Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 12 — The Georgia Bulletin, October 29,1987
Synod Discussion Of Lay Ministries Raises Many Questions
VATICAN CITY (NC) -
Participants in the world
Synod of Bishops backed
equal access to lay
ministries, but in discus
sions on some key points of
the ministries they ap
peared to raise more ques
tions than answers.
Unlike previous years,
summaries of the synod’s
small-group discussions
were kept secret. However,
statements at a press con
ference and a midsynod
summary report obtained
by National Catholic News
Service revealed some of
the content of the closed-
door sessions.
The third week of the Oct.
1-30 synod consisted mainly
of those discussions, with
participants grouped ac
cording to language.
Archbishop John L. May
of St. Louis, head of the U.S.
bishops’ conference, said
Oct. 20 that a “strong con
sensus” had emerged in the
small groups that all non-
ordained ministries should
be open to men and women.
Many of the groups spe
cifically asked that “child
ren of both sexes be allow
ed to serve at the altar,” he
said.
Archbishop May said it
was the feeling of many of
the groups that the
ministries of lector and
acolyte should either be
“refashioned as steps to or
dination,” or if retained as
they are now, “they should
be opened to both men and
women.”
In reforms instituted by
Pope Paul VI, the minis
tries of lector and acolyte
were no longer reserved
only for those about to be
obtained. They continue to
Arias' Nobel Peace Plan Spurs
Talks In El Salvador, Guatemala
BY LAURIE HANSEN
WASHINGTON (NC) -
The Central America peace
plan which won the Nobel
Peace Prize for Costa
Rican President Oscar
Arias Oct. 13 also spurred
numerous developments in
the region in October, in
cluding peace talks in El
Salvador and Guatemala.
In announcing the winner
of the peace prize, the Nobel
committee of the Norwe
gian Paliament said Arias
“made an outstanding con
tribution to the possible
return of stability and
peace to a region long torn
by strife and civil war.”
Less than two weeks
before the announcement
came, Archbishop Arturo
Rivera Damas of San
Salvador, El Salvador,
served as mediator for
negotiations between re
presentatives of the Salva
doran government, headed
by President Jose Napole
on Duarte, and Salvadoran
rebels.
Although a cease-fire was
not negotiated, the Oct. 4-5
peace talks were “the most
significant to date,” said
Archbishop Rivera Damas
while in Washington a few
days later.
“I say that because of the
length of the talks, the pro
fundity and candid quality
of the arguments, the fact
that participants were high-
level, and because of the
points of convergence,” he
said in an Oct. 10 interview
with National Catholic
News Service.
Also as a result of the
Arias plan, Guatemalan
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rebels and government of
ficials met in Madrid for
negotiations.
The Arias plan, signed
Aug. 7 in Guatemala, out
lines measures to take ef
fect in each Central
American country within 90
days. These include a
general cease-fire, amnes
ty for guerrilla forces, in
ternal democratization,
and prohibition on the use of
one country’s territory for
aggression against another
country.
be canonically restricted to
men, although women lec
tors are commonplace in
U.S. parishes.
The archbishop said
there has been “less
unanimity’’ among the
small groups about the role
of ordained and non-
ordained ministers than
about other topics. Besides
lectors and acolytes, “lay
ministers” could refer to
permanent deacons, dele
gates of the Word, teachers
and catechists, Communion
distributors, parish admin
istrators and workers in
Catholic charity and social
programs.
A midsynod summary
report, dated Oct. 13, and
obtained later by National
Catholic News Service, pos
ed these questions :
— Which functions should
be called ministries, which
should be called offices and
which should be called
duties?
— Which is the competent
authority to decide or per
mit these ministries in the
church?
— How should non-
ordained ministries be con
ferred on the laity? Is a
liturgical act required or
does a juridical act suffice?
“Clearly there was
dissatisfaction in descrip
tions of the role of ordained
and non-ordained minis
tries,” said Archbishop
May. “There is a...lack of
theological and canonical
precision, which needs cor
rection and then develop
ment.”
The archbishop said
women should be con
sidered for more church
positions, but he warned
against “unreal expecta
tions” on the part of some
laity that major changes
regarding women would
come out of the synod.
From Oct. 14 to Oct. 17
synod delegates and
observers met in small
groups, called “circuli
minores.” These groups
reported back to the
general assembly on their
discussions Oct. 19-20. The
press conference was the
first public word about
what the groups discussed.
Following the press con
ference, the delegates
returned to their groups for
another week of discussion
behind closed doors.
On Oct. 22 the Vatican
named five people to com
pile the synod's final
message, to be pastoral or
exhortative in nature.
Members of the drafting
committee were Bishop
OF THE
Dario Castrillon Hoyos of
Pereira, Colombia, presi
dent of the Latin American
Bishops’ Council; Arch
bishop Leonardo Z.
Legaspi of Caceres, Philip
pines; Bishop Robert
Sastre of Lokossa, Benin;
Chaldean Bishop Yussef
Ibrahim of Cairo, Egypt;
and Father Marcello Zago,
superior general of the
Oblates of Mary Imma
culate.
In addition to the general
message, synod delegates
were to vote on a series of
propositions to be compiled
into a final report for the
pope, who may incorporate
it into his own apostolic ex
hortation on the synod
theme.
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