Denver Catholic

18 FEBRUARY 23-MARCH 8, 2019 | DENVER CATHOLIC Perspectives "Synodality" and the Rome abuse summit Meet St. Conrad, patron of Denver's Capuchins D espite Pope Francis's lecture on the subject at Synod-2015, and notwithstanding the pas- sages on it in Synod-2018's fi nal report, there is little agreement in 21st-cen- tury Cathol- icism on what "syn- odality" means. The theology of synodality can be left for another day. In practical terms, however, perhaps synodality ought to mean something roughly analogous to what our British cousins mean by "horses for courses." There, the phrase is a homely caution against one-size-fi ts-all remedies to problems. In the world Church today, and with an eye to the "abuse summit" that will meet in Rome from Feb. 21-24, a "horses for courses" understanding of synodality would mean that di• erent local Churches should be empowered to implement specifi c local remedies, tailored to their specifi c problems and capacities, in addressing clerical sexual misconduct. The plague of sexually abusive clergy manifests itself in di• er- ent ways in di• erent ecclesiastical contexts. In the so-called developed world, the plague seems to have largely involved the sexual abuse or exploitation of young men; but there are many other ways in which a subset of Catholic clergy, both priests and bishops, lead duplicitous lives in viola- tion of the promise of celibate chastity they made to God and the Church. Latin American Catholicism has a culturally-infl uenced and destructive habit of denial about clerical sexual misconduct, whether abusive or con- sensual, heterosexual or homosexual. The Church in Africa faces serious challenges with the sexual exploita- tion of women by clergy. Each of these situations has its own epidemiology, as infectious disease doctors would say. While more than a few German theologians and bishops (and bish- op-theologians) deny it, the Catholic Church has a settled ethic of human love, drawn from the Scriptures and developed over centuries by moral reason. The ethic is the same, but the challenges to living it are not uniform among 1.2 billion Catholics. Because of considerable cultural and historical di• erences across the world Church, particular solutions to the plague of clerical sexual impropriety (and worse) are going to have to be developed to meet parti cular circum- stances. So while the bottom of the bottom line for the "abuse summit" must be an unambiguous, clarion call to the entire Church to live chastity as the integrity of love, there is no single reform template that will address dif- ferent forms of clerical sexual miscon- duct in quite diverse circumstances. Catholics in the U.S. must also recognize that the kinds of solutions that are feasible in our country — and that have worked in addressing his- torical clerical sexual abuse and driv- ing down its incidence — may not be applicable in other parts of the world Church, where the fi nancial and per- sonnel resources the U.S. Church can deploy are not available. To take one example: Diocesan review boards that function quite well in America in handling allegations of clerical sexual abuse may be infeasible in other local churches. On the other, other hand, what the American Church has learned, often the hard way, about rigorous screening of seminary appli- cants and about e• ective priestly formation ( both in seminary and after ordination) might well be "transfer- able" to other ecclesiastical situations. Misimpressions and prejudices notwithstanding, the Catholic Church in the United States has been more forthright in addressing clerical sexual abuse and other forms of clerical sexual misconduct than any other local church. Others can learn from this experience. In the abuse sum- mit's o† cial meetings and in the "O• Broadway" venues where Catholic leaders will conduct more informal conversations, American churchmen in Rome this month should explain the reforms the U.S. Church has imple- mented, including the extensive use of lay expertise to address clerical sexual abuse and other forms of clerical mis- conduct; describe the positive e• ects of those reforms, especially on semi- naries; o• er to share ideas (and per- sonnel) with other local churches that wish to explore adopting and adapting certain U.S. reforms; and make clear why the U.S. bishops believe it imper- ative for them to apply to themselves — and to be seen to apply to them- selves — the code of conduct they have applied to priests since 2002. How episcopal accountability is managed may well be another case of "horses for courses," given vastly di• erent situations throughout the world Church. Lay involvement in that accountability is imperative in the U.S.; it may be impracticable elsewhere. But those serious about Catholicism's capacity to embody and preach the Gospel will understand that credible episcopal accountability is essential in carrying out the Church's mission. Y ou may know the Capuchin friars from their longstanding service within the Archdio- cese of Denver. They serve at Annun- ciation Parish and the Denver Catho- lic recently highlighted their new food truck to serve the homeless. The aver- age person is more likely to recognize the drink, Cappuccino, named after the friars, or even to encounter the Hooded Capu- chin monkey on display at the Denver Zoo. Capuchins, however, are a group of Franciscans formed during the reforms of the Counter Reformation in 1528, emphasizing contemplative prayer and greater austerity. Denver is the center for the St. Conrad Province of the Capuchins, which has been experiencing growth in the number of young friars in for- mation. One of their veteran friars, Fr. Blaine Burkey, author of Julia Gree- ley's biography, In the Service of the Sacred Heart, recently edited a biog- raphy of the province's namesake, Conrad of Parzham: Friend of Man and Man of God, written by a Swiss Capuchin brother, Niklaus Kuster (Capuchin Provide of Mid-America, 2018). The book provides a short and accessible overview of his life, as well as the author's refl ections on how St. Conrad's witness relates to today's culture through letters to the saint. St. Conrad (1818-94) was a German farmer, born John Birndorfer, who, after experiencing a late vocation at age 30, spent the rest of his life serving as porter to the Capuchin friary at the great Mariana shrine of Altötting in Bavaria. Because he spent almost half of his life on the farm, Conrad gives us a profound witness of holiness in the world, as well as his life in the friary. He assumed responsibilities on the farm as a young man, as his parents passed away when he was still rela- tively young. He would not wear a hat in the fi elds, because he treated them as a place of prayer and tried to main- tain contemplative silence during his work. He also regularly visited the sur- rounding country parishes each week- end, engaging in long, prayerful walks. He felt joy in joining the Capuchin order, now able to dedicate his entire life in service of God and neighbor as a lay brother. After traveling for a few years to surrounding friaries for formation, he settled into his role as porter of the friary at Altötting, the largest shrine in southern Germany, for the next forty-one years. As porter, he greeted the tens of thousands of pilgrims who visited the friars each year. He was known for his patience, attention, and the bread and beer he distributed each day (for which reason I o• ered him as a patron saint in my book, The Beer Option). Like his work in the fi elds, he kept his contemplative spirit in the midst of his work, even when the crowds proved loud and rowdy. His long days included ample time for prayer, as he rose before the other friars to open the church and eventually the door for the guests. St. Conrad o• ers us a great exam- ple of humility, love, and service, as well as staying prayerful even in a busy daily schedule. His new biog- raphy o• ers us a chance to meet him and to ask for his prayers for ourselves and our Capuchin com- munity. The book is available locally at Gerkens Religious Supplies and online at amazon.com. The Catholic Di¥ erence George Weigel is a distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. GEORGE WEIGEL The Catholic Reader R. Jared Staudt, PhD, is a husband and father of six, the director of formation for the Archdiocese of Denver, a Benedictine oblate, prolifi c writer, and insatiable reader. DR. R. JARED STAUDT

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