John Paul II has convoked the 10th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will take place around the time of Jubilee in the year 2000. The theme will be: The Bishop: Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World. This Synod, writes Cardinal Jan P. Shötte, CICM, “carries a double meaning: to celebrate episcopal communion and to bring to a logical conclusion the recent series of synodal assemblies.”[2]
It is the conclusion of an itinerary that began in 1987, a path that could be called: the life of ecclesial bodies in the wake of Vatican II. “The Synod, with its origin in the Council, has become a faithful Traditio Concilii in a certain way, mirroring its structure, method, and spirit. Primarily, however, the synod deserves this distinction because it transmits, reflects upon, and further treats conciliar subjects and proposals.”[3] It examined the corpus laicorum in 1987, and its fruit was Christifideles Laicis, the corpus Presbyterorum in 1990 with Pastores Dabo Vobis, and the corpus Vitae Consecratae in 1994 with Vita Consecrata. Finally, the Synod will treat the corpus Episcoporum in 2001.[4] It is a celebration of communion because all of the ecclesial bodies build up the one and only Body of Christ in communion. “The synodal journey, which is a ‘communion of paths,’[5] begins in communion, is developed in communion, and finds its realization in communion.”[6]
From this moment on we should commit our prayers and sacrifices for the fruits of the Synod of 2000, and for three reasons: because the role of bishops is irreplaceable, because of what bishops represent to us, now, and because it is simply what we should do.
A. Because of the Irreplaceable Role of Bishops
In the antiphon of the Magnificat on the feast of Saint Martin, Bishop of Tours, we pray: This blessed bishop loved Christ with all his strength and had no fear of earthly rulers! There can be no one in the Church of Jesus Christ more committed to the reign of Christ the King than the bishop.
We will expound briefly the place of the bishops in the Church as given in the doctrine of the Second Vatican Council:
“The Sacred Council teaches that by Episcopal consecration the fullness of the sacrament of Orders is conferred, that fullness of power, namely, which both in the Church’s liturgical practice and in the language of the Fathers of the Church[7] is called the high priesthood, the supreme power of the sacred ministry.”[8]
“The bishops are the principal dispensers of the mysteries of God, as well as being the governors, promoters, and guardians of the entire liturgical life in the church committed to them.”[9]
“A bishop marked with the fullness of the sacrament of Orders is ‘the steward of the grace of the supreme priesthood,’ especially in the Eucharist, which he offers or causes to be offered, and by which the Church continually lives and grows.”[10]
“The bishop is to be considered as the high priest of his flock, from whom the life in Christ of his faithful is in some way derived and dependent.”[11]
“The Sacred 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 (cfr. Lk 10:16).”[12]
“The bishops themselves . . . having been appointed by the Holy Spirit, are successors of the Apostles as pastors of souls.”[13]
“Having sent the apostles just as he himself [had] been sent by the Father, Christ, through the apostles themselves, made their successors, the bishops, sharers in his consecration and mission.”[14]
“The individual bishops . . . are the visible principle and foundation of unity in their particular churches, fashioned after the model of the universal Church, in and from which churches comes into being the one and only Catholic Church.”[15]
“It is the bishop’s role, as the ruler and center of unity in the diocesan apostolate, to promote missionary activity, to direct it and to coordinate it but always in such a way that the zeal and spontaneity of those who share in the work may be preserved and fostered.”[16]
“It is the duty of all bishops to promote and to safeguard the unity of faith and the discipline common to the whole Church.”[17]
“Bishops, as vicars and ambassadors of Christ, govern the particular churches entrusted to them by their counsel, exhortations, example, and even by their authority and sacred power, which indeed they use only for the edification of their flock in truth and holiness, remembering that he who is greater should become as the lesser and he who is the chief become as the servant (cfr. Lk 22:267).”[18]
“The individual bishops, who are placed in charge of particular churches, exercise their pastoral government over the portion of the People of God committed to their care.”[19]
“In the bishops, therefore, for whom priests are assistants, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Supreme High Priest, is present in the midst of those who believe.”[20]
“They should, therefore, constantly exert themselves to have the faithful know and live the paschal mystery more deeply through the Eucharist and thus become a firmlyknit body in the unity of the charity of Christ.”[21]
“As legitimate successors of the Apostles and members of the episcopal college, bishops should realize that they are bound together and should manifest a concern for all the churches. For by divine institution and the rule of the apostolic office each one together with all the other bishops is responsible for the Church.”[22]
“They should also have a place in their hearts for the nonbaptized so that upon them too there may shine the charity of Christ Jesus, to whom the bishops are witnesses before all men.”[23]
“It will be the bishop’s task to raise up from among his own people, especially the sick and those oppressed by hardship, some souls to offer prayers and penance to God with a wideopen heart for the evangelization of the world.”[24]
“The bishop . . . should, with a constant and loving solicitude, encourage those who labor in the seminary and prove himself a true father in Christ to the students themselves.”[25]
“Since it is the mission of the Church to converse with the human society in which it lives, it is especially the duty of bishops to seek out men and both request and promote dialogue with them.”[26]
“By unremitting study they should fit themselves to do their part in establishing dialogue with the world and with men of all shades of opinion.”[27]
“For the sake of greater service to souls, let the bishop call the priests into dialogue, especially about pastoral matters. This he should do not only on a given occasion but at regularly fixed intervals insofar as this is possible.”[28]
“Let him [the bishop] not refuse to listen to his subjects, whom he cherishes as his true sons and exhorts to cooperate readily with him.”[29]
“The apostolic office of bishops was instituted by Christ the Lord and pursues a spiritual and supernatural purpose.”[30]
“To bishops, as successors of the Apostles, in the dioceses entrusted to them, there belongs per se all the ordinary, proper, and immediate authority which is required for the exercise of their pastoral office.”[31]
B. Because of What Bishops Represent to Us
I want to bring up a comment made by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger when the Vatican celebrated the tenth anniversary of John Paul II’s creation of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei; Ecclesia Dei was created in order to receive those Catholics who were not prepared to support the schismatic rupture provoked by the episcopal ordinations carried out by Bishop Marcel Lefébvre, but who desired to receive the sacraments according to the rite prescribed by John XXIII in 1962. Some 3,000 traditionalists, representing some 15 institutions from all over the world, came together and were received into the Ecclesia Dei.
After the conference of Cardinal Ratzinger, others had the opportunity to speak, and Cardinal Ratzinger returned in order to give some practical assessments in the face of the concrete difficulties in which the Catholic faithful found themselves as they tried to live within the Church in obedience to the Pope. Cardinal Ratzinger stated: “We should look for juridical solutions, but we should also seek how to make ourselves better understood by bishops, because even bishops are very dense, or, as it has been said, sometimes they abuse discretion and don’t respect the rights of the faithful. They are not people of ill will; it is a cultural and spiritual situation, a certain education, a certain–let us say–formation of the spirit that does not allow them to understand the reasons behind the old liturgy and the need to open the doors to its celebration. According to the formation they have received, the old liturgy is seen as a threat against unity, and above all against the ecumenical Council, which has a right to be accepted with obedience on the part of the faithful. With such a mentality and education (not only in bishops, but also in a large part of the laity), it is impossible for them to accept the juridical means without adequate preparation. It is for this profound reason that the Holy Father delays in giving new juridical measures, because he sees the difficulties for bishops and laity in understanding why these measures don’t go against the Council, or against unity, difficulties that are not born of ill will, but rather from formation. He is convinced–and with the experiences that I have had, I am as well–that we should do all that is possible to form a new generation of prelates. It is not an attack against the Council, but rather a more faithful carrying out of it.”[32]
Could it be said that we are proud or lacking humility, if we affirm that we don’t want to attack the Council, but rather are attempting to embody a more faithful carrying out of it?
C. Because It Is Simply what We Should Do
As the assessment of Cardinal Ratzinger shows, both he and the Pope are convinced that there is a need to form a new generation of prelates: “He is convinced–and with the experiences that I have had, I am as well–that we should do all that is possible to form a new generation of prelates.”[33] What should we do in order to put our grain of sand into the solution of the problem of the formation of this new generation of prelates?
The Holy Spirit is the one who chooses bishops: Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers (Acts 20:28); as such, the election of prelates doesn’t depend on us, but rather on the Holy Spirit.
It would not be appropriate to form the youth so that aspire to be bishops; indeed, this would be disastrous. Rather, it is better to have the contrary, because, although Saint Paul says, Whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task (1 Tim 3:1), Saint Gregory the Great explains that when the Apostle said this, he had in mind the fact that “he who was set over the people was the first to be dragged to the torments of martyrdom.”[34] In his exposition regarding whether it is licit to desire the episcopacy,[35] Saint Thomas affirms that it is manifestly illicit, because if one desires it for the temporal goods that come with it, it is avarice and ambition. If one desires it for the excellence of the office, it is presumption. If one desires it in order to do good to one’s neighbor, the desire itself is praiseworthy and meritorious, but because the episcopacy brings the height of degree with it, the desire would appear, except in the case of necessity, presumptuous.
However, we can and should form youth who are humanly complete, with great spiritual depth, solid doctrinal and cultural formation, without blinders, and with an immense pastoral heart, from among whom, if the Lord desires it, He can choose pastors according to His heart.
In light of the Synod of 2000, how can we understand more profoundly the doctrine of the Church with respect to bishops, essential as bishops are to our Catholic faith? There are several ways:
By studying and meditating on Chapter 3 of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, on the Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops, Christus Dominus, on the excellent Directory regarding the Ministry of Bishops, Ecclesiae Imago, from February 22nd, 1973, on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in particular, nn. 874895, 1536, and other such documents.
The most effective means for understanding the essential importance that the bishop has in our faith is conscious participation in the Holy Mass. Briefly stated, without the bishop there is no Eucharist. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “The whole Church is united with the offering and intercession of Christ. Since he has the ministry of Peter in the Church, the Pope is associated with every celebration of the Eucharist, wherein he is named as the sign and servant of the unity of the universal Church. The bishop of the place is always responsible for the Eucharist, even when a priest presides; the bishop’s name is mentioned to signify his presidency over the particular Church, in the midst of his presbyterium and with the assistance of deacons. The community intercedes also for all ministers who, for it and with it, offer the Eucharistic sacrifice: ‘Let only that Eucharist be regarded as legitimate, which is celebrated under [the presidency of] the bishop or him to whom he has entrusted it.’[36] ‘Through the ministry of priests the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful is completed in union with the sacrifice of Christ the only Mediator, which in the Eucharist is offered through the priests’ hands in the name of the
whole Church in an unbloody and sacramental manner until the Lord himself comes.’[37]”[38]
Furthermore, Lumen Gentium teaches that “every legitimate celebration of the Eucharist is regulated by the bishop, to whom is committed the office of offering the worship of Christian religion to the Divine Majesty and of administering it in accordance with the Lord’s commandments and the Church’s laws, as further defined by his particular judgment for his diocese.”[39]
Even the naming of those associated to every Eucharist makes us remember that, although they are wellestablished in dignity, even the bishops are pilgrims on this earth. How can we not remember all the Popes that we have named in the canon? Pius, John, Paul, John Paul, Benedict, and so many others. And the bishops? Santiago, Fermín, Antonio, Manuel, León, Jesús, Guillermo: the list goes on and on! The human face of the Church changes with each new generation!
Another way to understand the importance of bishops is to study the lives of bishopsaints, lives that fill us with admiration, a desire for holy emulation, and immeasurable amazement: Peter and Paul, the rest of the Twelve, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, Clement of Rome, Irenaeus, Fabian, Stephen I, Sixtus II, Cyprian, Hilary, Ambrose, Athanasius, Basil, John Chrysostom, Augustine, Martin, Cyril, Patrick, Gregory, Isidore, Boniface, Anselm, Bonaventure, Albert, Charles Borromeo, Francis de Sales, Thomas Becket, Alphonsus Liguori, Toribio Alfonso Mogrovejo, Anthony Marie Claret, Pius X, Alojzije Stepinac. We can learn about the lives of so many other bishops who are also truly great: the ‘black’ Cisneros, Montecorvino, Pallu, Zumárraga, Berán, Mindszenty, Slypij, Gong PinMei, Wyszynski, Tomasek, Koliqi, Todea, Korec, Esquiú, Aneiros, Bolaños, Francisco Alberti, José
Américo Orzali, Emilio A. Di Pasquo, Audino Rodríguez y Olmos, Adolfo S. Tortolo, Roberto Tavella, Antonio Rocca, León Kruk, and so many others who are the cream of the crop of humanity!
If the Church is a communion, then the problem of forming a new generation of prelates is our problem as well.
This is why we should, today and always, implore Christ the King for pastors who love Him in such a way that they don’t fear those who are powerful in this world. May Christ reign!
[1] Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Zenit, ‘1 November 1998’, ZS98110104 (www.zenit.org)
[2] John Paul II, “Tenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops: Line by Line,” L’Osservatore Romano 30 (1998) 425.
[3] John Paul II, “Tenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops: Line by Line,” L’Osservatore Romano 30 (1998) 425.
[4] They did, and the result was Pastores Gregis, released by John Paul II in 2003.
[5] John Paul II, “Discourse to Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences of Europe” [2 December 1992], 2: L’Osservatore Romano: Weekly Edition in English, 9 December 1992, p. 4.
[6] John Paul II, “Tenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops: Line by Line,” L’Osservatore Romano 30 (1998) 425.
[7] In Trad. Apost. 3.
[8] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Genti-um, 21.
[9] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, Christus Dominus, 15.
[10] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Genti-um, 26.
[11] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, 41.
[12] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Genti-um, 20.
[13] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, Christus Dominus, 2.
[14] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, Presbytero-rum Ordinis, 2.
[15] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Genti-um, 23.
[16] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Mission Activity of the Church, Ad Gentes, 30.
[17] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Genti-um, 23.
[18] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Genti-um, 27.
[19] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Genti-um, 23.
[20] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Genti-um, 21.
[21] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, Christus Dominus, 15.
[22] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, Christus Dominus, 6.
[23] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, Christus Dominus, 16.
[24] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Mission Activity of the Church, Ad Gentes, 38.
[25] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Decree on Priestly Training, Optatam Totius, 38.
[26] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, Christus Dominus, 13.
[27] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes, 43.
[28] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, Christus Dominus, 28.
[29] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Genti-um, 27.
[30] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, Christus Dominus, 20.
[31] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, Christus Dominus, 8.
[32] Zenit, ‘1 de noviembre de 1998,’ ZS98110104 (www.zenit.org).
[33] Zenit, ‘1 de noviembre de 1998,’ ZS98110104 (www.zenit.org).
[34] Cfr. Pastoral Rule, 1, 8; cited by Saint Thomas Aquinas, S. Th., II-II, q. 185, a. 1, ad 1.
[35] Saint Thomas Aquinas, S. Th., II-II, q. 185, a. 1, ad 1.
[36] Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Smyrn. 8:1.
[37] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, Presbytero-rum Ordinis, 2.
[38] Cfr. n. 1369.
[39] Ecumenical Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Genti-um, 26.
