THE
ECUMENICAL COUNCILS
V. MINISTERIAL PERSONNEL
Adult
Education,
Charles P.
Poole, Jr.
1. Introduction
2. Implementing the Council
2.1 Documents of
Implementation
2.2
The Liturgy
2.3
The Code of Canon Law
2.4 The Catechism
2.5 Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adults
3. Decree Christus Dominus on the Bishops’ Pastoral
Office
3.1 Preface
3.2 Chap. 1 Relationship of Bishops to the
3.3 Chap. 2 Bishops and their Dioceses
3.4
Those Who Cooperate with the Diocesan Bishop
4. Decree Perfectae Caritatis On
The Appropriate Renewal of the Religious Life
5. Decree Presbyterium Ordinis on The
Ministry and Life of Priests
5.1
Chap. 1 Priesthood
in the
5.2
Chap. 2 The
Ministry of Priests
5.3
Chap. 3 The
Life of Priests
6. Decree Optatam Totius on Priestly Formation
6.1
Chap. 1 Program
in Individual Countries
6.2
Chap. 2 Intensified
Encouragement of Vocations
6.3
Chap. 3 Programming
of Major Seminaries
6.4
Chap. 4 Deepening
of Spiritual Formation
6.5
Chap. 5 Revision
of Ecclesiastical Studies
6.6
Chap. 6 Promotion
of Pastoral Training .
6.7
Chap. 7 Refinement
of Training after Studies.
1. INTRODUCTION
In
this fifth and final installment on Vatican II we will discuss the main
documents which implemented the decrees of the Council, and then we will
discuss the Decree on Bishops, the Decree on the Renewal of the Religious life,
and the two Decrees on Priests.
2. IMPLEMENTING THE COUNCIL
2.1 Documents of Implementation
There
were six main documents that implemented the proclamation of the Second Vatican
Council. The first order of business
after the closing of the Council was the reformation of the Liturgy and the use
of the vernacular in the Mass and the Sacraments during the early 1970's. Ten
years later came the New Code of Canon Law, followed by the Catechism, and then
finally the restoration of the ancient Catechumenate
or Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.
2.2 The Liturgy
Probably
the first formal action to implement the reform of the liturgy was the
reestablishment of the order of lector for lay people to read the Old Testament
and epistle selections during Mass, and the order of Eucharistic Minister for
lay people to help distribute Holy Communion during Mass, and bring it to the
sick in hospitals and in their homes. The English edition of the Lectionary
containing the epistles and gospels for every day was published in 1970, and
its companion the Sacramentary, which the priests use
to celebrate Mass, appeared in English in 1973.
The Divine Office Liturgia Horarium
was completed in Latin in 1971. It appeared soon thereafter in English, with
separate English translations published in
2.3 The Code of Canon Law
The
New Code of Canon Law was promulgated by Pope John Paul II
2.4 The Catechism
The
Catechism of the Catholic Church first appeared in French edition in 1992. Two years later the Catechism was published
in English, as well as the Companion to the Catechism which provides the texts
of many of the footnote references in the Catechism.
2.5 Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
The
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults was canonically approved by the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops on
3. DECREE CHRISTUS DOMINUS ON BISHOPS’ PASTORAL
OFFICE
3.1 Preface
The
Preface begins by reminding the readers of the main proclamation of the First
Vatican Council (1869-1870), and then it treats the role of bishops: “The Roman
Pontiff is the successor of Peter, to whom Christ instructed the feeding of His
sheep and lambs. Hence by divine
institution he enjoys supreme, full, immediate, and universal authority over
the care of souls. . . . He holds,
therefore, a primacy of ordinary power over all the churches. . . The bishops too have been appointed by the
Holy Spirit, and are successors of the apostles as pastors of souls. Together with the Supreme Pontiff and under
his authority, they have been sent to continue throughout the ages the work of
Christ, the eternal pastor. . . .
Bishops exercise the episcopal office of
theirs, received through episcopal consecration” (#2,3). This introduction sets the tone for the
Decree.
3.2 Chap. 1 Relationship of Bishops to the
Together
with its head, the Roman Pontiff, and never without this head, the episcopal order is the subject of supreme and full power
over the
As successors of the apostles, bishops automatically enjoy in the
dioceses entrusted to them all the ordinary, proper, and immediate authority
required for the exercise of their pastoral office” (#8).
“In
exercising supreme, full, and immediate power over the
3.3 Chap. 2 Bishops and their Dioceses
“A diocese is that portion of God’s people which is entrusted to a
bishop to be shepherded by him with the cooperation of the presbytery” (#11). A bishop has many tasks: he should “announce the gospel of Christ to
men, . . . present Christian doctrine in
a manner adapted to the needs of the times, . . . guard that doctrine, teaching the faithful to
defend and spread it, . . . approach men, seeking and fostering dialogue
with them,” . . . disseminate Christian
doctrine “through public statements made on certain occasions and circulated in
the press and various other media of communication” (#12,13).
“A
bishop should stand in the midst of the people as one who
serves . . . who knows his
sheep and whose sheep know him. . . . He
should arrange his life in such a way as to accommodate it to the needs of the
time. . . . He should regard his priests
as sons and friends. . . . He should encourage institutes and hold
special meetings in which priests can gather.”
Concerning the laity “A bishop should strive to become duly acquainted
with their needs in the social circumstances in which they live. . . . He should deal lovingly
with the separated brethren” (#16).
In addition “Special care should be shown to those among the faithful
who are . . . migrants, exiles and
refugees, airplane personnel, gypsies, and others of this kind: (#18).
It is
urged that “A fitting revision of diocesan boundaries be undertaken prudently
and as soon as possible . . . “The very
first concern must be with the organic unity of each diocese” (#22).
3.4 Those Who Cooperate
with the Diocesan Bishop
“Auxiliary
bishops must frequently be appointed because the diocesan bishop cannot
personally fulfil all his episcopal
duties. . . . A coadjutor bishop” can be “apppointed
with the right of succession” (#26).
“The
most important office in the diocesan curia is that of vicar general. . .
. It is highly desirable that in each
diocese a pastoral council be established over which the diocessan
bishop will preside and in which specially chosen clergy, religious, and lay
people will participate: (#27).
There
is a discussion of the role of priests, much of which is elaborated upon in the
Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis On the Ministry and Life of
Priests. “All priests, diocesan and religious . . . form one presbytery, and
one family, whose father is the bishop. . . .
Pastors should enjoy in their respective parishes that stability of
office which the good of souls demands. . . .
Religious priests are consecrated for the office of the presbyterate so that they may be the prudent cooperators of
the episcopal order.”
“The
privilege of exemption, by which religious are called to the service of the
Supreme Pontiff or other ecclesiastical authority, and are withdrawn from the
jurisdiction of bishops, applies chiefly to the internal order of their
communities so that in them all things may be more aptly coordinated, and the
growth and depth of the religious life may be better served” (#35).
“A
well regulated cooperation is to be encouraged between various religious communities, and between them and the diocesan clergy”
(#31).
There
is a final chapter of this Decree that concerns the cooperation of bishops for
the common good of many dioceses.
4. DECREE PERFECTAE
CARITATIS ON RENEWAL OF
THE RELIGIOUS
This
Decree did not have subdivisions. It
asserts “It happened by divine plan that a wondrous variety of religious
communities grew up.” Their members
“unite themselves to Christ through a self surrender involving their entire
lives” (#1).
“The
appropriate renewal of religious life involves two simultaneous processes: (1)
a continuous return to the sources of all Christian life and to the original
inspiration behind the community and
(2) an adjustment of the community to the changed conditions of the times . . .
It serves the best interests of the Church for communities to have their
own special character and purpose. . . .
Since the religious life is intended above all to lead those who embrace
it to an imitation of Christ and to a union with God through the profession of
the evangelical counsels, the fact must be honestly faced that even the most
desirable changes made on behalf of contemporary needs will fail of their
purpose unless a renewal of spirit gives life to them” (#2).
“Members
of those communities which are totally dedicated to contemplation give
themselves to God alone in solitude and silence and through constant prayer and
ready penance. No matter how urgent may
be the needs of the active apostolate, such communities will always have a
distinguished part to play in Christ’s Mystical Body, where ‘all members have
not the same function’ (Rom. 12:4) . . . In the East and West the venerable
institution of monastic life should be preserved: (#7,9).
“The
lay religious life, for men and for women, constitutes a state which of itself
is one of total dedication to the profession of the evangelical counsels. . .
. There is no objection to religious
congregations of brothers admitting some members to Holy Orders, to provide
needed priestly ministrations for their own houses” (#10).
“Religious
poverty requires more than limiting the use of possession to the consent of
superiors; members of a community ought to be poor in both fact and spirit”
(#13).
“Where
the Church has newly taken root, special attention should be given to the
establishment of and development of fresh forms of religious life” (#19).
“If,
after consulting the appropriate ordinaries, the Holy See decides that certain
communities and monasteries no longer offer any feasible hope of flourishing, these
should be forbidden to accept novices. If it can be done, they should be absorbed by a more vigorous
community or monastery which approximates their purpose and spirit” (#21). “Communities have the right to spread
knowledge of themselves by way of attracting vocations,
and to seek out candidates as well” (#24).
5. DECREE PRESBYTERIUM ORDINIS ON MINISTRY OF
PRIESTS
5.1 Chap. 1 Priesthood in the Mission of the
Church
“Priests
are taken from men and appointed for men in the thing s that pertain to God . .
. that they may be totally dedicated to
the work for which the Lord has raised them up” (#3).
5.2 Chap. 2 The Ministry of Priests
“Priests
have the duty of sharing the gospel truth . . . among the nations . . . to unbelievers . . . [to] hand on the Christian
faith . . . to deal with contemporary problems . . . and to summon all men to
conversion and to holiness. . . . In areas or communities where there are
non-Christians, the gospel message draws men to faith,
and the sacraments of salvation” (#4).
“By
baptism men are brought into the People of God.
By the sacrament of penance sinners are reconciled to God and the
Church. By the oil of the sick the
ailing find relief.
And, especially by the celebration of the Mass, men offer sacramentally the sacrifice of Christ. . . . For the Eucharist contains the Church’s entire spiritual wealth”
(#5).
“A group or senate of priests representing the presbytery should be
established” (#7). “Old priests should try to understand the mentality
of younger priests. A young priest
should respect the age and experience of his seniors. He should discuss plans with them, and
willingly cooperate with them in matters which pertain to the care of souls”
(#8).
“Priests
must sincerely acknowledge and promote the dignity of the laity and the role
which is proper to them in the mission of the Church. They should scrupulously honor the just
freedom which is due to everyone . . .
listen to the laity willingly, consider their wishes in a fraternal spirit, and
recognize their experience and competence in the different areas of human
activity, so that together with them they will be able to read the signs of the
times” (#9).
“Norms
of incardination and excardination should be revised .
. . . There can be usefully established international seminaries, special
dioceses, or personal prelatures, or other
agencies of this sort. . . . As far as possible
priests should not be sent singly to a new field of labor . . . rather they
should be sent in at least twos or threes” (#19).
5.3 Chap. 3 The Life of
Priests
Priests
“can and must pursue perfection according to the Lord’s words: ‘You, therefore,
are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect’ (Mt. 5:48)” (#12).
. . . pastoral law requires that a priest always work
in the bond of communion with the bishop and his brother priests” (#14).
“While
this most sacred Synod recommends ecclesiastical celibacy, it in no way intends
to change the different discipline which lawfully prevails in Eastern
Churches.” Nevertheless, “This most holy
Synod again approves and confirms” the requirement of celibacy for priests “in
the Latin Church” (#16).
“Priests
should be well acquainted with the documents of the Church’s teaching
authority, and especially of Councils and the Roman Pontiffs. They should consult, too,
the best approved writers of theological science” (#190).
Episcopal
Conferences should see to it that “sufficient provision is made for an appropriate
program of preventive medicine and so-called health benefits, and for the
necessary support of priests burdened by infirmity, ill health, or old age”
(#21).
6. DECREE OPTTAM
TOTIUS ON PRIESTLY FORMATION
6.1 Chap. 1 Program in Individual Countries
“In each nation or particular rite a ‘Program of Priestly
Formation’ should be undertaken” (#1).
6.2 Chap. 2 Intensified Encouragement of Vocations
“The
task of fostering vocations devolves on the whole Christian community. . . .
Teachers and all others, especially Catholic associations, who in any capacity
provide for the training of boys and young men should
strive to develop those entrusted to them that these young people will be able
to recognize a divine calling and willingly answer it. . . . It is the bishop’s duty to
make his people active in promoting vocations” (#2).
6.3 Chap. 3 Programming of Major Seminaries
Let
seminarians “be readied for the ministry of worship and sanctification . .
. for the ministry of a shepherd. Necessary standards mus
must always be firmly maintained, even when there is a regrettable shortage of
priests” (#4,6).
6.4 Chap. 4 Deepening of Spiritual Formation
“Spiritual
formation should be closely linked with doctrinal and pastoral training. . .
. Seminarians should be thoroughly
penetrated by the mystery of the Church, especially as it has been presented
with new clarity by this Holy Synod. . . .
Let discipline be exercised, then, in a way that will develop in the
students an internal attitude by which the authority of superiors will be
accepted through an act of personal conviction, that is, conscientiously. . . .
they exercise the diaconate for an appropriate length
of time before being advanced to the priesthood (cf. Rom. 13:5)” (#8,9,11,12).
6.5 Chap. 5 Revision of Ecclesiastical Studies
“Before
seminarians take up these sacred studies which are properly ecclesiastical they should be equipped with the
humanistic and scientific training which in their own countries enables young
men to undertake higher studies. In
addition they should acquire a command of Latin which will enable them to
understand and use the source material of so many sciences,
and the documents of the Church as well.
The study of the liturgical language proper to each rite is to be
regarded as necessary, while a suitable knowledge of the languages of sacred
scripture and of the sources of tradition should be strongly encouraged . . .
. Philosophy should be taught in such a
way that students will be led to acquire a solid and coherent understanding of
man, of the world, and of God. . . .
Theology should be taught in such a way that the student will accurately
draw Catholic doctrine from divine revelation, understand that doctrine
profoundly, nourish their own spiritual lives with it, and be able to proclaim
it, unfold it, and defend it in their priestly ministry. . . . In the study of sacred scripture, which ought
to be the soul of all theology, students should be trained with special
diligence. . . . Dogmatic theology
should be arranged so that the biblical themes are presented first. . . . By way of making the mysteries of salvation
known to them as thoroughly as they can be, students should learn to penetrate
them with the help of speculative reason exercised under the tutelage of St.
Thomas [Aquinas]. . . . They should be introduced to a knowledge of other religions which are more widely spread
through individual areas. . . . Bishops
should see to it that young men suitably fitted by temperament, virtue, and talent
are sent to special schools, faculties, colleges, or universities, so that
there will be a supply of priests versed in the higher scientific method of
sacred sciences and other sciences which may appear serviceable” (#13-18).
6.6 Chap. 6 Promotion of Pastoral Training
.
Pastoral
concern “should thoroughly penetrate the the entire
training of seminarians, . . .
especially catechesis, preaching,
liturgical worship, the conferral of the sacraments, works of charity, the duty
of seeking out the straying sheep and unbelievers, and other pastoral
obligations. . . . Let them be taught to
use . . . the helps which pedagogy, psychology, and sociology can offer” (#19,20).
6.7 Chap. 7 Refinement of Training after
Studies.
“Priestly
training should be pursued and perfected even after the seminary course of
studies has been completed” (#22).
Acknowledgment
I wish to thank Doris Christley for many helpful comments on this chapter.