“I guess it’s playing out a little bit like a seesaw in that, as a Catholic, on the one hand I think that the church has to be subject to the laws of the land wherever it finds itself, and on the other hand the Catholic Church needs to have some degree of independence from secular authority,” Doyle said. “There’s pull in both directions, and I don’t think there’s any ultimate resolution to it.”
Phil Lawler, editor of Catholic World News, said Pope Benedict XVI has recently emphasized greater transparency in the church, but that Lawler “wouldn’t take it too far” and said Zurek’s decision to make his concerns over Pavone public is a result of Pope Benedict’s efforts. However, he said, church officials may have handled a situation like this differently 20 years ago.
“You have personalities involved. It’s hard to say,” Lawler said. “I’d say no, that I think it would be more likely 20 years ago that it wouldn’t have come to a head in public like this.”
Transparency to whom?
Speaking of: The fact is that many, many evangelical churches are basically small business concerns, over whom the state exercises little supervision. When I was a kid, my grandmother attended a small “startup” “Bible Baptist” congregation. It was operated by a very personable preacher and housed in a small, plain church just a few blocks away. It was in operation fort several years and occasionally I attended with her. Weekly she donated about a dollar, which was a lot of money at the time, and after awhile, the preacher set up a building fund and asked for special donation. My grandmother pledged and gave about $5, which was a considerable chunk of the small pension she got each month. You know where this is leading. One day the preacher just ups and goes, with the building fund, of course. After awhile some members of the congregation go to the police, and they make some inquiries, resulting in, as you might also guess. no answers. The guy has simply disappeared into the blue.