Catholics should have a "real say in the choice of their leaders" and the church should "remember it is about service, not power". Church leaders and ministers should also "be conscious of their lifestyle".
Those are among 10 wishes Father Gerard Moloney, editor of Reality magazine, has for the Catholic Church as it enters the third millennium.
Writing in the current issue, he says the church should be willing to examine any structures, laws or traditions which may hinder its proclaiming the Gospel. The Gospel should be proclaimed as "good news". Too often people hear it "as something that enslaves rather than liberates", he says. The church should remember that "every church person, no matter what position he or she holds, is called to be at the service of others, never to treat people arrogantly or abuse their authority or become preoccupied with status and rank".
The church should be experienced as "truly the people of God". Many ordinary people see it as "an elite club for celibate male clerics only, which denies lay people any genuine role".
It should recognise and use the talents of women, who "need to feel true ownership of the church of which they make up more than 50 per cent". The selection process of its leadership at local and diocesan level, "must become more open and transparent, allowing an opportunity for the input of all".
At every level it should "identify with and not be afraid to speak out on behalf of the weak and vulnerable in society". A greater effort should be made to improve the quality of liturgies.
