Stand Up for Vatican II Inaugural meeting - 26 January 2010 Promise and Disappointment
| Promise and Disappointment |
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| Sunday, 31 January 2010 19:57 |
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Michael Winter, a leading member of the Movement for a Married Clergy, began by posing the question, "Why is the 22 April 1418 significant?". At first silence fell upon the room and then there was a buzz of consultation. Finally Michael revealed that the 22 April 1418 marked the end on a significant General Council in the Church's history: the Council of Constance. After the election of Pope Martin V, the Council promulgated the famous decree, "Frequens", on 9 October 1417. This provided for a General Council to be convoked every 10 years. It also promulgated reform of ecclesiastical government and life. (It is interesting to note how involved both the England and the Germany were in this Council.) It has been unfortunate for the welfare of the People of God that this decision was never really implemented. He posed a further question, "How is it possible for a Council held on an occasional basis to control the prevailing bureacracy?" We see in our own time how the popular discourse over the Second Vatican Council has changed in 45 years. One of hope, collaboration, enthusiasm and inclusivity has been changed into that of the absolutism of hierarchy. Yves Congar OP, 1904 - 1995, the author of a number of important books, including "True and False Reform in the Church" was no stranger to suffering. In 1956 he wrote to his mother, “Practically speaking, they have destroyed me as far as it was possible. Everything I believed and had worked on has been taken away…They have not, of course, hurt my body; nor have they touched my soul or forced me to do anything. But a person is not limited to his skin and his soul. When someone is a doctrinal apostle, he is his action, he is his friendships, he is his relationships, he is his social outreach; they have taken all that away from me. All that is now at a standstill, and in that way I have been profoundly wounded. They have reduced me to nothing and so they have for all practical purposes destroyed me. When, at certain times, I look back on everything I had hoped to be and to do, on what I had begun to do, I am overtaken by an immense heartsickness.”
After successive persecutions by the Holy Office, Rev Fr Yves was created Cardinal in 1994 by Pope John Paul II. In Michael Winter's opinion he exemplified charity and apostolic zeal, great patience and an overwhelming desire to preserve the unity of the Church. An example to be followed. In order to make the Church relevant to the people of God and the world in which it exists, a General Council of the Church needs to consider four aspects:
Vatican II fulfilled all of these. There was a concrete theological basis for the reforms, notably in liturgy. The Council defined the Church as the people of God and put the onus of promoting the Kingdom of God firmly on their shoulders. The Deacons, Priests and Bishops exist for the sake of the laity to encourage and strengthen them for the task to which their baptism calls them. Michael cited Jesus' own teaching in Mark 10:41-45. He also mentioned that it was worth noting that the Council of Trent, in the Decree on Reformation makes it mandatory for 'Pastors of Churches' to be actively engaged in caring for the souls entrusted to them. Sadly, since the Middle Ages Popes have imitated Emperors and the absolute monarchs of the 17th and 18th centuries even though some have spoken about subsidiarity: the practice of decisions being made at the lowest possible level. Unfortunately, even petty decisions are now reserved to Rome. Our Bishops have been deprived or authority in their own dioceses and have suffered as a result. The laity continue to suffer, for example, there is no defence against the machinations of a dictatorial Parish Priest. Power still remains as defined by the Council of Trent. Michael transfered his thoughts from lament to remedy. The first things needed in the Church were elected Pastoral Councils at parish and diocesan level. Only four of the 22 dioceses in England and Wales have elected Pastoral Councils. At parish level the Pastoral Council exists at the will of the Parish Priest. Parishes need to return to ancient tradition where they were real communities. Numbers in a Eucharistic community too much in excess of 70 result in anonymity of individuals in the community, potential alienation from the group, lack of cohesion, poor or non existent peer to peer relations and care. Of course, it goes without saying, that these smaller communities will want to join with others to experience the joy and more formal liturgy of a larger gathering. The diocesan celebrations of the Eucharist would make visible the unity of the people in the diocese with their bishop. Michael indicated historical records that showed there were 40 parishes in Canterbury in the middle ages. In King Street in Norwich there were 8 churches. Small intimate communities was not a new idea. Michael exhorted the meeting not to despair of the election of an enlighted Pope. The Catholic Church cannot remain in the situation it is in. He pointed to significant courageous figures of recent times:
The long and short of it is that people in the Church are exasperated. However anything that is said must be courteous. We must be prepared to listen as well as speak out. It is the custom in societies such as ours in the modern world to obey and support governments that we criticise. Michael left us with a reminder that when there is a choice between obeying our informed consciences and blindly obeying the authority of the Church we should follow our conscience.(Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 1968) Council of Constance |
| Last Updated on Sunday, 31 January 2010 20:27 |