Transparency Culture & Ecclesial Responsibility: Reflections on Institutional Communications

Cristian Mendoza ,Carl Beekman

doi:10.22158/csm.v1n1p1

Abstract

<em>We aim to provide a theoretical framework for enhancing the Catholic Church’s culture of transparency. We therefore define concepts of culture and transparency, stressing some of the institutional consequences due to their interaction. Finally, we apply these principles to the ecclesial institution’s fields that are attractive for the public square: the administration of temporal goods, the use of information and the dispensation of sacraments and religious teachings. Defining culture as the setting up of behavioral standards, we realize that the ones regarding transparency have been constantly raised in the last years by society, while the Church has remained stable in its long-term organizational principles. Applying a culture of transparency for the Church would therefore require to understand the dynamic of cultural change within the Church that is essentially united to the preservation of its own spiritual purposes. Also builds within itself a culture that sustains a culture of accountability. Ecclesial institutions as any institution, builds and sustains trust through its diligent and consistent refusal to abuse the power given. The ecclesiastical institution would change its standards of transparency when it is needed to keep up with its original mission not when it is just an exigency of its cultural environment.</em>

Highlights

We aim to provide a theoretical framework for enhancing the Catholic Church’s culture of transparency
Transparency Culture for Faith-Based Institutions We aim to describe the meaning of a culture of transparency for the Catholic Church understood as a hierarchical institution
We know that temporal assets are to be transparently made accountable to its members, the People of God, Bishops, Priests, laity, etc. according to the original mission of the Church and that financial information should be communicated to its members at least annually by law, becoming in this case a moral obligation

Summary

Introduction

We aim to provide a theoretical framework for enhancing the Catholic Church’s culture of transparency. Transparency should foremost be a beacon of internal and external clarity of mission, able to make the Church legitimate (giving hope) respecting at the same time the objective truth of the organization It is not enough with being positive about ICT’s but we need to understand how they work and what is the culture leading media attraction and distraction. Making the Church information-transparent is to provide the web with information, it is about changing the culture of understanding new technologies inside the Church and that could make the institution sustainable in the long term because information transparency aims for inclusion This area of transparency opens up a need in the formation of faithful as without transparency there is a tendency in all of us for not reaching the best of our capacity. Cooperation with the faithful should be a stabilizing force for the local pastor

Objectives

Conclusion