Tag Archives: Holy See

Gleanings from the Catechism III

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The Interpretation of the Heritage of the Faith

The apostles entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the faith (the depositum fidei), contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church.  "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  So, in maintaining, practicing, and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful.

These words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (84) illustrate, by way of practical examples, the glorious ways in which the Church should show forth Her unity, i.e., "remain always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread…"  Please note my emphasis on the word "should."  I need not point out the myriad ways in which we do not show forth Her unity.  I am particularly dismayed at this point, "…there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful."  How can we possibly expect unity in any aspect of the faith when there exists disunity between the bishops and the faithful?  If we can determine the source of this discord, a restoration of harmony here will inexorably lead to harmony in all other areas.  The answer as to where the discord starts is to be found in the next article (85).

"The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living, teaching office of the Church alone.  Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ."  This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

The last statement of article 85 regarding bishops being "in communion with the successor of Peter" is the crux of the matter.  To ensure the "remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful," there must first exist a harmony between the bishop(s) and the Holy Father.  Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted a hierarchical Church, by definition such an institution requires a hierarch, and we know to whom this office was entrusted by our Savior (Matt. 16:18).  As soon as a bishop, or groups of bishops, sever their ties with the See of Peter, their pronouncements, judgments, etc., become arbitrary.  Why then should priests remain faithful to these unfaithful bishops?  Consequently, the faithful are presented with an example of those who have demonstrated an unwillingness to submit to established authority.  The faithful in turn, whether it be individually or in groups, will follow this rebellious example and begin to make capricious determinations in matters of faith, and, consequently harmony ends.  We need do nothing more than survey the saga of several groups of "Continuing" Anglicans to witness this ecclesiastical harmonic dysfunction.

The faithful bishops of the TAC made an explicit, solemn, and public appeal for communion with the Bishop of Rome in October 2007, knowing that it is an ecclesial and theological imperative to be in communion with the Vicar of Christ, and knowing that without this communion each and every one feel themselves to be free to do what is right in their own eyes.  This restoration of harmony between our bishops and the Holy Father can do nothing but foster harmony between the bishops and the faithful, enabling us to truly proclaim ourselves to be "One body, and one Spirit… called in one hope of [our] calling (Eph. 4:4)."

Thank you, faithful bishops,

"Doc"+

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Bishop Elliott on the Papacy

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For Anglicans coming to terms with the role of the Bishop of Rome and the Petrine Ministry in the Universal Church, the following article by Bishop Peter Elliott, Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne, Australia, should be of great help.

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THE PAPACY
TITLES OF THE POPE: AUTHORITY, MISSION, MINISTRY

Bishop Peter J Elliott

The Pope is a person, not an institution. This is obvious, but we live in an age when we easily turn persons or communities into “things”. We tend to speak of marriage as an “institution”, when it is really a community of persons, and we may speak of the Church as an “institution”, whereas the Second Vatican Council describes it as God’s People, the living Body of Christ. Likewise we can forget that what is called the “Papacy” centres around a unique Christian leader, a man with a specific vocation within the community of faith.

The titles given to this Christian leader clarify the authority, mission and ministry and role of the Pope in our Church today. His titles are not merely high-sounding words of honour and praise.  Each title is full of meaning and can open up yet another dimension of the ministry of the Pope in the Church. The titles help us to see how this essential office developed and why it continues to develop across the centuries of our story as God’s People.

Papal titles are derived from the two sources of Divine Revelation: the Scriptures and Tradition.  Some of them can be traced back to the Gospels. Others arose in the social context of imperial Rome. Others express theological insights or the devotion of the Catholic people.

SUCCESSOR OF ST PETER

Within the Church, every bishop in the Church is a successor of the twelve Apostles in that unbroken continuity of New Testament faith and sacramental ordination, the apostolic succession. However, within that succession there is one bishop whose ministry is distinct, whose role is known as the “primacy”. He is the Bishop of Rome, successor of St Peter.

Jesus Christ appointed Peter as visible head of the Church. In Matthew 16, at the climax of Christ’s ministry in this most Jewish of gospels, we find this set out in an interesting literary genre. The form of the text is an echo of the targum teaching method – questions and answers going back and forth between a rabbi and his disciples.  Jesus first challenges the twelve to identify him as the Messiah. They fail. Only Simon the fisherman of Galilee speaks out, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

In turn Jesus responds by giving Simon a new name, a new role, a new identity in his Kingdom. Just as Simon identified him as “the Christ”, now he identifies Simon as “Peter”, Cephas, the bed-rock on whom the assembled community of the Church, the ekklesia, will be built. Jesus is saying, as it were, “You told me who I am, now I tell you who you are in my Kingdom.”

In the Fifth Century, Pope St Leo the Great perceived this dynamic dialogue in Matthew’s Gospel. In the era of the collapse of the Roman Empire, St Leo was aware of the Petrine mandate he had inherited from the “Prince of the Apostles”. In those early Christian centuries the Pope was known as the Vicar of Peter, that is, the personal representative of this chief Apostle, the one who inherited a ministry that would be maintained across all time within the Church.

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Ecclesiastical Sundries

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0 Ecclesiastical Sundries

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Speculation on the Curia

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This is lifted straight from Rorate Caeli. If true, this is extremely good news. Fr Z concurs.

There is currently much talk in the blogosphere that George Cardinal Pell is a strong candidate to be the replacement of Cardinal Re in the Congregation for Bishops. Another name being mentioned is that of Giuseppe Bertelli, Apostolic Nuncio to Italy and San Marino.

In addition to the Congregation for Bishops, Cardinal Pell is also being mentioned as a possible Prefect for the Congregation of the Evangelization of Peoples (Propaganda Fide), succeeding Ivan Cardinal Dias, 73, who is said to have health problems. Another prelate sometimes spoken of as a future Curial head: Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Mueller of Regensburg, who is being mentioned as the probable successor of Walter Cardinal Kasper.

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Text of the TAC Petition to the Holy See

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The following is the complete text of the October 2007 Portsmouth Letter, the Petition of the Bishops and Vicars General of the Traditional Anglican Communion to the Holy See.  Though excerpts of this document have been released to the media, the full text has remained confidential pending a formal response from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as is normal in such circumstances.  As the CDF has formally responded to the TAC bishops and vicars general, it is now published exclusively on The Anglo-Catholic at the behest of Archbishop John Hepworth, Primate of the TAC.

In the coming days, we will publish additional analysis and commentary on the Petition — and the Primate's long-awaited pastoral letter (the release of which is imminent) will also reflect on the Portsmouth Letter — but, for now, I would refer readers to the recent post entitled "The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Papal Infallibility, and the TAC" which lays the foundation for discussion of the doctrinal significance of this landmark letter.

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From the Bishops and Vicars General of the Traditional Anglican Communion, gathered in Plenary Meeting at Portsmouth, England, in the Church of Saint Agatha, to the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, concerning their desire for unity with the See of Peter.

5th October 2007

Grace and peace in the Name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour!

“A new hope arises that those who rejoice in the name of Christians, but are nevertheless separated from this apostolic see, hearing the voice of the divine Shepherd, may be able to make their way into the one Church of Christ….to seek and to follow that unity which Jesus Christ implored from his Heavenly father with such fervent prayers.”

In these words in his moto proprio, Superno De Nutu, the Blessed John XXIII, responded to the visit of Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher.

A few years later, in the Sistine Chapel, in March 1966, the next Bishop of Rome, Paul VI, told the next Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, that he should look on his journey as an approach to a home:

As you cross the threshold we want you especially to feel that you are not entering the house of a stranger but that this is your home, here you have a right to be.

The Holy Father warned of the difficulty of the task of bringing about the unity of “the Church of Rome and the Church of Canterbury”:

In the field of doctrine and ecclesiastical law, we are still respectively distinct and distant; for now it must be so, for the reverence due to truth and to freedom; until such time as we may merit the supreme grace of true and perfect unity in faith and communion.

The next day, at the Basilica of Saint Paul’s Without the Walls, the Holy Father placed his ring on the Archbishop’s finger.  They had just signed the Joint Declaration that was intended to begin a dialogue that would lead to full communion between Anglicans and the See of Rome. The Pope used the phrases “our dear sister church” and “united but not absorbed’.  These phrases inspired Anglicans who yearned for the reuniting of the Anglican Communion with the Holy See.  They waited in prayerful optimism for the fulfillment of the work of the Anglican – Roman Catholic International Commission. The Lambeth Conference of 1968 powerfully endorsed the approach to the Holy See of the Archbishop and the proposed work of the Commission.  The Holy Father noted this acceptance in his homily at the Canonization of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales in 1970, when he reflected on the nature of the unity that he anticipated:

There will be no seeking to lessen the prestige and usage proper to the Anglican Church.

These words exchanged between Anglican bishops and the Holy See transformed centuries of profound mistrust and unconsummated dreams of unity.

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Statement of Archbishop Hepworth on Response from Holy See

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archbishop Statement of Archbishop Hepworth on Response from Holy SeeIn the past three weeks, each of the Bishops and Vicars General who signed the Petition to the Holy See of October 5th 2007 seeking “corporate reunion with the Holy See” has received a formal response.  These letters, from the Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, William Cardinal Levada, complete the process of the response of the Holy See to the Petition, and initiate the process of our formal response to the Apostolic Constitution.

The Cardinal makes the point in his letter that

This provision (the Apostolic Constitution with the Norms and Commentary) constitutes the definitive response of the Holy See not only to your original request, but also to the many others of a similar nature which have been submitted over the last years.

In the Petition, the bishops sought

…a communal and ecclesial way of being Anglican Catholics in communion with the Holy See, at once treasuring the full expression of catholic faith and treasuring our tradition within which we have come to this moment.

In another place, they state that the Traditional Anglican Communion was formed, in part

to seek as a body full and visible communion, particularly eucharistic communion, in Christ, with the Roman Catholic Church…

The Cardinal, in his letter, acknowledges our request

that some way might be found to welcome groups of clergy and faithful from the Traditional Anglican Communion into full visible unity with the Catholic Church, in a structure that could offer support and witness to the many evident graces of the Anglican tradition.

He goes on the add that, in the period since the submission of the Petition, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has completed a long and detailed study with the aim of making available

A suitable and viable model of organic unity for your and other such groups.

In the concluding paragraph of his letter, Cardinal Levada states that

I am only too aware of the delicate process of discernment that will no doubt need to be embarked upon by many of our Anglican brothers and sisters, and no less of the many difficult practical issues that will need to be faced.

He sets out the initial steps that must be taken in response.

I have replied to Cardinal Levada, thanking him once again for the generous pastoral understanding in what he has written to us.  I have reiterated my thanks for the groundbreaking and historic nature of the Apostolic Constitution.  I note that the Holy Father last week acknowledged the work of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the production of the Apostolic Constitution.  Pope Benedict told the Congregation that

Unity is first and foremost the unity of faith, upheld by the sacred tradition of which Peter's Successor is the primary custodian and defender…the faithful adherence of these groups (of Anglicans) to the truth received from Christ and presented in the Magisterium of the Church is in no way contrary to the ecumenical movement, it reveals, rather the ultimate scope that consists in reaching the full and visible communion of the disciples of the Lord.

I stated in my initial comments on the response of the Holy See last October that our obligation was “to be still in prayer and reflection” as a possibility arises that has been unavailable to communities of Anglicans since the cleavage of the Reformation.  Our bishops, at my request and that of the Holy See, have maintained their quietness until the whole process of promulgation has been completed.

Next week, I will be publishing a commentary on the Constitution for members of the Traditional Anglican Communion.  Now that a formal response has been received, I am also releasing at the same time the text of the Petition.  In my statement, I will be setting out the steps that must now be taken by the whole College of Bishops, and by each part of our Communion.  I emphasize that this “process of discernment” concerns the primary command of Jesus to His Church.  It can neither be hurried nor lightly undertaken.  But I also emphasize that a way of achieving unity has been created that is a direct and immediate response to our Petition, and to delay implementing the fullness of communion that we have sought would be in serious defiance of the will of Jesus for His Church.  Now, above all, we must be sensitive to our Lord, and sensitive to each other.

The process we are following is this:

1. We are already in detailed and fruitful discussion with other Anglican groups mentioned by the Cardinal, and with bishops nominated to liaise with us by Catholic Conferences of Bishops in several parts of the world.

2. In the next few weeks, in Japan, Central America, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Torres Strait, and a little later in India, Africa and Europe, I will have the opportunity of meeting with many of the clergy and people of our Communion.  Regional gatherings of bishops, clergy and people are being organized in each part of our Communion.  I look forward very much to being with you.

3. I will be calling a full meeting of the College of Bishops for Eastertide, 2010.  The bishops will make a formal response to the Holy See, which will be followed in due time by canonical steps in the member churches of the Traditional Anglican Communion.

In the meantime, as we contemplate our response, we do well to read again and again the words of Jesus in the great prayer to His Father for the unity of His followers, and to measure our response with His words.

And also we should read with careful attention the opening words of the Constitution, in which Pope Benedict spells out his response to our request:

In recent times the Holy Spirit has moved groups of Anglicans to petition repeatedly and insistently to be received into full Catholic communion individually as well as corporately. The Apostolic See has responded favorably to such petitions. Indeed, the successor of Peter, mandated by the Lord Jesus to guarantee the unity of the episcopate and to preside over and safeguard the universal communion of all the Churches could not fail to make available the means necessary to bring this holy desire to realization.

+John Hepworth, Primate         January 16th 2010

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