The change maker: A conversation with Cardinal John Dew about the future of the Catholic Church

Friday, 12 April 2019

Cardinal John Dew, the Archbishop of Wellington, has asked his congregations to think 'radically' about the future of the church.

A wooden cross made from a lifeboat wrecked on rocks off the Italian island of Lampedusa hangs on Cardinal John Dew's office wall.

The boat was carrying refugees from Africa in search of a new life in Europe when, like so many others, it crashed on the outskirts of the island. Many of the boat's occupants, including children, would have died.

Pope Francis visited the island shortly after he was elected, in the hope the world would pay attention to the ongoing refugee crisis. The trip was a sign that he didn't just want to change things within the Vatican, but within the world.

Sitting in his office across the street from Parliament, Dew, the Catholic Archbishop of Wellington, holds the cross in his hands. In February, he sent out two memos to the Wellington Archdiocese saying that the status quo had to change.

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Too much time was being spent looking inwards, and not enough time spent serving the poor.

His call for a more missions-focused church is a reflection of the ripples of Pope Francis' leadership reaching New Zealand shores.

The proposed changes Dew has in mind could be a move towards reshaping the way the Catholic Church looks, feels and acts in Aotearoa.

It is a bold and risky move.

'This cross is made out of wrecked lifeboats where people lost their lives,' he says, looking at the piece of wood. 'We need to be looking for opportunities to help people who are struggling, to see them and say 'What can we do?'

A POOR CHURCH

Change and Catholicism have not always gone well together. As other Christian denominations have adapted, the Catholic Church has moved slowly, and at times reluctantly, towards the modern era.

Gay marriage, women's rights and teachings around divorce are just some of the issues that have plagued the church in recent years.

Pope Francis kisses a child as he arrives on the island of Lampedusa, Italy, on an early official trip outside Rome.

And while the election of Pope Francis was seen by many as a hopeful step in the right direction, the ongoing sexual abuse scandal has continued to shake the church's foundations, and caused many to wonder whether it will recover.

The two memos sent by Dew to the Wellington Archdiocese – which covers the lower North Island and Upper South Island – sought to combat that.

He ordered all parishes to conduct a review of their communities, which would need to be submitted to him by the end of October.

Because of the high insurance costs on some church buildings, and a lack of priests, it was inevitable buildings would need to close and parishes amalgamate, he said.

Already there are four churches within the archdiocese that are closed due to earthquake risk, and nine that need significant work. One of those is the Sacred Heart Cathedral, which has been shut since July last year.

Dew told parishioners the archdiocese should be, as Francis says, 'a poor church for the poor' – a far cry from the opulence and starchiness the church was once known for.

He asked church members in his memo to be 'radical' in their thinking and to let go of the 'established order' of doing things.

Already there have been murmurings within the community that Dew is being autocratic and too progressive, but that doesn't seem to faze him.

'The reason I am not nervous is that a lot of people in our parishes don't fully grasp that the church is here to be at the service of the world, not just to be looking inwards.'

There should be fewer conversations about 'the colour of the walls', as Dew puts it, and more time working with those in need around the region.

The changes are not insignificant. The lack of priests and potential amalgamations could largely spell an end to the traditional parish system, which once saw each suburb, town or village having its own church and priest.

Instead, some communities may be self-led to an extent by trained lay people, a practice which is already in place in some parishes around the country.

Amalgamation took place within the archdiocese between 2013 and 2017, which meant parish numbers dropped from 47 to 22. Similar changes have also taken place in Canterbury since the Christchurch earthquakes.

But Dew wants to go further than streamlining buildings and balancing budgets. He envisages the unused church buildings being turned into soup kitchens, or opened up to the homeless, refugees or the elderly.

'We have got a mission, we are meant to be out there serving the poor, with those who are struggling, and give them hope, and caring for the environment.

'I see the potential which is there and I get anxious we are not using what we have to its fullest potential. We need to ask how do we continue to involve people, and inspire people.'

Dew makes no secret that he has been moved by the Pope's leadership – after all, he was appointed Cardinal by him and has worked alongside him at the Vatican. The same sense of frustration and urgency shown by the Pope at the wider church can be heard in Dew's words.

'It is not just about going to church and thinking we have done our bit. It is about living the gospel.

'You don't win friends all over the place. [The proposal] does not really worry me because this is the vision Pope Francis has put before us.'

'BRAVE MOVE'

Geoff Troughton believes Dew's plans are both brave and necessary.

The programme director of Religious Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, Troughton says what Dew is trying to accomplish could help lead the church into the future.

While Catholicism is the preferred tradition by New Zealand Christians (according to the 2013 census), that number was not converting to committed parishioners.

A disconnect has grown within the Catholic Church between the younger and older generations in what it means to identify as Catholic, and what it means to practise Catholicism, Troughton believes.

In general, older Catholics are more committed to the institution, in comparison with younger people who identify as Catholic but struggle to find relevance in its teachings and world view.

Monty Bamford is training to be an ordained priest for the Catholic Church.

Trying to bridge that gap is an age-old problem for faith groups across the spectrum.

Using the Pope's example to cut across the age divide is smart, according to Troughton. There is no doubting the Pope's style of ministry is far more engaging than previous leaders.

A Pew Research Centre study last year found that while Pope Francis was viewed favourably by younger Catholics in America, that was not putting parishioners on pews on Sundays. Getting the younger generation on board with the changes is 'critical' for the church, Troughton believes.

There is only so much Dew will be able to do himself – numbers of people attending church within New Zealand are declining and have been for some time. However, Troughton feels the current changes have a far wider scope than just bringing in parishioners.

'Whether the changes lead to growth of the church, or large numbers of people flooding in, I don't think is the point.

'It is about what the church is supposed to be, rather than the number of people attending mass.'

No matter how big a vision Dew has, it can't be carried out unless there are the clergy to help lead communities.

In his memo, he made clear that the reduced number of priests was 'accelerating each year', meaning that in most parishes there is a single priest – often elderly – expected to minister in more than one church.

Pope Francis has urged the Catholic Church to rediscover its roots as a ''poor church for the poor''.

He is honest about the uphill battle to attract young men into the priesthood.

It comes down to individuals feeling called by God, Dew says. The speed of the modern world is why few men are able to discern that call, he believes.

'Life is lived at such a fast pace with study, sports, relationships and work – so where is the time to stop and think about what is important in life?'

Dew says there is no doubt the abuse crisis has caused some contemplating joining the clergy to ask whether it is the right decision. He hopes people will still follow through on their calling despite those concerns.

'While the abuse crisis has been very damaging for the church, it does not stop those who believe they are called. If people are called, they kind of can't ignore it.'.

That calling is something Monty Bamford takes seriously. In 2015, at the age of 25, he gave up a career working for an agriculture firm in Canterbury to pursue the priesthood.

Bamford, who grew up on a farm in the South Island, felt the nudge to join the clergy over time. Giving up the car, career and any prospect of a relationship wasn't lost on him, he says.

But that was outweighed by a life serving others and God. Seeing a priest guide his father in the final days of his cancer battle was particularly eye-opening and formative, he says.

Celibacy was an obvious detractor for some people deciding to commit to the call. Bamford says that, as a young man, he deals with that aspect with a mixture of 'God's grace' and pragmatism.

'We do a lot of cycling, and gym work at seminary. I suppose psychologically you would call that sublimation – channelling the desires elsewhere.'

The abuse crisis has left Bamford 'disgusted and shocked', but he says he is comforted by the prevention measures put in place by the church.

Dew, outside of the The Sacred Heart Cathedral in Thorndon, Wellington, which has been shut since last year.

As a future face of the church, he is confident it is moving in right direction. Changes to how priests live and work are also welcome.

In Christchurch, an emphasis has been placed on priests living communally, as a way to help each other through their ministry and provide company.

'That allows us to live together, pray together, have a beer with another priest, shoot the breeze and discuss what is going on.'

Dew says there is a constant conversation within the church to help find young men who are contemplating the call, but also the wider community will need to continue considering what their own call is within the church as things move forward.

'WE COULD BE LEFT WITH ILL WILL'

In Wellington's southern suburbs, that question has been on parishioners' mind. Even before Dew sent out his memo, the Wellington South pastoral council was thinking about the future, chairman Stephen Neal says.

The council – which oversees four churches spread between suburbs Brooklyn, Island Bay, Mt Victoria and Newtown – was aware crippling insurance costs would mean buildings would have to close.

Mass times are already staggered so the priest can make services in the different suburbs. The 'writing was on the wall' that some churches would close as Dew's plan is put into action, Neal says.

Although they had started implementing changes, it did not make telling people their childhood church may close any easier. Neal anticipates the proposed changes will have a considerable impact on some people and their sense of identity.

'There is a significant risk that if we are not careful, we could be left with a lot of ill-will,' he says.

In the pews, the response has so far not been positive, but muted. But that won't last long, Neal says. He expects that, as the consultation process heats up, more people will voice their concerns.

He hopes the parishes will be listened to, and that Dew keeps an open mind on how to move forward.

'I have had no indications that he has made up his mind, and decided which churches will close.'

Allowing lay people to hold a mass is something the church should reconsider, Neal says. Currently only an ordained priest is able to give communion and a homily.

The call for the church to do more for the poor is noble, but complicated, he says. Many of the parishioners are already involved in charitable work, often outside the realm of the conventional church.

Trying to measure how well a parish is doing based solely on what is happening in the church buildings is not accurate. However, Neal believes Dew is right to frame the proposed changes as about far more than buildings.

'I think what Pope Francis is doing is giving the Catholic Church a deeper sense of purpose in turning its focus to the poor and needy.

'John is quite right to frame that current challenge in that context.'

For Dew, he is adamant he is on the right track. He wants the church to be 'bruised and hurting' rather than introverted and obsessed with itself.

Only time will tell how his pragmatic approach will play out across the parishes. For now, he holds the cross from Lampedusa in his hands.

'I am sure this is something we have to do to bring new life into our parishes and keep educating people that we all have a mission.

'… It means everyone being involved in the life of the church. So yeah, I'm not worried.'