Perspectief 2014-26

Perspectief 46 Prof. dr. Peter De Mey - When moving to the level of the diocese pope Francis seems to be aware of the fact that it is better not to conceive of the diocese as a “part” of the universal Church: “Each particular church, as a portion of the Catholic Church under the leadership of its bishop, is likewise called to missionary conversion. It is the primary subject of evangelization, since it is the concrete manifestation of the one Church in one specific place, and in it ‘the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and operative’.” (§ 30) Some theologians wonder whether the pope in clear distinction of a dear conviction of his predecessor, is not even defending the priority of the local Church here. 8 The pope is also willing to listen to the input of the bishops on the themes he is discussing in his exhortation: “Nor do I believe that the papal magisterium should be expected to offer a definitive or complete word on every question which affects the Church and the world. It is not advisable for the Pope to take the place of local Bishops in the discernment of every issue which arises in their territory. In this sense, I am conscious of the need to promote a sound ‘decentralization’.” (§ 16) The exhortation is also a clear break with the past in that the Pope often quotes from meetings of national (8 times) and continental episcopal conferences (12 times; understandably almost always referring to the 2007 CELAM general assembly in Aparecida which convened under his presidency) and even twice from a document of the International Theological Commission. 9 8 In Evangelii Gaudium one will indeed not find the following statement about the universal church from Communionis Notio (1992): “… in its essential mystery, it is a reality ontologically and temporally prior to every individual particular Church.” (§ 9) 9 A few years ago my conclusion was different with regard to the 2003 postsynodal exhortation Ecclesia in Europa of Pope John-Paul II. Cf. P. De Mey, “The Church in a European Perspective,” The Routledge Companion to the Christian Church , eds. G. Mannion & L. Mudge L. (London: Routledge, 2007) 364-385, p. XXX: “It should also be noted by way of critique that the footnote references in Ecclesia in Europa draw exclusively on the teaching of the universal magisterium of the Church, whereas there can be little doubt that valuable contributions from individual European bishops and theologians or from their collaborative gatherings are also available. In the present author’s opinion, it is sad – and perhaps some indication of a lack of ecumenical engagement on behalf of the Catholic Church – that there is no single reference in Ecclesia in Europa to the Charta Oecumenica (2001), a major result of cooperation between a Roman Catholic body, the Council of