Friday, July 16, 2004
Administration, ownership, etc.
A few weeks ago, a debate partner decried the Vatican II attitude, "the pastor is only the administrator, not the owner of parish property."
I think a pastor needs to be a pastor. Ownership seems at odds with the gospel, not to mention the practice of the Church. I'm thinking of that pastor who swindled hundreds of thousands from his Manhattan parish. If he was really like the CEO of Enron, the bishop would just give him a severance package and tell the parishioners, "Tough nougies."
Actually, I think the bishop "owns" the parish. Not too sure that's the very best solution, but that's what the comment boxes are for, right?
My friend challenged me, "And show me how a parishioner owns the parish."
Speaking from the liberal perspective, it is highly beneficial for the parishioners to have "ownership" of the parish. The alternative is that the priests and staff are seen as a service agency to cater to the laity's every whim.
