Statue of St. Peter in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. / Credit: Vatican Media
Rome Newsroom, Jun 13, 2024 / 09:42 am (CNA).
The Vatican published a 130-page study on papal primacy on Thursday containing suggestions from Orthodox and Protestant Christian communities for how the role of the Bishop of Rome might look in a future “reunited Church.”
The study document, titled “The Bishop of Rome: Primacy and Synodality in Ecumenical Dialogue and Responses to the Encyclical Ut Unum Sint,” is the first Vatican text since the Second Vatican Council to outline the entire ecumenical debate on papal primacy.
In addition to identifying the theological questions surrounding papal primacy in ecumenical dialogue, the document goes a step further to provide suggestions “for a ministry of unity in a reunited Church,” including “a differentiated exercise of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome.”
The end of the text published on June 13 includes a section of proposals from the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity on “the exercise of primacy in the 21st century,” including recommendations for “a synodal exercise” of papal primacy.
Synodality
The dicastery concludes that “growing synodality is required within the Catholic Church” and that “many synodal institutions and practices of the Eastern Catholic Churches could inspire the Latin Church.”
It adds that “a synodality ad extra” could include regular meetings among Christian representatives at the worldwide level in a “conciliar fellowship” to deepen communion.
This builds off of dialogue with some Orthodox representatives who have asserted that “any restoration of full communion between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches will require, on both sides, a strengthening of synodal structures and a renewed understanding of a universal primacy – both serving communion among the churches.”
At a Vatican press conference on June 13, Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary-general of the General Secretariat of the Synod, said that this study document is being released as a very “convenient time” as the Church prepares for the second session of the Synod on Synodality in the fall.
A representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, who joined the press conference via video link, underlined that “the synodality of the Catholic Church is an important criterion for the Oriental Orthodox churches on our way to full communion.”
Defining responsibilities of the pope
The Catholic Church holds that Jesus made Peter the “rock” of his Church, giving him the keys to the Kingdom and instituting him as the shepherd of the whole flock. The pope as Peter’s successor is the “perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful,” as described in one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium.
The new study document proposes “a clearer distinction be made between the different responsibilities of the Pope, especially between his ministry as head of the Catholic Church and his ministry of unity among all Christians, or more specifically between his patriarchal ministry in the Latin Church and his primatial ministry in the communion of Churches.”
It notes the possibility of “extending this idea to consider how other Western Churches might relate to the Bishop of Rome as primate while having a certain autonomy themselves.”
The text notes that Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches emphasized the importance of regional leadership in the Church and advocated “a balance between primacy and primacies.” It adds that some ecumenical dialogues with Western Christian communities also applied this to the Catholic Church by calling for “a strengthening of Catholic episcopal conferences, including at the continental level, and for a continuing ‘decentralization’ inspired by the model of the ancient patriarchal Churches.”
Invoking the principle of subsidiarity, which means that no matter that can properly be dealt with at a lower level should be taken to a higher one, the text describes how some ecumenical dialogues argued that “the power of the Bishop of Rome should not exceed that required for the exercise of his ministry of unity at the universal level, and suggest a voluntary limitation in the exercise of his power.”
“In a reconciled Christianity, such communion presupposes that the Bishop of Rome’s relationship to the Eastern Churches and their bishops […] would have to be substantially different from the relationship now accepted in the Latin Church,” it says.
‘Rewording’ of teachings of Vatican I
Another concrete proposal put forward by the dicastery is “a Catholic ‘re-reception’, ‘re-interpretation,’ ‘official interpretation,’ ‘updated commentary,’ or even ‘rewording’ of the teachings of Vatican I,” particularly with regard to definitions on primacy of jurisdiction and papal infallibility.
The First Vatican Council, which took place between 1869 and 1870 under Pope Pius IX, dogmatically defined papal infallibility in the constitution, Pastor Aeternus, which said that when the Roman Pontiff speaks ex cathedra, that is, when he officially teaches in his capacity of the universal shepherd of the Church on a doctrine on a matter of faith or morals and addresses it to the entire world, the defined doctrine is irreformable.
An Anglican representative who spoke at the Vatican press conference highlighted how certain aspects of Vatican I have been a particular “stumbling block” for Angelicans.
The study document released by the Vatican pointed to how arguments have been made in ecumenical dialogue that some of the teachings of Vatican I “were deeply conditioned by their historical context” and suggested that “the Catholic Church should look for new expressions and vocabulary faithful to the original intention but integrated into a communio ecclesiology and adapted to the current cultural and ecumenical context.”
It describes how some ecumenical dialogues “were able to clarify the wording of the dogma of infallibility and even to agree on certain aspects of its purpose, recognizing the need, in some circumstances, for a personal exercise of the teaching ministry, given that Christian unity is a unity in truth and love.”
“In spite of these clarifications, the dialogues still express concerns regarding the relation of infallibility to the primacy of the Gospel, the indefectibility of the whole Church, the exercise of episcopal collegiality and the necessity of reception,” it adds.
‘That they all may be one’
The document summarizes responses by different Christian communities to Pope John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical on Christian unity, Ut Unum Sint (“That They All May Be One”).
In particular to the Polish pope’s invitation in the encyclical for Christian leaders and theologians to engage in a patient and fraternal dialogue on papal primacy.
“It is out of a desire to obey the will of Christ truly that I recognize that as bishop of Rome I am called to exercise that ministry. I insistently pray the Holy Spirit to shine his light upon us, enlightening all the pastors and theologians of our Churches, that we may seek — together, of course — the forms in which this ministry may accomplish a service of love recognized by all concerned,” John Paul II wrote.
Ut Unum Sint says that the bishop of Rome as the successor of the Apostle Peter has a “specific duty” to work for the cause of Christian unity.
The study document published by the Vatican is the result of more than three years of work summarizing some 30 responses to Ut unum sint and 50 ecumenical dialogue documents on the subject.
Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholics experts were consulted in collaboration with the Institute for Ecumenical Studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Cardinal Kurt Koch, the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, noted at the press conference that one of the fruits of the ecumenical theological dialogue in the past three decades has been “a renewed reading of the ‘Petrine texts,’” in which dialogue partners were invited to “consider afresh the role of Peter among the apostles.”
The Vatican notes that the “the concerns, emphases and conclusions of the different dialogues varied according to the confessional traditions involved.”
As a study document, its goal is only to offer “an objective synthesis of the ecumenical discussions” on papal primacy, and “does not claim to exhaust the subject nor summarize the entire Catholic magisterium on the subject.”
Cardinal Koch explained that Pope Francis gave his approval for the dicastery to publish the document, but this does not mean that the pope approved every sentence.
Ian Ernest, the director of the Anglican Center in Rome, thanked Catholic leaders for publishing the new document, which he said “opens up new perspectives for ecumenical relations on the much debated question of the relationship between primacy and synodality.”
“As the personal representative of the archbishop of Canterbury, I am delighted that one of the most comprehensive and detailed responses to St. John Paul II’s invitation in Ut unum sint was given by the House of bishops of the Church of England in 1997,” he said.
Ernest described the Anglican Lambeth Conference and Primates’ Meeting as examples of “synodality at work,” which enable the Anglican communion “to prayerfully understand the ecumenical dialogues and new perspectives which touch on … important doctrinal aspects.”
In response to questions from journalists, Cardinal Grech acknowledged that different Christian churches have different ways of conceiving synodality.
Grech noted that the synthesis report from the 2023 assembly of the Synod on Synodality asked theologians to examine “the way in which a renewed understanding of the episcopate within a synodal Church affects the ministry of the Bishop of Rome and the role of the Roman Curia.”
He added that “the debate is still open” as the Church continues the synodal process with the second assembly in the fall.
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Marx and Francis continue to do the plan of the McCarrick Establishment, which serves the will of Anti-Christ.
As intended by the SEX ABUSER CONCLAVE of 2013, Pope Francis does NOT “hold and teach the Catholic faith, which comes to us from the Apostles.”
I would have written a different letter which goes as follows:
Your Eminence.
Since you and several of your Episcopal Colleagues in Germany do not believe in upholding the immutable truths of the Catholic faith, but instead seek to create a whole new religion based on moral relativism, I kindly suggest that you and your like-minded brothers leave the Catholic Church which you despise so much and start your own religion. At least then nobody would be able to accuse you of being dishonest and only staying in office solely to grow fat off the German Church Tax.
Or they could join the Anglican Communion, which communes perfectly with modern hedonism which is what they seem to want to do.
…and even so, the Anglican Catholics would disdain him, as they have split from the AC.
TAKE YOUR FILTHY LUCRE
The German Church tax is 8 or 9 percent of the annual income tax. It garners the Catholic Church in Germany about $6 billion a year, while the Protestants, mostly Lutherans, take in slightly more than the Catholics. That’s a lot of money, ladies and gentlemen!
It’s all this filthy lucre that has destroyed the Catholic Church in Germany. The German bishops should imitate poor Judas and tell their Government to take their 30 pieces of silver and you know the rest….!
Matthew describes the scene in these words: “When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders…. ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,’ he said…. So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left” (27: 3-5).
Cardinal Marx, now it’s your move.
It is high time that we faithful Catholics excommunicate these German anti Christ Catholic bishops. It is really not clear what they want. They seem to want to change the teachings of Lord Jesus Christ. For example Jesus said what God has joined no one shall separate. German theologians like Marx wants to change it as “ the husband and wife can decide their separation any time. Jesus said if you look a woman with lust you have already committed adultery in the heart. But Marx’s wants to change it as — you can look at women and enjoy sex, but do not rape her physically
Right on!
He’s the vanguard of a bad lot. He’s worried the German people will not pay the church tax and his frumpiness won’t be able to afford his mansion and the season at Gestad.
A synod (noun) is one thing, a synodal (adjective) Church is something else.
On a morphed and synodal Church, the German Cardinal Marx falls far short of a Bavarian cardinal and then pope who clarified that even “a Council is only something that the Church DOES, but it is not what the Church IS.”
And bearing on the German Cardinal Marx and his Hegel connection, it was probably de Maistre (a surely insufficiently-dialectical Frenchman, but also resident in Switzerland, Italy and Russia!) who once observed that “when you pull off the miter, the head comes with it.”
:Your Eminence, the German Church — the Catholicism of my ancestors — is dying. It will not be revitalized by becoming a simulacrum of moribund liberal Protestantism.” I would suggest that it is not just the German Church that is dying—with the possible exception of the Church in Africa, I think the death knell has sounded on every other continent. And this seems to be happening in the blink of an eye.
These men have simply ceased to be Catholic, and I am concerned our Pope has, too, being afraid to discipline. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end of which leads to perdition”. Justice is to be tempered with mercy, not trampled on because it is based on a hard teaching. How many disciples left Jesus when the teachings were hard?
A very good letter and equally good comments of people who love the Holy Catholic Church. I too, am at times despair, at the charges of sexual abuse by the clergy albeit a small number of them. But as on occasion in the centuries nay millennia past, God has His way of steering His Holy Church out of such depravities. I have the faith that the intrinsic goodness and sanctity will be restored at the time of His choosing. He shall watch his Holy Church
One prime area in which Our Lord encouraged his apostolic leaders to (loose and) “bind” was in regard to man’s life of sin and grace in consideration of each man’s willingness to repent. Jesus did wish that his followers be loosened from overwrought human religious traditions, but this relates only to man’s reliance upon devotions that overcome or prevent mercy; it is not the same as Tradition. Jesus clearly bound his followers to Tradition (Church teaching) by demanding that his followers adhere to the teachers of the Law by “observing what they tell you.” However, this was never an excuse to allow the apostolic office to tell us to do whatever they choose to do, since Jesus in the same lesson told his disciples to “not do what they do”.
Take heart George Weigel there are a brave few of the Elect within the German Hierarchy. They will likely be the nucleus of a Remnant. What transpires now before us is the modal of transformation of the Church planned, engineered, carefully executed according to plan to ‘ease’ change avoiding undo haste and reaction. Cardinal Carlo Martini’s stratagem to catapult Catholicism into an envisioned new paradigm of radical doctrinal revision in the guise of a more compassionate less legalistic form. Likely [my guess not being a Vatican insider simply a wary observer] Fr A Spadaro SJ’s advice [the Pontiff’s ‘brain’ similar to Carl Rove called Bush 43’s brain] a Sicilian from Catania [so not only ethnic Germans weep] to make change seem limited rather than universal. Although the Pontiff declared recently that the Feb Synod’s findings [whatever that means apart from his agenda] are Magisterial. Dr Fastiggi pointed out that Cardinal Gerhard Mueller was highly critical of the Pope’s declaration that Synodal conclusions are conclusive, meaning Magisterial and virtually binding. We all require great faith at this apparent apex moment in Church history. As all prev complaints to the Pontiff were placed in his circular file we can’t realistically expect a meaningful response to your well intended letter. Better to spend our energy imploring our bishops.
Although in agreement with Roberto de Mattei it is the Bishops and Cardinals of the Church who are indebted both to Christ and the Pontiff to offer filial correction Laity also in accordance with canon law have a right even duty to address justice with Hierarchy. Thus in principle George Weigel’s letter has value. Furthermore any well written well intended statement from credentialed laity [not to dismiss petitions by ordinary laity] should have salutary effect on the general public.
My concern regarding the Pope is so great I lost track of who George Weigel addressed his letter to. O well I suppose Cardinal Marx perceives himself as the pope of Germany anyway. And I’m confidant he makes good use of his own circular file.
How can that which contradicts and thus denies The Deposit Of Faith be “Magisterial and binding”.? No validly elected Pope would make such an error in regards to our Catholic Faith and morals as informed by Christ Himself.
Does the cardinal care? Of course, he does. He is delighted, that’s what he wants, he is very thankful, because you confirmes what he already knows ver y well…
The Germans have been undermining Christian unity for over 500 years why stop now.Marx may live long enough to see the fruit of his work. Collapse could be sudden.
Thank you again George Weigel!! for your clear, intelligent and concise expression. In all these days of late I am still surprised that many so called leaders show their very lack of having moved into the powerful and beautiful spiritual experience of true living in our merciful God who gives us so many delightful, abundantly joyful, creative ways to live on earth. And they can’t even see how empty their words are. They are flatlanders and showing it wo well.
For example how can a morally empty criminal abuser be good marriage prospect???
She would have to be REALLY DESPERATE. His words are laughable. IT seems the really simple loving people in the pews that I know, are experiencing the truth more than this blundering Mark brother. (Sorry I couldn’t resist.)
Was supposed to say,”Marx” brother, as in Groucho and Harpo. duh
As George Weigel was a great admirer of Father Maciel and the Legionaries of Christ, he has a track record of less than stellar judgement. Based on this record, his denouncement of Marx will have me looking a little closer at his proposals😀.
@Nick McCann, it is one thing to be duped by a crafty sociopath like Maciel (and, as in the case of Weigel, then make a correction of one’s position upon discovering the betrayal of trust) but another thing to willingly embrace a deceiver and corrupter like Marx after being duly warned about his path of destruction, one in plain view. Or perhaps you have no better arguments for addressing Weigel’s points than an ad hominem?
Marx is playing a dangerous game. The laity are bound to obey the bishop only in so far as the bishop is obedient to the Faith. If the bishops won’t be obedient to Scripture, Tradition and the authoritative teachings of the Church as outlined in the Catechism then the laity don’t have to obey them. The bishops will have “binding power” on no one. They don’t realize it, but proposals from bishops like Marx, will eventually result in their total irrelevance. If Church teaching is up for debate then so is the Church’s teaching on the authority of the bishop.
I know there are some issues with the SSPX, but given the crisis in the Church (especially Germany) I wouldn’t blame a German Catholic for choosing to go to an SSPX parish if the other option is the type of “Catholicism” that Cardinal Marx is promoting.
The trick of Card. Marx when he talks about sinodality, is to transform it , translating it ” de facto” for a more secular, still unpronounced, word : Confederation.
This way, we are again in 16th C. with the old motto ” Cuius regio, eius religio “.
What really matters is not the name but the content !.
Of course, a Synod cannot modify the Doctrine of the Catholic Church, but, who cares?.
Good old Luther will be happy wherever he may be.
The REFORMER, has already been recently honored in Rome in different ways, including a nice post stamp.
1)”What does the celibacy of priests in the Latin-rite have to do with the sexual abuse crisis?” Allowing married men to be priests would open up the pool of available candidates to the priesthood to be ordained to holy married men, so the church is not reliant upon only faithful celibate males, but also holy married men. It is supply and demand. It would free the church to weed out the pedophiles, and sexually active homosexual clergy who are causing people to lose faith and doing enormous damage to the church, yet would not leave the church without the sacraments. It is a solution to the clerical abuse caused by sexually active homosexual priests and pedophiles. I would personally would welcome this as a solution.
The other points made in this article are good, namely objecting to having a synod rule-maker, which seems to be another name for “clique” or small number of handpicked cardinals to change the rules. It is a built-in formula for division since rules are made without the consensus of the whole body of Christ. The Holy Spirit works out of consensus.
Dear Dr. Wiegel,
It is not necessary for the entire church to move, in lockstep fashion, at every moment. For German Catholics to allow married priests would be, first and foremost, a move to meet an urgent pastoral issue in Germany. It would also serve to offer a possibility for other regional churches.
Regional synods were held frequently in the patristic period and their decisions were binding. No one imagined that nothing could be decided prior to an ecumenical council or a papal decree binding upon the whole church. The first ecumenical council in 325 was the invention of Constantine. Universal papal decrees were unknown prior to the middle ages.
May I invite you to become conservative by embracing the practice of the patristic churches?
Fraternally,
Aaron