UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporteri
Megan Fincher | Jan. 28, 2014
Two East Coast Catholic groups, emboldened by the vision of Vatican II, are advocating for lay participation in the selection of bishops. The unexpected snag is figuring out how the laity are allowed to participate in this little-known process.
“I believe that people may be disinterested in the bishop search … because they do not believe that [their participation] will make any difference given the hierarchical decision-making structure of the church,” Dave Rowell, a member of the Albany (N.Y.) Bishop Search committee, told NCR.
Tom Severin, member of the Ambrosians of Greensburg, Pa., another lay bishop search committee, concurred. Their group is named after St. Ambrose, one of the early church bishops elected by popular vote.
“It’s something completely new to people. Most people have no idea how bishops are elected,” Severin said to NCR. “In my Bible study group, they were excited about the Ambrosians. But then they asked if it was sanctioned by the diocese. You could see the fear on their faces.”
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