Posted on 12/13/2004 10:19:33 AM PST by Land of the Irish
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By Stephen Kent
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Father Thomas P. Rausch, with Archbishop Alex J. Brunett and Mary Cross, who directs the Office of Catholic Faith Formation, at Advent Ministry Day at St. Mary Magdalen Church in Everett. |
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EVERETT – The currents of renewal begun by Vatican II will continue reshaping Catholicism, a Jesuit theologian told a Dec. 2 gathering of pastors and pastoral staff.
In his presentation, “Vatican II Today and Tomorrow,” Father Thomas R. Rausch took note of the five-year vision plan for the archdiocese developed by the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council. “A Vision of Hope” was formally promulgated last month by Archbishop Alex J. Brunett.
“The statement is remarkably open,” said Father Rausch. “The document is honest – it raises some all but insoluble issues.”
Father Rausch, professor of theology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, has published 11 books and specializes in the areas of ecclesiology, ecumenism and the theology of the priesthood.
He spoke at Advent Ministry Days, an in-service enrichment program for staffs of parishes sponsored by Archbishop Brunett. Father Rausch also spoke at St. Ann Church in Tacoma on Dec 1 and St. Rose Church in Longview on Dec. 3.
The process initiated by the Second Vatican Council, which met 1963-1965, is not yet completed, he said, nor is it received in the same way by all persons.
“For some, we have come too far too fast,” he said. “Others are equally unhappy for opposite reasons.”
“For the vast majority, Vatican II belongs to history,” he said.
In his presentation, Father Rausch dealt with the image of the church, the role of bishops, the role of the laity, and ecumenism.
The image of the church as the People of God established by the council “is a far cry from the image of the church as the ‘Perfect Society’’ which suggests that it had nothing to learn from other societies,” said Father Rausch. The church is also imaged as a mystery and a pilgrim church.
“The church should be a sign of unity of the whole human family,” he said.
The Vatican II teaching on the role of bishops, especially collegiality, results in an ecclesiology of communion, he said.
“Bishops are not to be regarded as vicars of the Roman pontiff. Vatican II said that they, just as the pope, are also vicars of Christ.”
The church is “no longer understood as a papal monarchy but as episcopal collegiality,” said Father Rausch.
Vatican II brought a great new understanding to the role of the laity.
“From the time of the Council of Trent, the laity was reduced to being passive members,” he said, “their mission came only through the hierarchy.
The council’s teaching on the universal call to holiness means the laity share equally in the mission of Christ.
There has been an “explosion of ministry” as the result of Vatican II, he said. The number of lay people formally preparing for full time ministry has more than doubled in the past nine years, he said. As a result, the church’s ministerial culture is becoming quite different, he said.
Father Rausch also noted the “declericization of theology.”
“Theology was done in seminaries,” he said. “There was no place where women could go for graduate work in theology as late as 1965 when Marquette University established the first doctorate program.
“Today, theology is being done by lay men and lay women, not priests,” he said.
The sex abuse crisis has given evidence of the need to give laity more input into the governance of the church.
Evangelization is a priority.
“Pope John Paul II has put it at the center of the understanding of the church and its mission,” he said.
The pope has called Christians to a new evangelization in areas where Christianity has declined as well as among refugees, migrants young people and those influenced by the mass media.
“What can we do to bring them home?” is the question he said.
“A very real question is whether the church is functioning in a collegial way,” he said. “Public criticism by members of the hierarchy is indicative of widespread dissatisfaction.”
Later, responding to a question from the floor about the cause of the dissatisfaction, Father Rausch said, “I think we’re at the end of a long pontificate. The reverence for the pontiff makes one reluctant to raise questions.”
Most members of the College of Cardinals, who eventually will be electors, are not members of the Vatican curia but are pastors as head of dioceses, he said.
“They are aware of the problems and will be looking for a pope who can handle them. Many are aware of the challenges the church is facing but would never address them publicly due to a reverence for this pope.”
Globalization, which has far outdistanced the ability of churches to address problems because of their own divisions, calls for a rethinking of ecumenism, he said.
“If ecumenism is not local, it will not be effective,” he said. Local churches can establish effective ecumenical commissions, and parishes can have ecumenical officers, he said. Denominations can join in common celebrations and give common witness in social issues. he said.
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It's the bishops who are becoming more and more marginalized. Their credibility is zilch.
It would be even more polite not to assume.
"I came not to bring peace, but a sword."
I give thanks each day that more and more evangelization is alive and well in the Catholic Church these days.
It's when we, as parishioners, go out and talk with former or lapsed Catholics and invite them back to the church that things happen -- good things such as these people coming back and participating in a Returning Catholics group or taking an RCIA class.
Priests can not do it all by themselves anymore. Nor can deacons. Nor can nuns.
My opinion only here -- all Catholics need to dig in, and go out and serve the Lord and others by bringing them back to the church or introducting them to the Catholic Church for the first time.
Thank you for your answer. LOL!
Dollars to donuts if you line up abuse reports on a graph there would be a marked decrease over the last week.
Knock it off.
He lurks about in the shadows, then rushes out to cut and slash. He's a modernist alright.
Our greatest weapon is our rosary. Further, we need to re-educate the children of God who sit in the pews on Sunday ignorant of the blasphemy befalling them. It is our obligation to remind them of the incredible history of His Church; His Saints; the significance and purity and necessity of His Holy Sacraments. Lastly, we need to join with them in discussing the writings of the greatest thinkers of Roman Catholicism - none of whom sat with the majority assembled for the "....pastoral...." V2.
You are absolutely right, thor76. A conversion of the faithful is needed. Now!
RE: #31, AMEN.
God bless you.
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