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DEFINES BISHOPS’ ROLE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1964 GEORGIA BULLETIN PAGE 3
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Church Constitution Completes Program
GREETING U. S. Bishops in Rome, Pope Paul VI talks with Bishop Francis F. Reh, rec
tor of the North American College. Awaiting their turns to speak with the Pontiff are
Bishops Robert F. Joyce of Burlington, Vt.. and Walter W. Curtis of Bridgeport. Conn.,
while (extreme left) Msgr. Paul Marcinkus, a Chicago priest working in the papal Sec
retariat of State introduces the prelates.
VATICAN CITY— With its
dogmatic Constitution on the
Nature of the Church, the Sec
ond Vatican Council has com
pleted the program of the First
Vatican Council, thus blurring
the distinction between the two
councils and virtually making
them a unified whole.
The outstanding doctrine in
this declaration on the Church
is the doctrine which was left
in the inkwells of the First Va
tican Council: the role of the
bishops in the Church. Where
the first council defined the pri
macy and infallibility of the
Pope, the second teaches that
the Church's bishops succeed
the apostles in a college or sta
ble group which is headed by
the Pope and with him has su
preme and full power over the
universal Church.
The constitution gives this
teaching in its third chapter.
The subjects of the seven
otherchapters are as follows:
First chapter, the mystery of
the Church.
Second chapter, the People
of God.
Fourth chapter the laity.
Fifth chapter, the universal
call to holiness in the Church.
Sixth chapter, Religious.
Seventh chapter, the eschato
logical nature of the pilgrim
Church and its union with the
Church in heaven.
Eighth chapter, the Blessed
Virgin Mary, the Mother of God,
in the mystery of Christ and the
Church.
THE constitution is so rich
in doctrine it defies condensa
tion. But here is a sketch of
its contents.
The brief introduction ex
plains that the council desires
to give a fuller explanation of
the inner nature and universal
mission of the Church. This
explanation is addressed not
only to the Church's . faithful
but to 1 the whole"world.'
The fist chapter, on the mys
tery of the Church, describes a
fore shadowing of the Church
from the very beginning of the
world. It traces preparations
for the Church in the people of
Israel and the Old Covenant.
“IN THE present era of time
the Church was constituted. . .
At the end of time it will
gloriously achieve completion
when. . . all the just . . . will
be gathered together with the
Father in the universal
Church."
The document then refers to
the Church as "the Kingdom
of Christ now present in mys
tery."
The constitution says "in the
Old Testament the revelation of
the kingdom is often conveyed
by means of metaphors. In the
same way the inner nature of
the Church is now made known
to us in different images. Taken
either from tending sheep or
cultivating land, from buiding or
even from (family lifeandfrom
husband and wife, the images
receive preparatory shaping in
the books of the Prophets."
THE document then lists
some of these images; asheep-
fpld whose one door is Christ;
a flock of sheep; a piec<. of
land to be cultivated; a vine
yard; the building done by God;
the house of God in which His
family dwells; the Holy Temple
into which we on earth are built
as living stones; our mother;
the spotless spouse of the Lamb.
Going beyondthesefigures, -
the constitution says that "by-
communicating His spirit
Christ made His brothers, who
were called together from all
nations, mystically the compon
ents of His own Body.
"In that Body the life of Christ
is poured into believers who,
through the sacraments, are
united in a hidden and real way
to Christ who suffered and was
glorified." The constitution
then explains the function of
baptism and of the Eucharist in
uniting the members of the
Church.
AFTER .explaining, that
Christ is the head of this Body
which is the Church, the consti
tution says, “He has shared
with us His spirit who, exist
ing as one and the same Being
in the Head and in the members,
gives life, unifies and moves
through the whole body." The
Holy Spirit does this in such
a way that "His work could be
compared. . . with the func
tion which the principle of life,
that is, the soul, fulfills in the
human body."
CHRIST established and sust
ains His Church as "the com
munity of faith, hope and char
ity, as an entitiy with visible
delineation. . . Mystical Body
of Christ are not to be consid
ered as two relaities, nor are
the visible assembly and the
spiritual community, nor are
the earthly Church and the
Church enriched with heavenly
things; rather they form one
complex reaity which coalesces
from a divine and a human ele
ment."
The council noted that Christ
carried out His work of redem—
tion in poverty and oppression,
and the Church is called to fol
low the same path.
"THUS the Church, although
it needs human resources to
carry out its mission, is not
set up to seek earthly glory
but to proclaim, even by its
own example, humility and self
sacrifice."
While Christ was utterly un
defiled and came solely to ex
piate sins of others, the Church
“embracing sinners in its bos
om, holy and at the same time
always in need of purification,
follows the endless path of pen
ance and renewal."
The second chapter, on the
People of God, begins by de
claring that God does not sanc
tify and save men merely as
isolated individuals. "Ithasra-
.ther pleased Him to bring men
to gather as one people, a
people which acknowledges Him
in truth and serves Him in
holiness."
God therefore chose the race
of Israel, made a covenant with
it, taught it and prepared it.
But this was a figure of the
new and perfect covenant which
was to be ratified in Christ,
and of the fuller revelation
which was to be given through
the Word of God made flesh.
“CHRIST instituted this new
covenant, the New Testament
that is, in His blood I Cor.
11, 25 , calling together a
people made up of Jew and
Gentile, making them one not
according to the flesh but in the
spirit. This was to be the new
People of God."
The constitution then speaks
of the priesthood of the faith
ful and the ministerial or hie
rarchical priesthood. They
“differ from one another in es
sence and not only in degree."
Yet they are interrelated.
“Each of them in its own spe
cial way is a participation in
the one priesthood of Christ.
The ministerial priest. . .tea
ches and rules the priestly
people; acting in the person of
Christ he makes present the
Eucharistic sacrifice and offers
it to God in thename of the
people. But the faithful in vir
tue of their royal priesthood
join in the offering of the Eu
charist. They likewise exercise
that priesthood in receiving the
sacraments, in prayer and
thanksgiving, in the witness of
a holy life, and by self denial
and active charity.
Besides participating in the
priesthood of Christ, "the Holy
People of God shares also in
Christ's prophetic office." The
council explained that role as
follows: “It spreads abroad a
living witness to Him, especial
ly by means of a life of faith and
charity and by offering to God
a sacrifice of praise."
THE constitution then declar
ed "the entire body of the
faithful, anointed as they are by
the Holy One (I John 2, 27),
cannot err in matters of bel
ief. They maifest this special
property by means of the super
natural discernment of the
whole people in matters of faith
when ‘from bishops down to the
last of the lay faithful' they
show universal agreement in
matters of faith and morals."
The Holy Spirit sanctifies
and leads the People of God not
only through the sacraments
and ministeries of the Church,
but by special graces or “cha-
risms” which He distributes
among the faithful of every
rank. “But the judgment as to
their genuinesses and proper
use belongs to those who are
appointed leadersin the Church,
to whose special competence it
belongs not indeed to extinguish
the spirit but to test all things
and hold fast to that which is
good."
Since all men are called to
belong the new People of God,
"it follows that though there
are many nations there is but
one People of God, which takes
its citizens from every
race. . . ."
HOWEVER not only is the
People of God composed of dif
ferent peoples but also of var
ious ranks.
"This diversity arises either
by reason of their duties, as is
the case with those who exer
cise the sacred ministry for
the good of their brethren, or
by reason of their condition and
•state of life, as is the case
with those many who enter the
religious state and, tending to
ward holiness by a narrower
path, stimulate their brethren
by their example.
“Moreover, within the
Church particular churches
hold a rightful place; these
churches retain their own tra
ditions, without in any way op
posing the primacy of the Chair
of Peter, which presides over
the whole assembly of charity
and protects legitimate differ
ences while at the same time
assuring that such differences
do not hinder unity but rather
contribute toward it."
The council dealt with the
question of membership in the
Catholic Church.
“ALL MEN are called to be
part of this Catholic unity of
the People of God which im-
promoting universal peace
presages it. And there belong to,
or are related to it in var
ious ways, the Catholic faithful,
all who believe in Christ, and
indeed the whole of mankind,
for all men are called by
the grace of God to salvation."
Th e council first turned its
attention to the Catholic faith
ful. “They are fully incorpora
ted into the society of the Church
who, possessing the spirit of
Christ, accept her entire sys
tem and all means of salva
tion given to her, and are unit
ed with her as part of her
visible bodily structure and
through her with Christ, who
rules her through the Supreme
Pontiff and the bishops. The
bonds which bind men to the
Church in a visible way are the
profession of faith, the sacra
ments and ecclesiastical gove
rnment and communion."
The council warned that he
is not saved who, though part
of the body of the Church, does
not persevere in charity.
CATECHUMENS who seek
explicitly to be incorporated
into the Church are "by that
very intention joined with her."
About non-Catholic Christ
ians the council had this to say:
“Th e Church recognizes that
in many ways she is linked
with those, who being baptized,
are honored with the name of
Christian though they do not
profess the Faith in its entire
ty or do not preserve unity of
communion with the successor
of Peter."
The constitution lists many
links between Catholics and oth
er Christians: Honor of Holy
Writ, aposotlic zeal, belief in
God and in Christ consecra
tion by Baptism, recognition of
sacraments. Many also have the
episcopate, the eucharist and
love of the Blessed Virgin.
“LIKEWISE we can say that
in some real way they are join
ed with us in the Holy Spirit,
for to them too He gives His
gifts and graces .... Some
indeed He has strengthened to
the extent of the shedding of
their blood."
Mother Church never fails
to pray, hope and work for the
peaceful unity of the one flock
under one shepherd. "She
extorts her children to purifi
cation and renewal so that the
sign of Christ may shine more
brightly over the face of the
earth."
The council then turned to
non-Christians. It spoke first of
the Jews “to whom the testa
ment and promises were given
and from whom Christ was
born according to the flesh."
It next spoke of the Moslems
“who profess Abraham's faith,
along with us. of the One, mer
ciful God."
“NOR is God far distant from
those who in shadows and im
ages seek the unknown God. . .
"Those also can attain to sal
vation who through no fault
of their own do not know the
Gospel of Christ or His Church,
yet sincerely seek God and,
moved by grace, strive by their
deeds to do His will as it is
known to them through the dic
tates of conscience."
To proceurt the salvation of
all, the Church fosters missi
ons.
“THROUGH Her work what
ever is good on the minds and
hearts of men, whatever good
lies latent in the religious pra
ctices and cultures of diverse
peoples, is not only saved from
destruction but is also cleansed,
elevated and perfected unto God’
glory, the devil’s confusion
and man’s happiness.
“The obligation of spread
ing the Faith is imposed on
every disciple of Christ accor
ding to his state."
In chapter three, on the
Church’s hierarchical struc
ture and particularly on the
episcopate, the council recalls
the first Vatican Council's
teaching on the founding of the
Church by Christ, His sending
fourth of the apostles, His plac
ing of Peter over the other ap
ostles as a permanent and visi
ble source of foundation of the
unity of faith and communion.
“Continuing in that same un
dertaking, this council is resol
ved to declare and proclaim
before all men the doctrine con
cerning the bishops, successors
of the apostles, who together
with the successor of Peter, the
Vicar of Christ, the visible
head of the whole Church, gov
ern the House of the Living
God."
CHRIST formed the apostles
"after the manner of a college
or a stable group, over which
He placed Peter, chosen from
among them." The divine mis
sion which Christ entrusted to
His apostles "will last until
the end of the world" and for
this reason the apostles, who
had been appointed as rult-
ers over the Church," took care
to appoint successors."
The council teaches “that
bishops by divine institution
have succeeded to the place of
the apostles as shepherds of
the Church, and he who hears
them hears Christ, and he who
rejects them rejects Christ and
Him who sent Christ."
Other key passages from the
text on bishops:
“AND the sacred council tea
ches that by episcopal conser-
ation the fullness of the Sac
rament of Orders is conferred,
that fullness of power which
both in the Church’s liturgical
practice and in the language of
the Fathers of the Church is
called the high priesthood, the
supreme power of the sac
red ministry."
“One is constituted a member
of the episcopal body in virtue
of sacramental consecration
and hierachical communion with
the head and members of the
body.
"But the college or body of
bishops has no authority unless
it is understood together
with the Roman pontiff, the
successor of Peter, as its head.
The pope’s power of primacy
over all, both pastors and faith
ful, remains whole and intact."
“. . . The Roman pontiff
has full, supreme and univer
sal power over the Church. And
he is always free to exercise
this power. The order of
bishops, which succeeds to the
college of apostles and gives
this apostolic body continued
existence, is also the subject
of supreme and full power over
the universal Church, provid
ed we understand this body to
gether with its head, the Ro
man pontiff, and never without
this head. This power can be
exercised only with the con
sent of the Roman pontiff."
"A council is never ecumeni
cal unless it is confirmed or at
least accepted as such by the
successor of Peter; and it is the
prerogative of the Roman pon
tiff to convoke these councils
to preside over them and to -
confirm them."
"THE Roman pontiff... is the
perpetual and visible principle
and foundation of unity of both
the bishops and the faithful.
Individual bishops, however,
are a visible principle andfoun-
dation of unity' in their par
ticular churches. . . .
"Individual bishops who are
placed in charge of particu
lar churches exercise their
pastoral government over the
portion of the People of God
committed to their care, and not
over other churches or over
the universal Church. But each
of them, as a member of the
episcopal college and as a legi
timate successor of the apost
les, is obliged by Christ’s in
stitution and command to be sol-
icitious for the whole Church,-
and this solicitude, though not
exercised by an act of juris
diction, contributes greatly to
the advantage of the universal
Church. For it is the duty of
all bishops to promote and to
safeguard the unity of faith and
the discipline common to the
whole Church. . . .
“THE task of proclaiming
the Gospel everywhere on earth
pertains to the body of pas
tors
“The canonical mission of
bishops can come about by legi
timate customs that have not
been revoked by the supreme
and universal authority of the
Church, or by laws made or
recognized by that same autho
rity, or directly through the
successor of St. Peter himself;
and if the latter refuses or de
nies apostolic communion, such
bishops cannot assume any of
fice.
“Among the principal duties
of the bishops, preaching the
Gospel occupies an eminent
place. . . In matters of faith
and morals, the bishops speak
in the name of Christ and the
faithful are to accept their
teaching and adhere to it with a
religious assent. This religious
submission of mind and will
must be shown in a special way
to the authentic magisterium
of the Roman pontiff, even when
he is not speaking excathedra;
that is, it must be shown in
such a way that his supreme
magisterium is acknowledged
with reverence, the judgments
made by him are sincerely ad
hered to according to his man
ifest mind and will. His m’.nd
and will in the matter may be
known either from the charac
ter of the documents, from his
frequent repetition of the same
doctrine, or from his manner
of speaking.
"ALTHOUGH individual bis
hops do not enjoy the preogra-
tive of infallibility, they never
theless proclaim Christ’s doc
trine infallibly whenever, even
though dispersed throughout the
world, but still maintaining the
bond of communion among
themselves and with the suc
cessor of Peter, they are in
agreement on one position de
finitively to be held."
The council explains infalli
bility of the Pope and infalli
bility of the bishops in terms
of the infallibility of the Church
itself.
The council said the bishops
"have legitimately handed on to
different individuals in the
Church various degrees of par
ticipation" in the ministry; pr
iests and deacons. Priests, “al
though they do not possess
the highest degree of the priest
hood," are nonetheless united
with the bishops in priestly dig
nity.
"AT A lower level of the hie
rarchy are deacons, upon whom
hands are imposed ‘not unto
the priesthood but unto a min
istry of service*. . .
“It is the duty of the deacon
to administer baptism solem
nly, to be a custodian and
dispenser of the Eucharist, to
assist and to bless marriages
in the name of the Church,
to bring the Viaticum to the dy
ing, to read the Sacred Scri
pture to the faithful, to ad
minister sacramentals, to offi
ciate at funeral and burial ser
vices. . .
"It pertains to the competent
territorial bodies of bishops of
one kind or another to decide
whether and where it is oppor
tune for such deacons to be
established for the care of
souls, with the consent of the
Roman pontiff, this diaconate
can in the future be conferred
upon men of mature age, even
upon those living in the marr
ied state. It may also
be conferred upon suitable
young men for whom the law
of celebacy must remain intact.
UnAunance in all iti Jp’ini'i!
91 U'i written, ute w^ule it . . .
Sutter & McLe!tan
1422 RHODES HAVERTY BLDG.
JAckson 5-2086
WHERE INSURANCE IS A PROFESSION NOT A SIDELINE,
Archbishop’s
Notebook
• A WORD FROM EMORY— FROM ROME
One of the distinguished Atlantans to attend the Vatican Coun
cil as a guest was Dr. Theodore Runyon of the Candler School of
Theology. He recently attended three general congregations, as
well as press briefings and press panels. I am sure that he will
not mind my sharing his generous comments with you:
"All in all, the three weeks proved an invaluable
experience, and a chance to see church history in
the making. There is no doubt but that this Council
will be as significant as Trent, for it will usher in
a whole new era, the extent of which we cannot
yet see.
“In comparing notes with both Catholics and Protes
tants from the United States at the Council, I found
that our Atlanta area has made some of the best
progress in the "dialogue"."
We are proud of our Catholic associations with Emory’s
Theologians, which Fr. Theophilus McNulty, O.F.M., has cons
tantly encouraged, and we are grateful to Dr. Runyon for his
refreshing comments.
• REBEL BISHOP (I)
A fascinating biography is that of a predecessor of Bishop
Thomas McDonough and mine—the third bishop of Savannah,
Augustin Verot. After nine years in Savannah (1861-1870) he
was transferred to the new Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida,
whose Ordinary now is Archbishop Joseph Hurley.
Father Michael V. Gannon, of St. Augustine, has done a docu
mented and thoroughly readable account of this stalwart figh
ter. It is called "Rebel Bishop,” and that he was. In the Civil
War, in public and private education, in the Vatican Council,
he blazed new trails. He was seldom on the popular side. About
the only Catholic prelate ever to enter politics in matters not
directly ecclesiastical, he openly fought the Union and its
army leaders, and espoused the Confederacy.
But his rather doctrinnaire defense of slavery' as not evil in
itself has left a one-sided distortion of a very balanced pre
late. First, we must note the voice of the Church in his ringing
rebuke of slave-owners who abused their slaves;
“A man, by being a slave, does not cease to be a man,
retaining all the properties, qualities, attributes,
duties, rights and responsibilities attached to human
nature Whoever would view his slaves merely
as beasts would deserve to be expelled from human
society."
In our times, Bishop Verot's conditions for “the legitimate
possession of slaves" sound strange and unchristian. They are
surely invalid in the full light of the gospel. But Verot’s care
and concern for the dignity of the Negro, especially in the post
war days, was real and dynamic. His white parishioners, he
reminded of their failure to give the Negro a Christian educa
tion. To the Negroes, he spoke of “a slavery far worse than the
one from which you have just emerged the slavery' of bad
habits and evil practices."
Verot was answering, in fact, the naive question of so many
Northern Catholics in our time; "Why did the Church ever estab
lish "Negro Churches"?
(1) On February 9, 1867, in his new school in Savan
nah, "the two races now necessarily in presence of
each other can be benefitted by proper instruction
and education."
(2) But on May 4 of the same year, he found that the
dislike of whites for integration was matched by
Negro failure to use the schools: “They may, no
doubt, attend our instructions, but it is our duty to at
tract them by founding fob them churches, schools
and orphan asylums."
A Frenchman by descent, he was a true Georgian, sharing the
State’s glories and agonies. He was a rebel, but a practical
one.
• A CLIP IN TIME
It is reassuring to have your hair-cut by a fine barber. It is
exciting to find that the young fellow on the other end of the clip
pers is a barbering student. But I had a new experience last week.
1 found myself at the hands and mercy of a barber-school drop
out!
He vowed he’d give me the best "Flat top" I ever had. I vow
ed I’d never had one, and would rather fight than switch. Since
we had no mirror, he was gaining ground, or rather, scalp.
I was irescued, by a kindly nurse after the surrender of enough
hair to fill a dozen pillows. It was at this point that I learned
he had quit barber-school and was entering the Marines!
If they ever assign him t6 barbering, the Marines will soon for
get the horrors of Iwo Jima!
ARCHBISHOP OF ATLANTA
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