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Should we have anything to be concerned about with the Archdiocese of Miami?

ARCC spot LIGHT (analysis of current Church issues provided by the publications committee of ARCC, R. Schutzius, ed.)

Key-power

We are all familiar with the words of Jesus, "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 16:19).
We honor the key-power of the Pope when he speaks in the name of Peter as head of the whole Church about faith. But, in his recent book, Jesus of Nazareth, Benedict admits that this key-power does not apply to his every word (p.xxii-iv).

Peter's keys do not apply to Church property either, even if so implied by Canon Law:
C.1256 - Under the Supreme authority of the Roman Pontiff, ownership of goods belongs to that juridical person which has lawfully acquired them. To conform to the letter of this law, American bishops are in the process of incorporating "juridical persons" (parishes, etc.) as independent not-for-profit corporations allegedly conferring earthly key-power on the parish (juridic person). Appointed by the Pope as spiritual leader, the bishops, also assumes management of all Church assets. He in turn appoints a pastor to act in his name to exercise control over the parish (the juridic person).

What happens to assets owned by the parish when it is merged or suppressed? Parishioners wave goodbye to Grandma's stained glass window, liturgical items and bank accounts. According to the parish incorporation by-laws, (copies should be available in the parish office) the bishop controls appointments of all the officers of these corporations. All diocesan roads circle back to the bishop. Any significant financial transaction requires his stamp. Bishops "preserve" property for the faith community, while maintaining fiscal control as if divinely conferred. If a parish claims ownership control, bishops get very upset. Ask St. Stanislaus Parish in St. Louis, a strong spiritual community which (by century-old agreement) is legal owner of its property and resources. The bishop excommunicated the whole parish board because they would not give him the keys (and all the parish resources). The lesson here is "Don't mess with the bishop's control over your money". So much for Canon 1256!

Questions about key-power decisions on Church property, some deeply painful to the spiritual faith community, should give rise to questions about key-power in the spiritual realm. We are not encouraged to distinguish between earthly and spiritual kingdoms in our Church, but we are expected to give of our time, talent and resources (pray, pay & obey) for our individual ministry in the mission of the Church. Beyond food pantries, unique ministries (such as that to the deaf) can be lost when a parish is lost. This is a spiritual debit in the Kingdom of God, "here but not yet." What kingdom is being supported with your Sunday envelopes? After the money is deposited, will good, participatory pastoral decisions follow? We can only hope that his spiritual and pastoral functions are at least equally important to the bishop as his management responsibilities, but we have no say in the matter, neither in his appointment, nor his decisions, nor in his appointments. Did God give us an intellect, free will, and conscience so that imposed others might make decisions for us?

Additional reading: http://www.bc.edu/church21/publications/occasionalpapers/sheeran.html

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