October
1, 2013 Martin Mallon
(Ireland) Martin's previous
articles
(Comments
welcome
here)
ALL
THE FAITHFUL
Two
interesting points have surfaced concerning the Pope
Francis interview published in
…theology
cannot consider the magisterium of the Pope and the bishops in communion with
him as something extrinsic, a limitation of its freedom, but rather as one of
its internal, constitutive dimensions, for the magisterium ensures our contact
with the primordial source and thus provides the certainty of attaining to the
word of Christ in all its integrity.
The
interview in
The
first point concerns Francis’s thoughts on women. The Pope was asked:
The
sentence “It
is necessary to broaden the opportunities for a stronger presence of women in
the church” or as it is translated by Phyllis Zagano
who pointed out this error:
Francis
said: "It is necessary to widen the space for more incisive feminine
presence in the church."
Interpret
the meaning of his words as you will. That is what the pope really said. I
cannot understand how it got past all those smart folks at
Phyllis Zagano’s article and subsequent correction can be read here:
With
regard to the Pope’s desire for a deeper theology of women it is timely to
note that:
The
Pontifical Council for the Laity has announced an upcoming seminar in October on
the dignity and vocation of woman which will coincide with the 25th anniversary
of Blessed John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter “Mulieris Dignitatem”. The
theme of the seminar will be “God entrusts the human being to the Woman.”
What a great opportunity to examine the theology of women and how "It is necessary to widen the space for more incisive feminine presence in the church." It looks as though the Pope’s request has been answered; but has it?
The
Pontifical Council for the Laity expressed its hope that the seminar will
respond to Pope Francis’ invitation to be protectors of creation, protectors
of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the
environment. “The seminar will be
a time of deep reflection on the specific role of women in safeguarding the
humanum and, with God’s help, will allow each one to be even more committed to
giving their contribution in the various areas discussed,” the statement read.
Read
more here:
Let
us hope that those attending the seminar take on board the Pope’s statement on
a deeper theology of women in his recent interview and “think
about the specific place of women also in those places where the authority of
the church is exercised for various areas of the church.” The
conclusions of this seminar should make interesting reading.
The
second point mentioned in the opening paragraph refers to Francis stating in his
interview that:
And
the church is the people of God on the journey through history, with joys and
sorrows. Thinking with the church, therefore, is my way of being a part of this
people. And all the faithful, considered as a whole, are infallible in matters
of belief, and the people display this infallibilitas in credendo, this infallibility in
believing, through a supernatural sense of the faith of all the people walking
together. This is what I understand today as the ‘thinking with the church’
of which St. Ignatius speaks.
It
is plain from the above that Francis recognises the People of God as the real
magisterium of the church, not the “magisterium of the
Pope and the bishops in communion with him” as stated in the Encyclical
Letter Lumen Fidei. This is also in line with John 16:13 where Jesus told his
disciples, not just the Apostles:
However,
when the Spirit of truth comes
he will lead
you to the complete truth, since he will not
be speaking of his own accord, but will say
only what he has been told; and he will
reveal
to you the things to come.
This
is a big change in emphasis in the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and
is in accordance with the Spirit of that Council and the wishes of the majority
of bishops at the Council. This emphasis on the importance of “all
the faithful”
leaves the way open to the laity to become much more involved in all areas of
the church, especially in areas they are currently restricted from, such as
synods.
Again Francis will face much opposition from the restorationists and we must pray that the Holy Spirit guides him and protects him for the next number of years to ensure his reforms are firmly implanted before a new Pope is elected and the curia attempt to regain ground lost, as they did after Vatican II. May the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael accompany Francis on his journey.
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