Who's in Charge? The Pope, the Bishops, and the sensus fidelium

Dear CIOT Participants,

This month's topic involves two important elements.  1. A sense of history of the development of power and its relation to doctrine, and 2.  An understanding that the Church is greater than individuals, that  the Holy Spirit speaks to the Church, to the Bishops, in Councils and perhaps even to the people of God in solidarity. As Paul and 1st Clement's advice to the Church in Corinth testifies, authority initially was certainly not invested in canon law, although Clement was already speaking for the Church in Rome. The first record of excommunication extant was that of Novation by Pope Cornelius around 250, although the definition of both Pope and excommunication might differ from today's definitions.

Authority invested in Church leaders surely was enhanced by the establishment of Catholicism as the religion of the  empire  by Constantine.  Pope Leo I (440-461) is said to have contributed greatly to a vertical emphasis on authority. Early Councils seemed mostly concerned about separating the Church from heresy. Trent in 1551-1562 specifically addressed the question of authority and its abuse, focused mainly on Conciliar authority.  Vatican 1 (1869-70) addressed the infallibility of the pope and the limits of that infallibility.  Vatican II  (1965) addressed the real presence in the community, in the Word and in a unique sacramental way.  Eucharistic Hospitality was endorsed in principal. This tread - lightly summary should be enough  to start the engines of the historians in our group who can fill the hall with details  and corrections.

The question of how the Spirit works in the Church is itself boundless.

First, a preliminary definition of sensus fidelium .

A search from EWTN yields 5 interesting articles:

• Faith Authority, Charismas in the Church
• Newman on the Laity
• CDF Decree on Attempted Ordination of Some Catholic Women
• Unitas Redigratio
• The Hope For Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Having Been Baptized

Next an alternative definition of sensus fidelium by the Association for the Rights of Catholics.

Some short reviews from America (a national Catholic weekly) on books and/or issues touch upon the question of authority and the sensus fidelium:

• What is the sensus of “American Catholics today”? A book with just that title has appeared, analyzing data collected from surveys of American Catholics in which they ranked those issues most important to them. The results are heartening or disheartening, depending on your perspective, but they suggest much about the collectivity of Catholics, how their opinions have changed, and the extent to which the hierarchy should take note. To this review , Andrew Greeley adds some personal observations.
• Theologian Paul Lakeland, in Catholicism at the Crossroads, has suggested that the Church hierarchy continues to make a crucial and devastating mistake in its refusal to “consult the faithful in matters of doctrine.” See a summary of his arguments and analysis in the review by Scott Appleby (America, 27 Aug. 2007).
• The Dangers of the Internet: The New E-Magisterium . This is an important editorial by Richard Gaillardetz, professor of Catholic theology, of the effect of the internet in defining lay Catholic opinion as to what the Church teaches. Published in 2000, eight years later the issues raised are more pressing. There are countless websites claiming to be “Catholic,” but is that necessarily true?
• Part of sensus fidelium involves the experience of Catholics and how that contributes to doctrine. For an example in the area of sexuality, see the review of Dialogue and Debate , ed. P. Beattie Jung et al.
• What about the issues of ordination, clerical celibacy, the shortage of priests, etc.? Here a Catholic consultant presents an imaginary letter from an imaginary bishop , asking his flock for help and input.

And finally, here is a list of useful web sites with libraries you can search on line (for free)

• http://www.takebackourchurch.org
• http://www.ewtn.com/
• http://ncrcafe.org
• http://www.religion-online.org/
• www.woodstock.georgetown.edu.org