Several weeks ago, the Messenger announced that Bishop Franklin will submit his resignation to Rome in the spring and that the Diocese will get a new bishop sometime later. I am part of a grassroots organization called Concerned Catholics of the Davenport Diocese and our committee on Church reform has been doing research on how bishops are chosen. We learned that in recent years the selection of bishops has taken place almost entirely in secret with the hierarchy making all the important decisions without significant input from the Church as a whole. Every three years, bishops send confidential lists of recommended candidates to Rome. The papal nuncio is required to consult with all the bishops in the province (the area around the diocese) and may talk to others he selects about who might be appropriate. He then sends a "ternus," a secret list of three names to Rome, and the Pope appoints the bishop.

Things have not always been done this way in the Church. The first deacons were elected. (Acts 6: 1-6) The first church "operations manual," the second century Didache states "Elect for yourselves bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord…" St. Ambrose was selected as Bishop of Milan in 374 by what can only be called a town meeting. For a good deal of the Middle Ages, bishops were elected by the clergy serving at the Cathedral. Later in our history, the first American bishop, John Carroll, was only willing to accept the position after he had been elected by the clergy of Baltimore. Even after the practice changed to its current form, the ideals of the Church have always provided for the voice of the Church as a whole to be heard. Canon law has long, going back at least to Pope Leo the Great, had the principle, "Quod omnes tangit, ab omnibus approbari debet." (What touches all is to be approved by all.)

Today, it is more important than ever that the choice of a bishop, which touches us all, should be approved by us all. If the sex abuse scandal has shown us anything, it is that the necessary trust between the bishops and the whole Church has been seriously damaged. We see retired Bishop Soens here in Iowa accused of abuse by more than one person. We’ve seen past bishops in our Diocese re-assigning a known pedophile, including as chaplain for the Boy Scouts. We see many victims troubled by how they have been treated by the Diocese as these issues have come to light in the last few years.

The best way to heal a lack of trust is by openness and transparency. The laity and the clergy need to be involved on a regular basis and in meaningful ways in overseeing how the Diocese operates. As the time comes for the choice of a new bishop, we hope all Catholics in our Diocese will be offered a real opportunity to contribute to his selection. We recommend that meetings be held in every deanery to discuss the criteria to be used in choosing the candidates, and perhaps to recommend names they would like to be considered. These meetings could be open to all or they could be composed of elected representatives from the parishes. We ask that Bishop Franklin assure the diocese that he will pass on to the hierarchy the thoughts and recommendations of all members of the Church. Further, we suggest that the papal nuncio commit to discussing the best candidates with a wide variety of people from our Diocese. Only with a return to our roots and a renewed commitment to involving all who are touched by the selection of the new bishop can the Body of Christ continue to be healed.

John Whiston

St. Thomas More, Iowa City

For Concerned Catholics of the Davenport Diocese