Many of Pope Francis' metaphors have to do with smell. He has urged priests and bishops to go out of the churchy world, saying that it is better to be accident prone than to grow sick through living in fetid air. He has said the clergy must smell like the sheep. And he has remarked on the stuffy air of the Vatican administration.
In mines, where bad air could be lethal, miners used to bring canaries with them. If they fell ill and died, the miners had warning to get out. The recent book by Bishop Bill Morris, replete with documentary evidence, tells the story of a canary caught in the shafts of Vatican culture. His early expiry date pointed to something amiss in the governance of the church, heralding the larger disclosures in the Royal Commission on sexual abuse.
Morris' story needs no retelling. He was Bishop of Toowoomba, sought to empower the laity and local communities, engaged in serious pastoral planning, was informal in his manner and, earlier than most, understood sexual abuse from the perspective of the victim rather than of the institution.
A small minority of Catholics hostile to him complained regularly to Roman officials and were given credence. Pope Benedict decided on the evidence of his officials that Morris' grasp of theology was inadequate and that he had to go, and after the many representations and meetings described in this book, he eventually retired.
To the outside reader the operative values of Roman governance will seem to contrast those advocated by Francis. They seem to have been to judge, not to listen; to heed malicious gossip, not to sift it; to stand on dignity and not to respect it; to seek evidence to justify a case and not to establish the truth; to demand loyalty and not faithfulness; to prize silence over plain speaking.
A small incident embodies the values of the Bishop and of his masters. When he eventually decided he must retire, he asked to delay the date so that he could offer support to the families of children who had been abused in a Catholic school, and to be with the victims of the Queensland floods that in recent days had devastated the communities in his diocese. His request was denied. He had to go immediately.
In his account Morris does not describe the Vatican representatives or his local critics as bad people. He emphasises the moments where