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Papal Primacy Rooted in Gospei Laymen Called Leaders in Spiritual THE UNPRECEDENTED interest of doctrine, and the prayer of Christ is felt by the whole world in the late Pon­ infallible. tiff, John XXIII, is one more proof of Christ sent His Apostles out into the the power of the office of Peter, known Papal Primacy Rooted in Gospei whole world to teach all nations what­ as the Primacy of Peter. ever He had commanded them, and He This Primacy of Peter is rooted in the Apostles, was given a special au­ This is clear from two further texts faith fail not; and you, being once con­ three statements of Our Lord that are thority to rule, to teach, and to sanctify in which Our Lord spoke to Peter. In verted, confirm your brethren” (Luke said that He would be with them clear and unequivocal. the people of God. John xxi, 15-17, He gave Peter the com­ xxii, 31, 32). (therefore guarding them in purity of In the first of these words, Jesus mand to feed His sheep, which meant Obviously, Jesus wanted to make doctrine) always, until the end of time told Peter: AS LONG as Peter lived, he held to care for and teach all Christians. Peter the foundation on which His (Matt, xxviii, 16-20). “Thou art Peter (Rock), and upon and exercised this supreme position, At another time the risen Christ ad­ Church was to be built. Peter, being Christ, therefore, who knew that the this rock I will build My Church, and called the primacy. But what was to dressed to Peter words that have a given the chief position among the Apostles would not live forever, gave the gates of hell shall not prevail happen after Peter’s death? familiar ring today, in view of the Apostles, was to be the gauge and their successors the same power to against It. And I will give thee the keys Since Peter’s authority was to last matchless authority possessed by the standard by which the faith of Chris­ teach and govern as He had given them. of the kingdom of heaven; and what­ as long as the Church, and since the late great Pontiff: tians was to be judged. Their successors are the Bishops. ever thou Shalt bind on earth shall be Church was to last forever, what was Peter it was who was to assure other But the Bishops who succeed the bound in heaven, and whatever thou promised to Peter had to be given to “.AND THE LORD said: Simon, Si­ Christians of the truth of what they had Apostles must, like them, be confirmed shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in his successors to the end of time. mon, behold Satan hath desire to have been taught, and he was to do this with and guided by a ruler or primate. He is heaven (Matt, xvi, 13-19). “Peter” is every one who has held the you, that he may sift you as wheat: infallible authority, for Christ prayed Peter, whose 262nd successor will soon By these words Peter, the chief of office of ruling Christendom. But I- have prayed for you, that your that he might always maintain purity begin ‘‘to confirm his brethren.” t m m (h ic and Learn ^ P. 0 . Box 1620, Denver, Colorado •> j ^ Why a Pope? Q. The newspapers, and radio, and TV are filled with news concerning Pope John XXIII, but just what is the Pope'f ® o ( 3 ) , A. Every nation has its ruler, an emperor, a king •- V" S ^ Laymen Called Leaders ****** ....'ll" , or president. God in establishing His Church ordained that at the head of His Church there should be one man, a monarch, endowed with supreme power. This man is the Pope, the successor of St. Peter in the 1“ Bishopric of Rome. In Spiritual Revolution The sovereignty of the Pope over the Church differs from that of the rulers of other societies. He By R«v. Joseph A. Hughes the life of supernatural char­ life and work was inconse­ has direct authority over all Catholics, from the most IR E MODERN WORLD has ity, to identify themselves quential, spiritually speaking. exalted prelate to the humblest layman; and he is become secularized because with Christ, to submit fully to So they cultivated the world obliged to render an account of his administration to the will of God. somewhere and somehow in as world and abandoned them­ no human being. The priest's basic vocation selves to a life of spiritual the past 200 years Christian According to the Vatican Council, he has “the laymen got co^used about the calls for him to pray, offer mediocrity. They left to reli­ \ demands of their role as sacrifice, interpret the word gious their work of sanctify­ whole fullness of supreme power, ordinary and im­ Christians in the world. By of God to the people, organ­ ing the temporal order. \ mediate, over all and each of the pastors and the the same token, religious also ize parishes, administer the the priests tried to carry on faithful.” He is the supreme judge in matters of faith. got confused about the de­ in both spheres. As a resuit To him belongs the right to regulate all the Church’s mands of their vocation. they found their efforts weak­ discipline. ened in both. Laymen of in­ Laymen thought that they fluence either left the Church had to be saved from the The or divorced religion from life. world. Priests thought that And the world went its own they had to by-pass lay apos­ Papal Infallibility way and founded its own idols tles and lay members of the Spiritual Q. Now that everyone is Interested in the Pope as a Church and sanctify the tem­ and established its own secu­ mm lar kingdom. result of the death of John XXIII, there is talk again about poral order directly by their the infallibility of Uie Pope. Does that mean he cannot sin? own clerical efforts. Life The problem now is for As a result of these two priests to get back to doing A. That the successor of St. Peter may preserve basic confusions Christians sacrgments, give spiritual di­ their specific work as spiritual the faith of Jesus Christ free from any taint of error, were not folly sanctified as rection to the members of the directors to their flocks and Symbol of Papal Office that the shepherd may guide the flock aright, he has members of the Church and Church. for lay people to get back as been endowed with a wonderful power and privilege. the world was left to the The Papal Tiara, or triple crown, is a year 1365, a third was added. The triple Christians to doing their work symbol of the office of the Holy Father. In crown typifies the threefold office of the He is infallible in matters of faith and morals. mercies and the talents of un- ' THE LAYMAN’S basic vo­ of transforming the temporal the early centuries the Pope wore a simple Holy Father, as teacher, lawgiver, and supematuralized intellectuals. cation calls for him to form order. miter, like other Bishops; but about the ninth judge. This means that when, by virtue of his Apostolic The essence of holiness is a society in the home and There is a social dimension century a crown was added and about the office, he defines a doctrine of faith or morals to be the same for the laity as for outside it, in justice and char­ to sanctity. .And this dimen­ held by the whole Church, he speaks without error or religious. Holiness is the ity and truth so that all men sion applies to all persons ac­ danger of error, being preserved from it by the Spirit measure in which God lives can live in dignity and hope cording to the nature of their ^ o f God, which “teaches all truth” and abides with and works in man. In one as children of God. vocation. the Church forever. word holiness is charity. For In each case the tools of in­ Hovering over this “new” God is love. The Pope is subject to error, like other men. He terior formation are the thought are the old and pro­ Reign of Pope John same: The Mass, the sacra­ can sin, even as we, for he is human. He is infallible THE ACCIDENTALS of found doctrines of the Mysti­ ments, meditation, spiritual cal Body of Christ, the nature only when he is speaking as the supreme teacher and holiness are different from reading, spiritual direction. of the Church, the purpose of head of the Church, and only when he is defining a man to man and from layman The social commitment in Redemption, the primacy of doctrine concerning faith or morals and imposing it to religious. The means by Turns Light on Papacy each case is different. Priests love. Thomas Merton says in which lay persons achieve hol­ upon the whole Church to be accepted and held by all help to form Christ and grace Life and Holiness: the Church’s members. iness are different to some ex­ in individual souls and in the WHEN POPE John XXIII How explain this agreement, preme teaching and guiding of- tent from the means used by was alive and in health, the unmatched in history? This fice in the Church would have communities of, men. Laymen “CHRISTIAN HOLINESS He has no immunity from error in other things. religious. The differences in whole world paused whenever '*'9“’'^ inexplicable unless the been everywhere the same. help to fill the temporal order can no longer be considered a He may advocate historical or scientific views that the means of sanctity from with the strength and pres­ matter purely of individual he made an important s t a t e - ^ i m p r o b a b l e that the are absolutely false.
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