Green shoots?

An elderly priest asked me a few weeks ago if I saw any sign of 'green shoots' in the Church. Well, 'no' was the answer. Fewer, mainly elderly, priests, (although there has reportedly been a slight upturn in vocations since 2005) resulting in more parishes having no resident priest and conversely priests, like Church of England ministers, having to take on several parishes; ageing and dwindling congregations; young people mostly abandoning whatever connection they had with the church  once they leave school. No, no green shoots, I said. Not in England at any rate.

But yesterday I was idling my way through various blogs and somewhere, can't remember where,came across someone who was trilling about exactly that: green shoots and 'springtime' in the Church. And why so? Because, it turned out, a 'dissident' Irish priest, who was forbidden to publish several years ago by the CDF, has had sanctions against him lifted. There's no sign that he's repented or acknowledged his wrongdoing in spreading material contradicting the teaching of the Church on (of course) sexual matters- that's what usually concerns dissidents.

This is a sign to those Catholics (the majority, I'm afraid) who have spent the last 30 years complaining about the 'repressive' nature of the magisterium and sulkily asserting their right to believe whatever is most attractive and convenient for them. (They do of course have that right, but they really shouldn't confuse their self-selected titbits with the Faith, still less sneer at those who disagree with them). What they think they now have is a Pope who is, if not exactly on their side, much more relaxed about what ordinary Catholics get up to, keen on concepts like 'mercy' which they interpret to mean it's OK to do whatever you like, God will always forgive you, and  happy to leave most matters to local bishops.

This is so depressing. We had (not that I was around for most of the time) two good, orthodox Popes for a generation, who worked tirelessly to undo the damage caused in the 1960s and 1970s and to set the Church on the right course post-Vatican II (which both men were committed to and of course involved in behind the scenes). And now that seems under threat, because we have, for whatever reason, a Pope who thinks and behaves like a provincial bishop and appears to have difficulty in articulating the substance of the Catholic Faith, instead muddying the waters so that dissidents can claim, surely wrongly, that he's one of them.

Given the head of steam building up over the forthcoming synod on 'The Family' which many people seem to think will be solely concerned with the hurt feelings of people who have entered knowingly into illicit relationships which should preclude them from receiving Communion, there seems a greater likelihood of schism than at any time in the last 40 years. This might not be a wholly bad thing and perhaps Pope Francis' pontificate will turn out to be the point at which we stop trying to put sticking plaster on broken bones, acknowledge that only a very few Catholics are faithful and rebuild from that remnant.

Not what I wanted or expected when I came back. But there is one important thing to remember: Christ has already won the victory. It will all end well- but there will be much to endure first.