BOOK REVIEW A priest's plea to the church for dialogue

The author argues the church is denying reality by not talking about its problems.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
"Sacred Silence: Denial and the Crisis in the Church" by the Rev. Donald Cozzens (Liturgical Press, $19.95)
The Rev. Donald Cozzens concludes his new book with the message that the Catholic church should change.
"The voice of the church, we have seen, wounds and scandalizes when it does not 'speak the truth in love,'" he writes. "It fails its mission when it denies the reality of issues and concerns that affect the lives of its members."
Father Cozzens, a priest in the Cleveland diocese, is a visiting associate professor of religious studies at John Carroll University.
He makes a clear and concise argument that the church is in a state of denial over issues such as the declining numbers of priests and nuns, mandatory celibacy, its ban on birth control, the estimates of large numbers of homosexuals in the priesthood, and the ongoing scandal over sexual abuse by priests.
The church will be in dire straits, he warns, if it does not begin to deal with those issues.
"Failure to engage in honest, unbridled and respectful dialogue can only deepen the present crisis engulfing the church," the author writes.
What's missing
The author's views are nothing new to those outside the Catholic church who have pondered its policies, or those within the church who either support or oppose his positions.
But the biggest flaw with the book is the author's own denial: He does not write at length about the likelihood that the church -- which he says isn't listening -- isn't going to listen to him, either.
"Sacred Silence: Denial and the Crisis in the Church" follows the author's 2000 best seller, "The Changing Face of the Priesthood."
In "Sacred Silence," Father Cozzens includes a recap of the scandal and comes down on the church. He writes that the U.S. bishops acted in bad faith -- denial as defined by Jean-Paul Sartre -- by blocking a study of the causes of the abuse by priests to avoid calling attention to the problem.
And Father Cozzens also points out the church tried to minimize publicity over the clergy's sexual abuse of children, the sexual abuse of nuns in Africa and numbers of priests dying of AIDS by saying there were only a few cases -- when there were many.
Scandal in cover-up
The ongoing sex abuse scandal has become as much about cover-ups as it is about the abuse, Father Cozzens writes. "Sacred Silence" quotes William F. Buckley Jr.'s admonishment of Boston Cardinal Bernard Law, who transferred abusive priests from parish to parish.
"The critical concern should have been to get the children out of harm's way," wrote Buckley.
The facts and arguments are presented calmly and fairly. The author is by no means a loose cannon on the church's deck. But all of the issues are well-known and have long been debated.
Still, Father Cozzens notes that he is speaking out in an environment in which he writes that those who speak up -- like him -- are labeled malcontents. The Vatican, says "Sacred Silence," provides the official truth.
"Voices of experience are not heard, or if heard, not taken seriously," the priest writes.
The book was written before the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' meeting in June to create a policy on sexually abusive priests and this week's meeting to revise the policy at the direction of the Vatican. The church has reacted coolly to pro-change groups that have sprung up during the crisis, such as Voice of the Faithful.
Priests and sexuality
Father Cozzens disagrees with the Vatican on the issue of priest celibacy and other issues of sexuality. He suggests that some seminarians may want to choose a life of celibacy. But other priests could marry, he says.
"Priests would be given the personal freedom to choose their own residence and would receive salaries that would allow them [and their families] to assume responsibility for housing, food and living expenses," he writes.
Earlier in the book, Father Cozzens notes that when he began working as a priest, he received free cooking, laundry and housekeeping services in the rectory.
"I was technically living below the poverty line in terms of salary, but living nonetheless like a country gentleman," he wrote.
That lifestyle, he contends, helps to elevate priests above their flocks and divides the church.
Despite his own dire warnings, Father Cozzens makes mostly half-step recommendations about the needed changes.
After saying he has spoken to a number of nuns frustrated by the male hierarchy, the priest suggests they be ordained deacons and then discussions be held about their ordination as priests who could celebrate Mass.
Selective quotes
Father Cozzens quotes Scripture that mentions that apostles and early bishops of the church were married. He later says he wants discussion about gays and lesbians in the priesthood and church, but doesn't mention the Scriptures traditionally cited by Christians against homosexuality.
And although he calls for lifting the veil of secrecy around clergy abuse, the author also notes the possibility that abusive priests could return to restricted ministry. U.S. bishops and the Vatican have created such a plan. However, surveys have shown the public favored the priests' being defrocked, which raises questions on whether the church and Father Cozzens are listening.
Father Cozzens ultimately calls for the church to be guided not by itself but by the Holy Spirit -- which is what Christians have always been called to do.
XThe book is now available online and in bookstores.
wilkinson@vindy.com