Contribute to the Synodal Process
I was born in Surabaia, Indonesia, in 1935, from Dutch parents who were devout, committed Catholics. My father had started off as a teacher in Dutch colonial service, but he secured transfer to the Catholic missionary school system. He became headmaster of St Stanislaus school. My parents looked after an outstation in the outskirts of Surabaia where a priest used to say mass every Sunday for the local population.
After my birth in St Vincent de Paul hospital, when my mother had been wheeled back to the ward, she requested to be brought holy communion next day as was her custom. My parents attended daily Mass and were daily communicants whenever possible. My mother told me later what happened.
“Out of the question!”, the religious sister in hospital had stated, refusing to put her on the list for holy communion. “You have not been churched!”
Those were the days when ‘churching’ was still practiced by Catholics in many countries. This atrocious custom was the outcome of ancient fears surrounding childbirth joined to medieval prejudice based on Leviticus 12,2-8. After childbirth a woman was deemed unclean. A young mum would present herself forty days after delivery at the church door with a lighted candle in one hand and an offering in the other. Only when a priest had blessed her, thus purifying her from all menstrual stains, could she again participate in the eucharist. It also meant that a mother was usually prevented from attending the baptism of her newborn child which took place in church soon after birth.
My mother who had seen her own mum being churched many a time, had sworn she herself would never submit to the rite.
“I don’t want to be churched”, she asserted.
“But you’re unclean. You don’t want to disgrace the blessed sacrament do you?”
“I’ve just done the most wonderful thing in my life and given birth to another child”, my mother retorted. “Why would I need to be cleansed?”
The Sister did not want to give in. Nor did my mother. She insisted that the parish priest be called. Father Jan Zoetmuller of Sacred Heart Parish dutifully arrived. More words followed as he too tried to persuade her.
To no avail. My mother insisted that he bring her communion as before.
Next morning on Tuesday 1 October 1935 my mother received holy communion as usual. Soon afterwards the parish priest baptised me in the small chapel of the hospital. And, at her strong insistence, my mother too was present.
Can the Church be saved?
I am narrating my mother’s conflict with church authorities on the occasion of my birth with a purpose. It foreshadowed the story of my life.
Think about it. My mother was a strong believer and a committed Catholic. Why else would she have bothered? She wanted to receive holy communion next day, as usual. It meant a lot to her. On the other hand, she felt in her bones that ‘churching’ was wrong. How did she know? She had never been told by anyone. She had not enjoyed any theological formation, only traditional catechism classes taught by the nuns at school. Yet she totally rejected an outdated practice defended by church authorities. She knew she was right by her deep-seated Catholic ‘sense of faith’ and by trusting her own intelligence.
In other words, my mother possessed the kind of critical Catholic loyalty which alone can save the Church. It has also characterised my own life. I have never downgraded the core of our Christian faith, nor the role reliable leadership has to play in the Christian community. At the same time I have always challenged outdated beliefs and practices still imposed by authority.
Jesus was a gentle and kind man. He preached forgiveness, tolerance, love. But on occasion he could be angry. This happened when he saw the abuses going on in the most sacred of places, the temple of Jerusalem. His indignation boiled up because he cared. He made a whip and drove the merchants out of the temple court. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. And he said to the temple authorities: “Does Scripture not say: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have turned it into a den of thieves!” (Mark 11,15-19).
When Jesus reprimanded the spiritual leaders of his time (see Matthew 23,1-25), did he not set us an example?
I came across a number of serious defects in church practices and teachings during my life-long committed ministry as a priest and theologian. My latest book is a memoir of my life. As I unwind the story of my life I document defects in present Church teaching and practice. I suggest remedies for them which I present as ‘Ten Commandments for Church Reform’.
Let your voice be heard
The Synodal process initiated by Pope Francis offers a unique opportunity for our concerns to be heard. To help that process the Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research which I founded has set up a list of demands for pastoral reform which we plan to present to the Pope around Easter time and to deposit also in the Vatican office that receives synodal suggestions for change.
The issues we highlight in our list focus on immediate pastoral needs. They include: welcoming women into the diaconate, priesthood and episcopacy; allowing ordained persons to marry; abandoning the negative view of sexuality that underlies the prohibition of artificial family planning and same-sex unions; giving freedom of research and speech to academics; appointing leaders who care about people rather than bureaucrats defending the institution.
We invite Catholics from all over the world to sign our list of demands. It can be done here – https://ten-commandents.org/sign-our-demands/ . This is the time to speak up and be counted!
The Catholic Church is providing a life-saving service to millions around the world. The message that God is love makes life meaningful for innumerable people. Belief that God’s transcendent reality touches us through tangible images brings a ray of light in our secular existence. Sacraments such as baptism, confession and the Eucharist open a window to an unfathomable spiritual dimension. By our ten urgent pastoral reforms the Church will be better equipped for its life-giving mission.
John Wijngaards
