance of any opinion or activity as long as it
does not impact adversely on other people'. The document went on to assert
that the Australian church was suffering from a series of crises about
'Christology', 'anthropology' and 'ecclesiology', words that left most local
Catholics gobsmacked. The source of these clichés about Australian
Catholicism, although it was never admitted by the Vatican, was a tiny,
totally unrepresentative group of local, theologically illiterate
reactionaries, possibly tacitly and secretly supported by no more than a
couple of Australian bishops.
The vast majority of the bishops were furious and frustrated when this
totally twisted and distorted view of the church in Australia was simply
forced on them at the end of the Synod. While no one pretends that
Australian Catholicism is in particularly good shape, the view presented in
this quite silly document is so wide of the mark as to be ludicrous. The
Roman view simply does not reflect the overwhelming experience of local
church leadership, let alone the vast majority of church membership. Despite
the fact that they had a vast knowledge of Catholicism in this country, and
were on the spot in Rome for an extended period, the Australian bishops were
completely ignored. The view of a tiny group of theologically illiterate
reactionaries and unaccountable, unresponsive bureaucrats prevailed.
The bishops were caught between loyalty to Rome and loyalty to the local
church when they returned to a storm of protest in Australia; there was even
a Four Corners programme on the issue. Most of them reacted by retreating
into sullen silence. Even those who did speak out were put under pressure to
shut-up by the Bishops' Conference which acted, as it so often does, as a
kind of controlling 'club' that makes sure that no one stands out or offers
any form of individual leadership. It is astonishing that such a superficial
and ignorant document is now made a normative prerequisite for the
episcopate in Australia when the Bible, the Apostles Creed and the Nicene
Creed are simply ignored.
The questions on 'Discipline' (7) are also quite defective. The whole focus
is on the hierarchical church, canon law and 'liturgical and clerical
discipline' as though nothing else mattered. Note also the reference to
'support for priestly celibacy'. No room for married priests here! 'Pastoral
experience' (8) is defined very narrowly with no sense of the breadth of the
Catholic ministerial tradition.
One positive aspect of the whole document…
However, the discussion of 'Leadership' (9) is better, especially with the
emphasis on 'dialogue', 'evoking and accepting collaboration', and
delegation and sharing responsibility. It even has an emphasis on planning,
something sadly missing in many Australian dioceses.
Essentially the key problem with the document is that the idea of a bishop's
accountability to his diocese is completely omitted. There is a real sense
in which this distorts the traditional relationship between the bishop and
his diocese on the one hand and his duty to participate collegially in the
government of the universal church through the college of bishops (presided
over by the Bishop of Rome) on the other. The questionnaire actually
reflects the ecclesiology of the First Vatican Council rather than the
Second.
A final note…
Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, Papal Nuncio to Australia
Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, Current Papal Nuncio to Australia
Some weeks after Catholics for Ministry received a copy of the questionnaire
we informed the present Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, that
we had a copy of the document and we detailed some of the criticisms that I
have already outlined. Archbishop Lazzarotto replied pointing out that the
questionnaire was 'one among a number of elements in the enquiry process and
cannot be understood or appreciated in isolation. At an earlier stage of the
process other aspects are thoroughly examined through a widespread
consultation of priests, religious men and women and lay people. Obviously
this includes in particular the situation of the Diocese and its particular
needs.' The Archbishop goes on to day that he has been impressed 'by the
very high quality of the contributions that I receive from those whom I
consult.'
Catholics for Ministry appreciated the openness and courtesy of Archbishop
Lazzarotto's reply, which contrasted with that of Archbishop Philip Wilson's
terse reply to the 16,800 Catholics who signed the Petition last year.
However, the problem remains that it is the Vatican and the Nuncio who hold
all the trump cards and the process remains secretive and non-accountable.
That is why we are trying to engage the Papal Nuncio and the Congregation
for Bishops in Rome in a process that might lead to us all developing a
better approach to the election of bishops in the Australian church. We
realize that this will be a very difficult task, but we think that one way
of engaging the Holy See might be to get Australian Catholics to develop an
alternative to this document.
We have begun the process of trying to do this within Catholics for
Ministry, but we are a tiny group and we feel the need for broader
consultation. So we are approaching a number of representative Catholic
bodies as well as the wider Catholic community. Specifically, what we are
seeking are suggestions concerning (1) the process through which bishops
ought to be appointed in Australia, and (2) what issues ought to be
canvassed and emphasized in the selection process. We are deliberately
leaving this fairly open so that you will feel free to suggest whatever you
think is important and relevant.
Catholics for Ministry will draw this material together in the coming months
and send it back to you for further comment. Substantially what we are
trying to mount is a consultation that will have some influence on the
Nuncio, the Bishops' Conference and the Vatican because it is broad based.
Please feel free forward anything you send to us to the Nuncio. Our address
is as above. Within the next week or so we will place the questionnaire on
our website at <http://www.catholicsforministry.com.au>
www.catholicsforministry.com.au and inform the Catholic community what we
are doing. Please feel free to distribute our letter and the questionnaire
as widely as possible within the Catholic community.
“The questionnaire is slanted away from the creeds and the traditional
theology of the church toward complete, myopic loyalty to the papacy and the
Vatican without any theological feeling for a bishop's many other roles and
functions in the church, let alone any sense of accountability toward the
diocese to which he is to be appointed.” …Dr Paul Collins
Avatar Dr Paul Collins is a prominent writer and broadcaster in Australia and
internationally on religious affairs. He is a former priest who was
effectively pushed out of the priesthood for having the courage to speak up
on the sort of issues that animate much of the discussion that now takes
place fairly openly in the pages of Catholica Australia. His most recent
book is entitled "Believers: Does Australian Catholicism Have A Future?" 
