the church and me

So I was thinking about “church”. Maybe there are are two issues I have:

1. ecclesiolatry
2. clericalism

Ecclesiolatry means excessive or obsessive devotion to the church as an institution, its traditions, or its physical and ceremonial trappings, rather than to God or the spiritual faith it represents.

It is therefore necessary, on the one hand, to decisively overcome the scourge of clericalism. Listening and leaving aside stereotypes are powerful antidotes to the risk of clericalism, to which an assembly such as this is inevitably exposed, despite our intentions. Clericalism arises from an elitist and exclusivist vision of vocation, that interprets the ministry received as a power to be exercised rather than as a free and generous service to be given. This leads us to believe that we belong to a group that has all the answers and no longer needs to listen or learn anything, or that pretends to listen. Clericalism is a perversion and is the root of many evils in the Church: we must humbly ask forgiveness for this and above all create the conditions so that it is not repeated.

Pope Francis

There is something the same in each of the above. And I think it is not reserved to liturgy or hierarchical institutions. Some of the most “dictatorial clergy” I have met are non-conformist.

In the end, there is no institutional answer to a personal question.