Abstract
This chapter offers a cautious reaction to the limits of the “spiritual turn” in religion, at least as far as the Roman Catholic Church is concerned. Particularly in Italy he notes an increasing distance between the hierarchy and the faithful, but reminds us that there, at least, power remains with the hierarchy. Hence, individual believers may move in multiple directions within and without the church, while the hierarchy basically controls the organization qua organization. The hierarchy rules with or without the consent of the governed, with or without the spirituality it would most like to engender. Thus while there may well develop a lay spirituality that is more “open to the world” and tolerant of other creeds or lifestyles, neither the laity engaged in these spiritual movements nor social scientists studying them should assume that some type of “bottom up” change in ecclesiastical structures and policies will necessarily be entailed.
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Notes
- 1.
Reported by Marco Marzano, personal communication. The original is more vivid: “Se i miei parrocchiani qui adorassero le capre, al mio vescovo non gliene potrebbe fregare di meno.”
- 2.
In 1950 the apostolic constitution Sponsa Christi by Pope Pius XII explicitly reserved this form of consecration for cloistered nuns.
- 3.
Of course some monks may become bishops, but this is much more frequent in the Orthodox world than in the modern Roman Church.
- 4.
Of course, the loyalty of these movements is far from being assured once and for all. Relations with the Holy See are often difficult or ambiguous, as have been, in the past centuries, those of religious orders, such as the Jesuits, with the central authority. Further development of this important point must await a separate review.
- 5.
For an overview of the Neocatechumenal Way, see McDermott (2002).
- 6.
This does not mean that the Holy See has abandoned social doctrine. But, as Gene Burns states (2005), The standard for measuring loyalty to the Vatican today is only adherence to the teachings on sexuality and human life, whereas on matters of economics and social reform Catholics are freer to express their dissent (see also Calvez 1993). This is true of lay as well as of consecrated people: priests who overtly oppose the doctrine on contraception, homosexuality or euthanasia stand little chance – if any at all – of becoming bishops.
- 7.
Giovanni Dal Piaz, personal communication.
- 8.
I am indebted to Patricia Wittberg for an interesting question that drew my attention to this crucial point.
- 9.
If this is the case, then the split in the sociology of religion between two main streams of research, one focusing on fundamentalism and the other on spirituality, may well be a reflection of the scientific field of the outside reality.
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Turina, I. (2011). From Institution to Spirituality and Back: Or, Why We Should Be Cautious About the “Spiritual Turn” in the Sociology of Religion. In: Giordan, G., Swatos, Jr., W. (eds) Religion, Spirituality and Everyday Practice. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1819-7_13
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