L'affaire Peter Kennedy has made headlines in Europe. It has been depicted as a dispute over blessing gay couples and allowing women to preach. But at the heart of the story is the matter of church authority.
Some reports compare the saga with the 2005 case of Father Franz Sabo in Switzerland. From the pulpit and in the media the Röschenz parish priest condemned the Catholic Church for being out of touch on marriage and homosexuality. He described his superior, Bishop Kurt Koch of Basel, as 'heartless'. The bishop then felt obliged to sack him. In defiance of the hierarchy but with overwhelming parish support, Sabo stayed put.
Resolution was finally achieved last September after extensive private negotiations. Sabo retained his position, but has agreed to a form of words acknowledging the Church's authority.
Peter Kennedy's removal by Archbishop John Bathersby is set to take effect on 20 April, when the church keys are to be handed in. Kennedy's congregation plans to meet 'in exile' nearby. Most reportage abroad, as in Australia, interprets the events as embarrassing for the Catholic hierarchy and a setback for the wider church. More has been lost than one congregation's use of its buildings.
Two questions arise from the experiences in Basel and South Brisbane. Why do radical Christian ministries to the disadvantaged so frequently arouse the ire of conservatives for their departures from orthodoxy? And why do leaders of these ministries so often find themselves in bitter contention with their superiors?
It was so when Jesus attacked the scribes and pharisees for their insistence on orthodoxy and adherence to rules over freedom and love. It seems to have been so ever since.
Florence Nightingale was as passionate about her faith as she was about health policy. She fought the church just as ferociously for women's rights and a more liberal theology as she fought the government over hospital conditions.
France's most famous priest, Abbé Pierre, is regarded as a saint for his tireless care for the poor. Continually at loggerheads with the church until his death in 2007, he openly opposed Vatican teaching on contraception, male-only priests and celibacy. He condemned Pope John Paul II for his lavish lifestyle and urged him to retire at 75. He once told his bishop of his duty to him of l'insolence mesurée — measured insolence.
In Australia the local churches engaging most visibly with social outcasts have been radical protestants