The last speaker on Saturday was Tissa Balasuriya, OMI, a Sri Lankan theologian and priest who helped found the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians. He is the author of Planetary Theology and Mary and Human Liberation, former rector of Aquinas University College in Columbo, Sri Lanka. Tissa was investigated and excommunicated by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, (CDF) headed by Cardinal Ratzinger, as Tissa says, a particular friend.

His book on Mary was regarded as suspicious and, as it turns out, the man who translated it into Italian misrepresented what Balasuriya wrote. And on the basis of that information, he was subjected to a great trial that very nearly lost him his place in his community of more than 60 years. The excommunication was withdrawn.

Balasuriya made three key points:

-  We have a responsibility as disciples of Jesus to take on the challenge of globalization and its negative impacts. “Since 1492, the European people have taken over most of the world,” There seems to be no desire for serious change in the church’s orientation toward the poor. “The church has been conspiring—unconsciously perhaps—to preserve the status quo.

-  For 1,000 years, we have been wrong on major theology: there is no salvation outside the church. We must make a strong critique and admit that we have been wrong. That belief served as rationalization for the subjection of whole peoples.

-  The church has been substantially wrong about women for 2,000 years.

During the question and answer period, Collins was asked to speculate on who he would like to see named the next pope. Collins responded he wanted someone who could speak Italian perfectly. “We need someone from a mainstream culture. Italians are tolerant of other people. A Latin American bishop could fit the bill.

Tissa said he hoped the next pope would work on a critique of globalization and capitalism. He did not speculate on who would make a good pope, but said “I would like a pope who can learn, who is generous. Of course,” he added, “we need to first find a pope who is a Christian and a democrat.” That got a good laugh.

In answer to a question from Bob Kaiser, Tissa said, “We need a good leader, but the Spirit has to speak from below.”

CNS – asked about reforming the curia. What would be the priority for dealing with centralization of the church?

Collins responded that the curia came out of the 17^th century, under Robert Bellarmine when the papacy was modeled on an absolute monarchy. Some have described the curia as the mafia. Speaking rather heatedly, he said: “I don’t think it can be reformed. The pope needs bureaucratic support, certainly, but it can be very small…. We need a council to look at the constitution again. That needs to be done by a council with bishops, priests and laity. So, first, abolish the curia, call a council outside of Rome, and pull in the laity and priests. A small papal secretariat could help run things, and the papal term should be limited to ten years.

Balasuriya’s take on it was the Bishop of Rome should get rid of careerism in the priesthood. The church could learn from secular society about how to do it, could draw on the Episcopal conferences in the various countries, permit open discussion, and follow a consultative model. “They really should be Christian—just,” he said. Get rid of the domination.

CNS followed up by asking whether a pope from a developing country might have some impact on the church’s approach to poverty.

Collins acknowledged that a Latin American pope would be his favorite, as a derivative of European culture. The church in Latin America is encountering poverty and the indigenous cultures. He added that he had an opportunity to meet the president of the Nigerian bishops conference, and “I have to say he was very frightening. I didn’t hear a man who would challenge the structures that Tissa speaks of.”

Question and Answer Session

A Japanese correspondent asked about sexuality, what should the next pope do to face up to the problems?

Collins responded, “I’d like for the church to go off sex for about 100 years. It’s not as though the church has brought an enormous amount of enlightenment on the subject.” He added that the bishops should at least ask what is ordination and what is its purpose? They can ordain married men. They should look at it in the context of contraception. The Catholic Church is wrong on contraception, but not the people. It’s a more serious question in developing countries. Increasingly women are cultivating a sense of their own dignity and liberation.

Asked about abortion, Collins said “I oppose abortion, but I do support the right of a person to make a choice about it. We come from a church with a pastoral tradition. We are all sinners. Peter was a sinner. We should show compassion and have a church that doesn’t go around bludgeoning women, but say like Jesus, “Go and sin no more.”

“I want pastoral compassion and empathy. The kind of thing we used to have before the right wing took over. We are far too hard.”