Fionn continues to insist that

Joe's usual defence that a church is not its hierarchy but its people still doesn't work for the Catholic church.

Nonetheless, Joe's "usual defence" is correct. I think that we humans, as a race, put far too much faith in our institutions. I think we need to accept the fact that any organization with more than 2,500 people, is completely ungovernable unless it is ruled by an absolute monarch. Therefore, we should expect any organization of over 2,500 people to be profoundly fucked up. Well, there are a few large cities that seem to work, but they are rare exceptions. For the most part, most cities, states, nations, and large religious denominations and social organizations are profoundly fucked up. That is their nature.

But to take the Catholic Church as an example, let me say that I have never belonged to a "bad" Catholic parish. I've thought for years about why this is my experience. The only conclusion I can come to, is that I will not allow my parish to be anything less that wonderful. The fact that I have eight years of seminary education is helpful - I know the game, and I know it very well. When I move into a new parish, I quickly identify talented people of integrity, and I form strong friendships with them. I was in a parish in the Sacramento area for twenty years, and I was Parish Council President within five years. People often said that I "ran the parish," even though I had no official position in the parish after I was there ten years.

I moved to a new parish in a semi-rural area outside Sacramento in 2002. By 2004, I was selected to serve as the parish representative at the diocesan synod; and I was hired as an adult education (RCIA) teacher in 2005. A new (alcoholic and paranoid) pastor was appointed in 2005, and he terminated my job under false pretenses, citing budgetary problems. I kept my master key to the parish buildings until he changed all the locks this year, but he still hasn't stopped me. He has referred to the class I teach as "Joe's fucking bible study," and I regularly cause him to have fits of irrational anger - but he can't touch me, because I am surrounded by a good number of intelligent people of integrity.

So, despite the fact that the pastor hates me, I'm still very much a center of power in the community - and eventually, I'll win out. And he knows he can't do anything TOO wrong, because he knows that I'll stop him.

Now, I'm not the only one responsible for making sure that this parish doesn't go too far wrong - a number of us have joined together, and there's no way that anybody can get any shenanigans past us for very long. And this is a group of people who love each other intensely - and because of that mutual love and respect, we are infinitely powerful. I think that's the basic message of Jesus Christ - that love conquers all.


Now, some of you may look to the Pope to clean up the mess that is the Catholic Church, but the fact of the matter is that the Pope is a powerless figurehead who can do very little. Joe Offer is far more powerful in the Catholic Church than the Pope is.

And the same goes for all institutions. It's little people in little communities who make a difference - not the heads of huge entities. How much power does Barack Obama have? He's an amazingly talented man of absolute integrity, and Americans should be proud to have him a President - but people have lost faith in him, because they believed he could heal all the nation's ills.

Well, it hasn't happened - and it can't happen. If we want to accomplish anything, we have to do it within relatively small communities.

More later.

-Joe-