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StudiaReligiologica45(1)2012,s.7-19
doi:10.4467/20844077SR.12.001.0793
DemocratisationofaHierarchicalReligion:
theRomanCatholicChurchintheTime
ofaCredibilityCrisisCausedbySexual
AbuseMisconduct
MarcinLisak
PontificalUniversityofSt.TomasAquinas
Rome
Abstract
Thispaperreflects,fromasociologicalperspective,onthenatureofauthorityintheChurchandon
themodesofgovernanceandcharacteroftheinternalself-organisationoftheinstitutionofRoman
Catholicism.HistoricallytherearenorestrictionstodemocratisationoftheCatholicchurch.Onthe
otherhand,atthetimeofacredibilitycrisisthenecessityforaccountabilitystrengthensthetrend
towardswiderformsofdemocracy.TheefficiencyandintegrityofCatholicismdemandtranspar-
encyofstructuresandaccountabilityofleaders,whohavefrequently,especiallyinIreland,failed
intheirsupervisionbymishandlingandcoveringupabusecases.
Keywords:democracy,religion,Catholicchurch,abuse,sexualscandals,accountability
Słowakluczowe:demokracja,religia,Kościółkatolicki,nadużycia,skandaleseksualne,odpowie-
dzialność
Insubstance,theCatholicChurchtakesaneutrallineonformsofstateregime.The
primordialandlateroninstitutionalCatholicismhasmadeitswayundervarious
typesofempires,absoluteorconstitutionalmonarchies,feudalsystems,andeven
totalitarianregimes.Politicsandformationofsocialorderarenotfocalgoalsof
Catholicism,butitsreligiousmission,orfunctionandcommunication,asNiklas
Luhmannargues,comefirst1.
Consequently,nosystemofgovernanceisintrinsicallygoodorbadinitself,un-
lessapoliticalorderissuitableforadevelopmentofhumanreligiouslife.Attheso-
cial(andethical)levelhenceitisaquestionofwhethertheinstrumentsofpowerare
exercisedforthecommongood.SincethebeginningofsystematicCatholicsocial
ethicsinthelatenineteenthcentury,however,theChurchhasmovedincreasingly
1
P.Beyer,ReligionandGlobalization,London-ThousandOaks-NewDelhi1994,p.79-81.
