It is not without a certain irony that Jordi Bertomeu has chosen precisely the laity as the protagonists of his latest book. The Spanish priest, who has become one of the most controversial figures in the Vatican disciplinary apparatus after promoting canonical measures against two Peruvian journalists who reported him to the civil courts, presented this week at the Madrid Book Fair Parishes Led by the Laity, a work in which he advocates for a greater presence of non-ordained faithful in the life of the Church.
In statements reported by COPE, Bertomeu maintained that the shortage of priestly vocations and the advance of secularization require rethinking some traditional pastoral structures and entrusting greater responsibilities to the laity. “They are necessary and must discover the meaning of their services,” stated the canonist, known for his missions entrusted by the Holy See in various countries.
Greater prominence for the laity
The priest argued that the Church needs to rediscover the baptismal dimension of all the faithful in order to respond to current challenges. In his view, the problem is not only the decrease in the number of priests, but also the difficulty of finding new forms of evangelizing presence in an increasingly secularized society.
“The problem in Spain is that children are not being born, parishes are emptying, and there is secularization,” Bertomeu noted during the interview.
Faced with this situation, he believes that bishops can entrust laypeople with coordination and administration tasks in several parishes. “The bishop can appoint a laywoman or layman to handle the finances of several parishes and report directly to the bishop,” he explained.
According to the author, it is not simply a matter of granting more prominence to the laity, but of fully recognizing the mission that corresponds to them within the Church.
A figure accustomed to controversy
Although Bertomeu usually appears in the media for the investigations he has carried out for the Holy See—including those related to abuses in Chile or the process that culminated in the suppression of the Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana in Peru—he gained greater notoriety after the controversy generated by the canonical measures promoted against Peruvian journalists Giuliana Caccia and Sebastián Blanco after both turned to the civil courts to report actions related to him.
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The episode took an unexpected turn when the journalists were able to explain directly to Pope Francis what had happened. According to their later account, the Pontiff settled the matter immediately with an unequivocal phrase: “Excommunication is not an option.” According to their version, Francis even personally signed the revocation of the penal precept that had been issued against them.
Read also: The San Juan Bautista Association announces legal action against Jordi Bertomeu in Spain
The book launch also comes at a particularly active time for Bertomeu in Spain. The priest has a court hearing scheduled for June 22 stemming from the complaint filed by the San Juan Bautista Civil Association, which accuses him of making public accusations without evidence about the Peruvian entity. It is certainly an intense schedule for someone who these days is touring Madrid speaking about the future of the Church and the role of the laity.