14.

Collegiality and Ecumenism

1. The Second Vatican Council has envisaged a shift from a centralist and uniform to a
collegial and pluriform Church.
2. The college of bishops with the Pope as the head is the supreme authority & at the
service of unity of the whole Church (LG 22, EA 25).
3. The Church as communion of Churches (LG 23) welcomes the legitimacy of a plurality of
cultural and ecclesial diversities within the church (LG 13, GS 58).
4. It is particularly significant within ecumenical dialogues (UUS 80-82) and offers hope
for the ecumenical movement to reach its goals of reconciliation and unity among
Christians (LG 8, 15; UR 4-11) and to foster a sense of solidarity among all human
beings.
Introduction
The thesis deals with the paradigm shift in the nature, self understanding of the church a regard
to its structure, functioning and governance from an ecumenical perspective. The present
structure of the catholic church gives us a way to have a participatory church. The thesis captures
the spirit of Jesus prayer that that they all may be one and Jesus teaching on leadership that
I came to serve and not to be served.
1. The second Vatican council has envisaged a shift from centralist and uniform to a collegial
and pluriform church.
-

The institutional model gave prominence to visible structures and the emergence of the papacy
marking the beginning of centralist and uniform attitude of the church., adversely affecting the
place and function of Bishops.

Local churches were mere departments of the universal church.

Vatican II brought a radical change by emphasizing

-collegiality over centralist position.

-Pluriformity over uniformity

Collegial and pluriform implies a shift from

i). Hierarchy to people of God.
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i. Papal Monarchy(Centralist) to Collegiality.

ii. Universal church to communion of churches.
Dialogue at all levels - among bishops, b/w bishops and priests, b/w hierarchy and laity.
2. The Collegiality of Bishops with the Pope as the head of the supreme authority and at the
service of unity of the whole church.( LG 22, EA 25)
Episcopal College

Bishops together form a permanent body called Episcopal College.

Collegiality is that the power of the episcopacy lies in the power of the community of
Bishops rather than individual bishops.

Collegiality

All bishops by virtue of their Episcopal(LG 22) communion and their hierarchical
communion among themselves and the Pope as the head of the College of bishops have a
corporate responsibility for unity of faith and communion in the universal church.

Collegiality is expressed through

Consultation

co-reponsibility

Participation

Partnership

Collaboration

Transperancy

The Pope and the Episcopal college

Pope who is the bishop of Rome belongs to the college of Bishops and presides over it.

There is no Episcopal college without the Pope.

Episcopal college has authority only as far as it has Pope as its head and its member.

Magisterium
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The teaching authority of the church.

Composition -

teaching o the college of Bishops

Pope
Councils
in Matters of faith and morals.

Role

Safeguard the -

Faith

Right doctrine

Unity of the church.

DV 10

Magisterium is not above the word of God. But is at the service of the Word.

It listens to the word of God devoutely.

Guard it with dedication.

Expounds it faithfully.

2 types of Magisterium Ordinary and Extraordinary.

Petrine Ministry:

In Ut Unnum Sint(1995) Pope John Paul II asks all the churches to reconsider and
redefine Papacy which should be more acceptable to all the Christian churches.

It is called Patrine ministry.

It I sacramental. ( Mt 16,18-19)

Divine institution (CD 2): Visible sign of Christ.

It is Pastoral (Jn 21,15-17; Lg 25)

Strengthen and support his brother bishops(Lk 22: , LG 23)

Charismatic and Service (Mk 10,45; Jn 13,3-11, EA 25)

Infallible in teaching definitive teaching.(dogmas)

Its a ministry of unity.

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Infalliability:

It literally means the absence of actual error.

LG 25 lays down conditions for statements of infallibility:

Pope speaking not as private person but as supreme Pontiff.
Agreement with Sacred Scripture and Tradition
Agreement with Universal Episcopate
Made with sufficient investigation before teaching.
In agreement with the present faith of the Church.

3. The Church as communion of churches (LG 23) welcome the legitimacy of a plurality of
cultural and ecclesial diversities within the church (LG 13,GS 58)

LG 23 :

Individual Bishops -

Visible Principle

in their particular churches.

Foundation of Unity

Individual Bishops exercise their pastoral governance over

People of God committed to their care

Not over other churches

Not over the universal church.

Local Churches:

Before: Universal Church (Uniformity and centralization)

Vat II: Shift from - Universalist Ecclesiology (Rome Centered) to communion of

Churches.

Types of Local Churches

Canonical Understanding: - Particular is diocese.

Individual is rite.

Individual Church: Sui Iuris = Communion within the Catholic Church.

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Classification Own Liturgy, own rite, cultural background, Own hierarchy, spiritual heritage,
tradition,law.
Particular Church: diocese - an aggregate of church in terms of region.
Communion within the church:
1. Communion among the local churches. Local churches have their own identity.
(LG 23 speaks about the many local churches of east which have their own tradition ,
theology etc.
2. Communion between the hierarchy and the laity(CD 2)
3. Communion between Pope and Bishops(LG Ch 3)
4. Communion between priests and Bishops
Thus within the church, communion at all levels is encouraged.
Communion outside the church
-

Before Vat II, Catholic Church had negative attitude towards the world, other religions,
culture etc.

After Vat II there is openness for communion at different levels outside the church.

1. Communion with other churches/ Christians

2. With other religions ( LG 16, NA) : They have seeds/rays/element of salvation.
3. All cultures and the world.(GS)
World is affirmed. The church is in the world.

Church as communion welcomes the plurality of cultures and Ecclesial diversities within the
church.

LG 13: All people are called to belong to the new people of God. They are present in all
nations of the earth.

The faithful scattered throughout the world are in communion with each other in the
spirit.

GS 58: the church can enter into communion with different forms of cultures, thereby
enriching itself and culture themselves.

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4. It is particularly significant within Ecumenical dialogues (UUS 80 -82) and offers hope for the
ecumenical movement, to reach its goals of - reconciliation and unity among Christian (LG 15,
UR 4, 8,11) and foster a sense of solidarity among all human beings.

Ecumenical dialogues: WHY?

For long Catholic Church thought that it was the true church and so kept away from
ecumenical movement which had developed among the non-catholic churches from second
decade of the 20th century.

It is a stumbling block

So why..? Reason:

UR 1: The division within the church openly contradicts the Will of Christ.

It is a stumbling block to the mission. Therefore ecumenical dialogue(ecumenism) is

important.

UUS 80-82

Examines the role of papacy as visible sign and guarantor of unity while pointing out the
divisions between churches and the painful sufferings due to Papacy.

The principle of collegiality is a better way for ecumenical dialogue.

Ecumenical dialogue raises hope for reconciliation and unity among Christians.
LG 8: The one church of Christ Holy, catholic, apostolic, subsists in the catholic church.

(Formerly the church of Christ (is) was the Roman catholic Church but in Vat II, the
church of Christ alone rather Church of Christ subsists in the Roman catholic Church.

Subsists in: marks a definitive fact that outside the Catholic Church, elements of true
church are also found like - Salvation, Grace, Truth.

It admits that the mystical body of Christ( One , Holy, Catholic Church) is larger than the
catholic church.

LG 15:

Christians who do not profess the catholic faith in its entirety and are not in communion
with Pope but

They are sealed by baptism

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Belief in SS

Profess the Trinitarian Faith.

Receive other sacraments beside baptism.

Posess episcopate

Holy Eucharist

Devotion to BV Mary

They are also joined to us in the HS.

UR 4 : defines ecumenical movement as the initiative and activity, encouraged and

organized to promote Christian Unity.

UR 4 : Defined Ecumenical movement as a means to foster Christian unity.

UR 7 : Speaks of the need for interior conversion; need to change attitudes, mindsets etc.

UR 8: Speaks of spiritual ecumenism need for private common prayer.

UR 11 : speaks of hierarchy of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation/
core Christian faith. Not all truths defined by the catholic church belong equally to the
core of faith.

There is a need to explain the hierarchy of truths to the people.

Why do we need ecumenical dialogue (in India)

We are a minority especially in India.

Ecumenism is a sign of unity(EA)

We are a small flock. We cannot be a witness if we are not united.

Divisions make dialogues and proclamations difficult.

Scandal of a divided church I a counter witness to Jesus.

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