On Friday, May 22, it was announced that the President has “demanded” churches reopen for worship this weekend.
Until he is ordained a bishop and assigned to govern the Archdiocese of New York, that is not going to happen. It seems likely that, despite his good intentions, he may have overstepped the boundaries of the First Amendment’s “separation” clause - in a way opposite from the typical confrontation. Rather than limiting the freedom of worship, he is attempting to coerce it. That will not work.
Bishops, by ordination, hold a line of descent from the Apostles. That is our church’s doctrine. In this age of collegiality, they are expected to work in concert with their fellow bishops for the good of a region, a state or a nation. But they are not obliged to do so. Under the Holy Father, each bishop is autonomous in his own diocese.
The state of New York is comprised of ten dioceses, each with its own bishop. Ours, of course, bears the honorary title of Cardinal; but he is, like the heads of the other nine dioceses, a bishop.
Considering the recent scandals involving members of the hierarchy, Catholics are angry at their bishops ... and with good reason. The doctrine of apostolic succession does not guarantee holiness of life, or wisdom, or prudence or even ordinary intelligence and common sense. Clergy and laity alike are expected to live as followers of Christ. The mystery of the Incarnation means that the Body of Christ through the ages will always - alas! - be fully human as well as imbued with the Holy Spirit. Apostolic succession only, but very fundamentally, secures the line of authority bequeathed to the Church by Christ.
However, Cardinal Dolan is our bishop. He has been charged with the “care of souls” within the ten counties that make up our sprawling archdiocese. It is because of the impossibility of exercising pastoral care over such large areas that, by the early second century, a subordinate rank of ordained ministry emerged - the priesthood. Each pastor works on the people’s behalf as the bishop’s representative. Local clergy are permitted a significant amount of leeway in determining the “how” of fulfilling their pastoral responsibilities, but not the “what.”
No matter what the president may declare, pastors in our Archdiocese will open when our bishop determines that we will. This opening date is likely to vary from diocese to diocese. People from our ten counties who have loved ones living in Brooklyn/Queens or in the Albany area or over by Buffalo may hear from them that their churches are open. As of Saturday, May 23, ours are NOT.
The Cardinal, although he bears ultimate authority for the reopening, is not acting in a vacuum. He has worked with a committee of pastors and other informed personnel to create extensive instructions to its pastors about the process of reopening. It is clear from these norms that everyone from the Cardinal on down is eager for the resumption of “normal” parish life. It is also clear that a great deal of thought and planning has preceded the issuing of these norms. It will take time for us to be ready.