In an article by Joshua J. McElwee, published on Thursday, October 31, 2013, by The National Catholic Reporter titled “Vatican Asks for Parish-Level Input on Synod Document,” he reports that Pope Francis is asking the world’s Catholic bishops to survey the Catholics in their diocese and report back to him. The Pope will use the results to inform the bishops at an extraordinary synod of bishops that will deal with today’s family.
The Vatican document asks the bishops to question their Catholic populations about the following.
- How is the church’s teaching on “the value of the family” understood today? “In those cases where the Church’s teaching is known, is it accepted fully, or are there difficulties in putting it into practice? If so, what are they?”
- Are cohabitation, the problem of divorce and remarriage, and same-sex marriages a “pastoral reality” in their church? Is there a ministry to attend to these cases? “How is God’s mercy proclaimed to separated couples and those divorced and remarried, and how does the Church put into practice her support for them in their journey of faith?”
- How are persons in same-sex marriages treated, and how are children they may adopt cared for? “What pastoral attention can be given to people who have chosen to live these types of union? In the case of unions of persons of the same sex who have adopted children, what can be done pastorally in light of transmitting the faith?”
- Do married couples have “openness” to becoming parents, and do they accept Humanae Vitae, an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI that prohibited use of artificial contraception by Catholics. “Is this moral teaching accepted? What aspects pose the most difficulties in a large majority of couples’ accepting this teaching?”
This whole procedure is revolutionary in the Catholic Church! The usual procedure was for the Pope and the bishops to consider matters. Then they told us we had to believe whatever it is they decided, because they were the “magisterium,” the sole teaching authority in the Church. It was a top-down way of governing. There was no need to consult the “faithful.”
Except, Vatican Council II re-defined the term, “Church.” Actually, the council restored the original meaning of the term, which had been lost over the centuries. The Church was first legalized and later adopted by the Roman Emperor Constantine, who called the first ecumenical council in 325 C. E. Later, still keeping its Roman model, the Church adopted concepts from the Medieval period. Hence, bishops ruled as princes. Indeed, there were prince bishops and archbishops. They lived in splendor and were often just as harsh as any other prince ruler.
Vatican Council II looked back to the time of the Apostle Paul and restored the meaning of the term Church to “We are the Church.” The Council’s defining document is Lumen Gentium. This document states in part, “The whole body of the faithful who have an anointing that comes from the Holy One cannot err in matters of belief (chapter 2).” What does this mean?
Since the Church is composed of the ordained ministers and the un-ordained, a.k.a. laity, it means both parts of the Church must be in agreement, and, where they are in agreement, there can be no error. By the same token, if they are not in agreement, something must be wrong.
Could it be that Pope Francis is checking the bishops’ teaching against the laity’s beliefs? Is it just possible that the laity are way ahead of their bishops when it comes to family life?
Perhaps the bishops need to listen to those who live the family life and draw on their experience. Perhaps they will need to “refine” their teaching, to align it to the lived Christian family experience of today.