No reforming project exercised the pope and bishops at Vatican II (1962–65) more than collegiality—the doctrine that the church is governed by the college of bishops, with and under the pope. The Catholic Church had for centuries been known as a monarchy. Now, in its dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium, it described itself as a people’s church, hierarchically structured o (...)
Article
Bishops or Branch Managers?
Collegiality after the Council
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I am surprised that this article does not include reference to the famous exchange of letters between Chancellor Bismarck and Pope Pius IX after Vatican I. Bismarck asks the Pope, does the decisions of Vatican I mean that now the Bishops are only to be the 'postmen/branch managers' of the Roman Central Authority? The Pope's nuanced answer denies that interpretation as does a 'Common Declaration from the German Bishops'. This exchange is to be found in Denzinger 3112-3117.
What is so interesting about the spate of books, articles that are coming out in respect to the anniversary of Vatican II is that most continue to view the church from the perspective of its clerics. While the debate regarding the relationship between pope/bishop, universal church/local church, etc. continues on at the academic level, the reality of the church today is that the Body of Christ is made present and active in its mission in history by the witness of its baptized, the lay church. Thanks to all that council achieved, but especially in its reform of the liturgy, all the church's members, women and men alike, recognize themselves to be true, full ecclesial persons and in this they are formed and continually strengthened by their regular participation in the eucharist. One of the premier accomplishments of Vatican II, perhaps not directly intended as such, was to place the church's future in lay hands. But really, hasn't this always been the case?
We should not be unduly anxious about those who hold that the church is an absolute monarchy in which the bishops are acting collegially whenever they are in agreement with the Pope. They have such supreme confidence in their point of view that they seem to have forgotten that the Holy Spirit is not subject to their direction. To the impartial observer, the church is in rigor mortis in Europe, rapidly losing members to evangelicals and pentecostals in Latin America, headed its own way in Asia and Africa, and on the way out of business in Australia and North America. In the New Testament, the word church unequivocally refers to the faithful who work alongside servant leaders such as apostles, prophets, presbyters, and teachers to bring about the kingdom of God on earth. Many of the Fathers of Vatican I fled rather than cast a vote for universal papal jurisdiction. The Fathers of Vatican II did their level best to restore the proper balance between the vicar of Peter and the vicars of Christ. In the end, the Spirit of Truth will prevail. Come, Lord Jesus.
A Permitted Abortion
Kudos to John Wilkins for this piece on the post-Vatican II abortion of the church's newborn collegiality by Pope Paul VI -- who along with the Curia panicked at this threat to their authority -- and its burial by his autocratic, monarchial-minded successors Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.