The bishop of the Diocese of Dijon, Mgr Roland Minnerath, will soon be relieved of his office, reached by the age limit. A group of nearly 70 people wishing to make the Church more accessible and more visible, wishes to meet the apostolic nuncio to intervene on the choice of the successor.
“The Fig tree” is a group originally made up of a dozen people from Côte-d’Or, who had formed around a conference on the Gospel of Mathieu. They wished to respond to Pope Francis’ call in August 2018, “inviting the laity to express themselves (Letter to the People of God of August 20, 2018) to repair, or better, to raise up the Church.”
Monsignor Minnerath will reach 75 years old and, reached by the age limit, will have to make way for a successor. Members of the “Figuier“wrote a letter to the apostolic nuncio for the appointment of a new bishop to the Diocese of Dijon. These “Christians in search” wait for the future bishop to be “a traveling companion” and “a brother, at the time when the Synod initiated by Pope Francis opens in the Church.”
Michel Fasné, member of the group “Le Figuier”, recalls that at the beginning, the group met “to discuss spiritual themes and themes more involved in the life of the Church.”
An event then occurred: “The report of the CIASE (Independent Commission for Sexual Abuse in the Church) has arrived. This report seemed remarkable to us in its clarity and its capacity to bring together different disciplines, it seemed to us to be a word of truth . And in view of the departure of our Bishop, there is an opportunity to tell ourselves that we are ready to work with those for whom things are moving in the right direction. “
The group then took the opportunity to write to the apostolic nuncio (diplomatic agent of the Holy See) for the appointment of the bishop of Dijon.
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Michel Fasné makes the observation, with the members of the “Figuier”, of a Church “closed in on itself and its hierarchy” : “in the appointment of the Bishop, there is a process, as often, too often in the Church, which is secret, not very transparent. What is new is that grassroots Christians take the lead. word, quietly, to say ‘we have a right to the chapter.’ And we think that the governance of monasteries is far in advance, and more suited to the time, than the governance of dioceses. “
Another sign which is interpreted by the members of the “Fig tree” concerns the priests, who are less and less numerous and more and more isolated: “The priests are running out of steam, in every sense of the word, because there are fewer of them, because impossible things are asked of them which are out of step with the needs of the time. They live their role in such a way. singular that they isolate themselves. “
The members of the “Fig tree” wish to decompartmentalize the Church and above all to open up dialogue: “We, the message that we carry, is” are we speaking! “In this Church, too many people are unhappy and cannot speak to each other and to debate serenely. We believe that the Church Institution has a major role in the transmission of this Faith, in the fact that people sharing the same convictions and the same beliefs come together, there is a transmission role which is important. And it’s a shame let it be a complete collapse.“
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According to Mr Fasné, we should not minimize the place that the new bishop will play in the diocese of Dijon: “The role of the Bishop is eminent, he is the man of the Communion. As in any institution, when there is no clear leadership, the institution or the organization puts itself in danger.”
But the support group “Le Figuier” remains above all humble in the face of the recommendations made in their letter: “We do not have the responsibility of choosing the bishop. We leave it to the Institution to do so. We position ourselves to say how it will work afterwards. And it will work well, if we have a bishop who is more pastor than administrator, whoever he is, and who knows how to surround himself and who knows how to delegate.
When you don’t have all the qualities, you look for qualities that complement your own. But the confinement which would consist in saying ‘I only want people around me who are like me’, which is a terrible temptation as in any institution: the constitution of the Church, with its very hierarchical structure, with this role clerics which is very different from that of the laity increases the risk of this confinement. An intellectual confinement which can become a confinement of the heart! “
Michel Fasné recalls that the work of the CIASE has shaken the Catholic world, but also outside: “the report of the CIASE (or commission Sauvé editor’s note) teaches us that when we leave things in silence, we run into disaster. Let’s not be afraid of the light, to say things to each other, quietly, without aggressiveness , without claiming to be right, but by telling yourself that it is because there will be several that we will find a less bad solution than if we are all alone in our corner. “
The report generated a real shock wave that affected other institutions, where strong reactions occurred, as Michel Fasné reminds us: “lThe Church is both the heir to a long tradition and which today, in many cases, makes things complicated. My concern is the reactions of the Catholic Academy, these movements which condemn, which exclude, it is the opposite of the Church that I want to live. “
The Apostolic Nuncio responded favorably to the request of the members of the “Fig tree” but did not wish to meet only one person, which “breaks the rule of our functioning in pairs, to seize the chance of this opening. We will propose a spokesperson and he will meet the nuncio on December 20.“
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The faithful of the diocese reasonably expect their bishop to be a herald of the gospel, a shepherd who provides pastoral and spiritual care, a leader who gathers them and holds them in communion with the Church. Vox populi vox Dei. Who but the sheep know their shepherd whose voice is discerned by them ? A synodal approach can bring about a desired candidate.