EL PLAZO R AZON ABLE EN L A JURISPRUDE NCI A DEL TRIBUN AL CONSTITUCIONAL PERUANO

The importance of changing the way the Catholic Church is organised and orientated was a constant theme during the interviews. Interviewees recognised that there is need for a complete transformation of the Irish Church, though different people examined this question from different perspectives. For some, the greatest change is needed at local level, while for others the international, national and structural issues were fundamental. What was clear was that no one who was interviewed believed that things can stay the same. All believed that structural change is needed.

There is a perceived lack of leadership and there is too much emphasis on the ‘top down’ Church. One person expressed it as follows: ‘what people speak about is this lack of leadership in the Church in Ireland’.137 _{Another spoke of}

things being imposed from above, that is, from the bishops or from Rome. This person expressed the frustration of people who believed that the bishops didn’t

136 _{Rademacher, Lay Ministry, 199.} 137 _{Focus group 2.}

seem to ‘realise that they have to listen to the ground as much as they listen to above [Rome]’.138

Another person said,

The problem is that Rome put their model [of Church] over and above whether or not people get to celebrate Eucharist. I suppose [the problem] is the centralisation of our Churches so that even though we [at local level] can see clearly … however our hands are tied.139

There was some frustration regarding the disconnection in Ireland between the bishops along with the Roman Curia, and the local parish Churches. The changes that have happened in Ireland within and outside the Church have led many priests and people to recognise the need to hold fast to the tradition, while reinterpreting it. As Codd expressed it,

I think one of the major challenges is not to disregard what people have held fast to, but to invite them to re-interpret, to re-imagine, with relevance to life.140

Byrne also reflected on this issue when he spoke of

not letting go of what is important for us in our faith and the richness of people coming to Ireland and what they can bring to the discussion if we get into that conversation with them. I’m just talking about the faith element now that’s through it in all sorts of levels in Irish.141

While interviewees were mostly paralysed about finding ways to bring about change at the national and universal levels of the Church, there was a lot more momentum in evidence about ways to implement change at parish level. Many participants were aware that recent changes in Irish society, and the way in which the Catholic Church is now perceived, are bringing change to the structure and organisation of local parishes. As one person said,

[There is] is an understanding that society has changed and not trying to go back. So we could say, globalisation, secularization, all of

138 _{Interview 9.} 139 _{Interview 4.} 140 _{Codd Interviews.} 141 _{Byrne Interviews.}

these things are part of our culture today and again without being defensive about that. I mean some people in Church would spend a lot of energy wishing it was some other way, battening down the hatches, whereas I suppose what I’m suggesting is we need the conversation, we need to be able to deal with those conversations.142

Some of the change that people recognised in the local parish was positive, and some was negative, as the comments above demonstrate. Another person suggested that there is a tentativeness of the part of parish leadership to make demands on people:

We have got to the stage where we can’t put any demand ... [There is a] fear of turning people off I think because we are so fearful now because of all that’s going on in the Church that they [the priests] are fearful of being challenging in any way because there [are people] walking away.143

Some people believed that there is still a perception that the Catholic faith is just about going to the sacraments, and Mass in particular. One person said that he believed that far too much of the effort of the parish went into the administration of and preparation for the sacraments.144 _{One person suggested}

that there is a need to find a whole new way of talking about Church: ‘as Christians [Catholics] we are clear about the need to see the face of Christ in others but not at proclaiming the Christian message’.145 _{In some places change is}

being forced to happen because of diminishing numbers of clergy, lower Mass attendance and reduced financial resources.

5.6.1 Analysis

The necessity of structural changes in the Church emerged as a theme in many of the interviews, but there was also a tentativeness about these conversations. Participants were aware that structural change was necessary, but there was little agreement otherwise. This theme was thus exploratory, as interviewees struggled to articulate something of the need for a new model of Church and a new structure which was reflective of the reality of the current situation.

142 _{Byrne Interviews.} 143 _{Interview 4.} 144 _{Interview 6.} 145 _{Byrne Interviews.}