Can concerned Catholics repair the Church? With Dr. Tom Urbaniak of Cape Breton University

Individual acts of solidarity and dignified resistance,” are powerful ways in which the laity can engage in building a healthy Church counseled Tom Urbaniak to a group gathered on Saturday, January 21st for CLC’s first webinar of 2023. Urbaniak, a political science professor at Cape Breton University, shared his hopeful yet honest assessment of faith, governance and accountability in the Roman Catholic Church. His starting point was the spirit of welcome, faithfulness and commitment to justice he experiences St. Mary’s Polish Catholic Church in Sydney, NS – a spirit he wishes to pass on to his young son Oliver. He then encouraged participants to think about the way in which the institution of the Church reflects the mission of “proclaiming the Good News to the poor” voiced in Luke 4:18. Or, rather, do the structures of power, control and denial in the Church make it seem like we are doing our best to keep the Holy Spirit out of the Church? Certainly, the abuse crisis has led to some positive changes. However, Urbaniak asks if such changes are substantial or merely superficial. Even very recent dealings with issues of sexual abuse demonstrate that there has been little real change. Urbaniak then provided some fascinating historical models of ways in which the laity has addressed abuse of power in the Church and proposed some constructive interventions which he believes would help to create a church more in line with the Gospel. So, CAN concerned Catholics repair the Church? Tom Urbaniak doesn’t know but he encourages us, “don’t discount the Holy Spirit and our own God-given ingenuity.”

see recording below and on our youtube channel.

(by Christine Way Skinner)