An Ancient Body in Need of Modern Management

The Australian
March 3, 2013

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/editorials/an-ancient-body-in-need-of-modern-management/story-e6frg71x-1226589012031

WANTED: Bishop of Rome, Shepherd of the Flock, Vatican City Head of State, CEO, CFO and COO - fluency in multiple languages preferable. Few selection panels could have a task as demanding as that facing the papal conclave. Whoever the cardinals elect to succeed Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, one thing is certain: those expecting doctrinal change will be disappointed.

Adherence to doctrine and tradition has been the institution's strength over 2000 years and will remain so. Western liberals who want an end to an all-male clergy and the church's resolute opposition to abortion should remind themselves that the word "catholic" means universal; the church is far bigger than the West. Popularity is no measure of the validity of revealed truth or doctrine, but those in the church's emerging strongholds in the developing world are generally comfortable, anyway, with its centuries-old teachings.

Nonetheless, the 266th pontiff must embrace administrative reform and good governance if the church is to maintain credibility in the public square. Brisbane's Archbishop Mark Coleridge, who worked for Pope John Paul II and in the Vatican Secretariat of State, showed sound insight when he suggested that the 115 electors seek out a pastor and evangelist with a proven track record of strong and good governance and mud on his boots rather than an academic or a curialist (Vatican speak for bureaucrat). Among the favourites, Italian cardinal Angelo Scola, who has run the dioceses of Milan and Venice, fits the bill. Among the dark horses, so does George Pell, though he won't thank us for saying so.

Vatican machinations might appear largely irrelevant to the faithful at mass, in schools, those serving in Catholic hospitals or caring for the poor. But recent problems underline the severity of the crisis confronting the new pope on his doorstep, and its potential to debilitate the church from within.

For all their strengths as spiritual leaders and teachers, governance - including appointing the best people to key positions of responsibility in the curia - was not the forte of either John Paul II or Benedict XVI, although the quality of bishops appointed to key dioceses around the world improved under both.

The Vatican Bank has been beset by scandals over money laundering, and worse, for decades and the new pope must insist on accountability from its new head, German lawyer Ernst von Freyberg. The Press Office, too, which Benedict began updating, needs to be more effective in the 24-hour news cycle. Both areas would be enhanced by an infusion of competent, non-clerical men and women. A more engaging spokesman than Father Frederico Lombardoi would also help. And while responsibility for dealing with sexual abuse rests with individual bishops, the new regime must insist on a proactive approach in every diocese, and move against those who cling to the cover-up culture of the past.

One of the new pope's first tasks will be to deal with a 300-page report compiled by three cardinals in the wake of the Vatileaks scandal. Reportedly, it details factionalism, backbiting and a network of homosexual priests in the Vatican, some compromised by blackmail. The ability to wield a new broom is essential for any good CEO.