The ‘Church’ includes all baptised

Dear Editor, May we ourselves be the change we wish to see in the Church and indeed the world? Too often we want to change only that external to ourselves, and to seek “inclusivity” only to facilitate our own exclusive opinion and positions, and may indeed while calling for inclusivity, be quite exclusive and self-centred in our orientation.

On May 30, 2012 in response to a call by the Association of Catholic Priests’ meeting earlier that month (May 7) in the Regency Hotel, Dublin, I attended a meeting with 175 others to consider setting up an organisation for the “Laity of the Catholic Church”. Giving the primacy of Baptism as re-iterated by Vatican II, I expressed the hope that I would never again attend a meeting of the “laity”, but rather an inclusive meeting of the “baptised” as our Baptism, as I understand, is the basis of our very legitimacy as Christians and as Catholics. The hierarchical view at that meeting in its summation rubbished that suggestion and insisted on holding on to the tag “laity”.

The Association of Catholics of Ireland on that basis went on to be formed and emphasises its commitment to “a reform and renewal agenda in the Catholic Church” and wants to help rebuild a Church which is “inclusive”, accepting “the equality of all believers by virtue of their Baptism”.

The organisation with critical mass, which the Association of Catholics of Ireland aspires to, is already there. It is called “the Church”. All those who are baptised are members, ordained or not ordained, and have equality of right as the only legitimacy for that ‘right’ is Baptism and the baptised have a duty to exercise that ‘right’ within the Church. Most parishes have elected Pastoral Councils and all of those Parish Pastoral Councils within a diocese should elect a Diocesan Pastoral Council, and our bishops should be humble enough to facilitate this.  Surely there is nothing preventing him from appointing one nominated by the people, thus ensuring a legitimately structured organisation for the baptised, which is inclusive and the basis for organising
ongoing assemblies of the baptised?
Yours etc.,

John J. Lupton Snr.

Roscrea,

Co. Tipperary.