Leadership
Crisis Calls for Substantial
Changes in Church
by Fr. Joe Nassal, c.pp.s., Provincial Director
Brothers and sisters, thus should one regard us:
as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Now it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.
1 Corinthians 4, 1-2
In giving retreats to priests, I often use this verse from St. Paul to define
our role: “Servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” As we
face the ongoing crisis of sexual abuse in our church and continue to ask
forgiveness for our failures and our sins as bishops and priests, Paul reveals
the reason why we are where we are: “Now it is of course required of stew-
ards that they be found trustworthy.”
As a Spirit-driven institution founded on the gospel of Jesus Christ, the
Way the Truth, and the Life, we are to stand as a beacon of integrity and
transparency. But in our arrogance to protect the institution, we have failed
our most vulnerable, and lost the trust of God’s people.
The church has always been led by sinful men. The first followers of
Jesus were certainly fearful and fragile, misunderstanding the message of
the cross, abandoning him when he was arrested. After telling his disciples
he would have to go to Jerusalem, suffer and die in shame on the cross, the
disciples discussed who among them was the greatest. Jesus chastises them
as he points out the religious leaders who wanted to be noticed and given
high places of honor. Jesus tells his disciples, “It cannot be that way with
you.” Jesus reserved his harshest criticism for the religious elite who chose
power and privilege over service.
Peter and Paul, pillars of a patriarchal institution, were both identified
by their faults. In Luke’s Gospel, Peter’s call to follow Jesus comes in the
context of an enormous catch of fish. Peter falls to his knees and says,
“Leave me, Lord, I am a sinful man.” Those words were echoed by his
successor, Pope Francis, in an interview soon after he was elected Pope.
When asked how he would identify himself, Pope Francis said, “I am a
sinner.” As we heard recently in Mark’s gospel, just after professing his
faith in Jesus as the Christ, Peter the Rock began to crumble as he tries to
dissuade him from talking about the cross. For Peter’s failure to accept the
cross as the center of our call to discipleship, Jesus tells him, “Get behind
me, Satan.”
continued on page 4
October 2018 • The New Wine Press • 3