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The Principle of Subsidiarity and Catholic Ecclesiology: Implications for the Laity

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The Principle of Subsidiarity and Catholic Ecclesiology: Implications for the Laity Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2011 The Principle of Subsidiarity and Catholic Ecclesiology: Implications for the Laity Kathryn Reyes Hamrlik Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Hamrlik, Kathryn Reyes, "The Principle of Subsidiarity and Catholic Ecclesiology: Implications for the Laity" (2011). Dissertations. 276. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/276 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 2011 Kathryn Reyes Hamrlik LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO THE PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY AND CATHOLIC ECCLESIOLOGY: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE LAITY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM IN THEOLOGY BY KATHRYN REYES HAMRLIK CHICAGO, IL MAY 2011 Copyright by Kathryn Reyes Hamrlik, 2011 All rights reserved. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank my doctoral committee. As a Master of Divinity student in 2003, I took a course in Catholic ethics with Bill French, who first encouraged me to pursue doctoral studies. I am grateful for his confidence in my abilities from the beginning, and for his continued support and encouragement throughout my graduate work. Jon Nilson has been a valuable conversation partner in this dissertation process. His expertise in ecclesiology has particularly been helpful to this ethicist, and has helped me to think beyond my “comfort level” and in a more comprehensive and inter- disciplinary fashion. It was through my many classes with Michael Schuck that the topic of this dissertation was inspired and developed. He has taught me how to think critically and how to write cohesively. Mike is a remarkable teacher, scholar, and mentor whom I hope to emulate in many ways during my career as a theologian and ethicist. I am thankful for my friends and colleagues during my doctoral studies – Ana, Emily, Elisabeth, Melissa, Rachel, Mary, Jeanine, Hoon, and Jesse. Through coursework, comps, and finally this dissertation, their friendship, conversations, and support have been invaluable. Thank you for being such excellent study partners, editors, conference companions, and coffee-break cohorts. I am grateful for my family. My parents, Marc and Naida Reyes, have been a tremendous support, emotionally and financially. Thank you for encouraging me to pursue my dreams. I am immensely grateful for my children. Caroline was born just iii after my dissertation proposal was approved, and Ryan was born two years later, as I was writing my final chapter. They have been enormous blessings to me, sources of joy and laughter in an otherwise often grueling process. They taught me to manage my time well and hold things in perspective. Finally, I would like to thank my husband. I met Brad the summer before beginning my doctoral work; through these years, he has been a wonderful friend, companion, provider, husband, and father. He studied with me during my coursework, assisted me in preparing for comprehensive exams, and helped me in developing my thoughts throughout the dissertation. Brad has encouraged me, challenged me, and supported me every step of the way. Most importantly, he has loved me and our children unceasingly. For that, I am extremely grateful. iv For my children, Caroline and Ryan TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii ABSTRACT ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 Why the Laity? Problems and a Proposal 2 State of the Laity in the Church Today 8 The Principle of Subsidiarity 13 Subsidiarity in the Church 18 Subsidiarity and the Laity 21 Plan of the Dissertation 26 CHAPTER TWO: THE LAITY 30 Leadership, Clergy, and Laity in the New Testament and Early Church 30 The Role of the Laity in the Early Church 37 The Laity Before Vatican II 41 The Contribution of Yves Congar 45 The Impact of Vatican II 49 Liberating the Laity 57 Leonardo Boff 58 Rosemary Radford Ruether 60 Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza 62 Paul Lakeland 64 Laity in the Aftermath of Scandal 66 Where To Go From Here 70 CHAPTER THREE: ECCLESIOLOGY AND AUTHORITY 72 Claims for a Democratic Church 72 Models of Church 80 Ecclesiology in the First and Second Vatican Councils 86 First Vatican Council 86 Second Vatican Council and the Evolution of Lumen Gentium 88 Communio-Ecclesiology 91 Magisterial Authority 94 Authority of the Bishops 95 Authority of the Pope 98 Lay Authority and the Sensus Fidei 102 Theological Foundations of Lay Authority 102 Nature of Lay Authority 107 Scope of Lay Authority 109 vi Relationship Between Lay and Magisterial Authority 111 CHAPTER FOUR: THE PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY AND ITS VALIDITY AS APPLIED WITHIN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 116 The Catholic Tradition of Subsidiarity 117 Negative and Positive Understandings of Subsidiarity 128 Negative Understandings of Subsidiarity 129 Positive Understandings of Subsidiarity 131 The Contribution of Catholic Social Teaching to Ecclesiology 133 The Validity of the Principle of Subsidiarity for the Church Itself: Hierarchical Discussions 139 The Validity of the Principle of Subsidiarity for the Church Itself: Theological Discussions 144 Positive Answers 144 Negative Answers 147 Subsidiarity in the Context of Communio-Ecclesiology 151 Subsidiarity in the Context of Lay Authority 154 CHAPTER FIVE: ECCLESIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY 160 Subsidiarity in the Church: Justice, Human Dignity, and the Common Good 163 Subsidiarity and Justice 163 Subsidiarity and Human Dignity 166 Subsidiarity and the Common Good 168 Applying Subsidiarity in the Church: Concrete Steps 173 Implications: The Church as a Community of Solidarity and Trust 183 The Principles of Subsidiarity and Solidarity 184 Implications for the Clergy 188 Implications for the Laity 192 Conclusion 195 BIBLIOGRAPHY 196 VITA 207 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AA Apostolicam Actuositatem: Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity CARA Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate CDF Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith DH Dignitatis Humanae: Declaration on Religious Liberty DV Dei Verbum: Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation GS Gaudium et Spes: Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World JW Justice in the World LG Lumen Gentium: Dogmatic Constitution on the Church MM Mater et Magistra: Christianity and Social Progress OFM Ordo Fratrum Minorum (First Order of Franciscans) OP Order of Preachers (Dominicans) QA Quadragesimo Anno: After Forty Years RN Rerum Novarum: The Condition of Labor SJ Society of Jesus (Jesuits) USCCB United States Conference of Catholic Bishops VOTF Voice of the Faithful viii ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the principle of subsidiarity as articulated within the body of Catholic social thought, and explores its validity within the governance structure of the Catholic church. Special attention is given to the status and role of the laity, and the implications of subsidiarity with regard to lay authority and decision-making in the church. Chapter One outlines some problems with ecclesial governance today, discusses the current status and role of the laity, and proposes an application of subsidiarity in the church. Chapter Two provides an overview of how the laity has been understood throughout church history to the present day. This chapter also examines alternative understandings of the laity's nature and place in the church, offered by liberation and feminist theologians, and in response to the priest sexual abuse scandal uncovered in the United States. Chapter Three attends to questions of ecclesiology and authority. The author argues that an examination of the nature of both magisterial and lay authority reveal expanded opportunities for laypersons to exercise substantial authority within the church, the theological foundations of which are grounded in a communio ecclesiology and the sensus fidei. Chapter Four provides a history and development of subsidiarity in the Catholic tradition, including a summary of the arguments at the magisterial level both supporting and contesting the validity of the principle's application in the church. The author asserts that, based on an ecclesiology of communio and a renewed understanding of magisterial and lay authority, subsidiarity is a valid principle with regard to ecclesial ix governance, allowing for laypersons to exercise a substantial role in decision-making in the church. The final chapter places subsidiarity in relationship with the principles of justice, human dignity, the common good, and solidarity; suggests concrete practices that the church might adopt in order to reflect subsidiarity in ecclesial governance; and discusses implications for clergy, laity, and church as a whole. x CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION The climate of the Catholic church in the United States today has been profoundly shaped by the priest sexual abuse scandal and the dwindling number of active priests. Both of these phenomena have raised important questions regarding ecclesial governance, authority and accountability, and the role of the laity in the church. While the Second Vatican Council supported lay participation in the liturgy and in the pastoral
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