"Reclaiming Authority"

"Reclaiming Authority"

I believe the Catholic Church in America has the gift and the potential to redeem the intuitive Catholic respect for authority and to rediscover its base and power. There is no evidence in the Scriptures or in the founding and renewing of religious orders that God works outside or against the function of authoritative leadership. In fact, the recent histories of religious life say that there are no examples whatever of religious orders being founded or refounded by chapters, votes, groups, discussions, mission statements or anything other than individuals with an intrinsically authoritative vision and call. We call them charisms. I suggest that we refine and educate our awareness of charism, particularly the charism of leadership.

Richard Rohr, from “The Future of the American Church”