The Local Church and its Bishop: Receiving the Vision of Vatican II: Part Two

1 The Jurist 68 (2008) 321–496. 2 For detailed reflections on various aspects of collegiality, see The Jurist 64 (2004) 1 – 383. For various observations on other concerns such as the exercise of governance by lay persons, the selection of bishops, Roman primacy, episcopal conferences, eucharistic sharing in interchurch marriages, and the exercise of infallibility, see The Jurist 59 (1999) 329–468. 3 The Jurist 69 (2009) 3–4 THE LOCAL CHURCH AND ITS BISHOP: RECEIVING THE VISION OF VATICAN II: PART TWO Editor’s Introduction The last issue of The Jurist focused its attention notably on various implications of the bishop’s ministry in the local church: theological, canonical, historical, and ecumenical.1 While that issue addressed various issues pertinent to the bishop-local church relationship, other concerns regarding local church leadership remain to be explored. As in that issue, once again we tap the expertise of the members of the Peter and Paul Seminar, whose theological-canonical insights have been shared with us periodically in The Jurist.2 The essays in the prior volume initially examined the local church viewed somewhat comprehensively, i.e., the exercise of authority as service to the people of God and the different ways of designating that local church. Subsequent essays considered the teaching, sanctifying, and governing aspects of the episcopal office while the last article examined the diverse ways of structuring authority in patriarchal churches. The papers in the first part of the present volume will deal with the same sorts of ecclesiological concerns: the territorial principle in structuring Eastern Church governance (Faris), the exercise of the bishop’s tria munera viewed ecumenically (DeMey), and the understanding of the episcopate and the local church in selected ecumenical dialogues (Clifford). Subsequently two essays will explore certain dynamics of diocesan life: the relationship between the bishop and lay pastoral workers in Holland (Witte) and renewed patterns of bishop-presbyter relations especially in light of the sexual abuse crisis (Duffy). Our last article in this part of the volume stresses the critical importance of analyzing concrete ecclesial experience in properly assessing bishop-local church relationships (Routhier). Hopefully these essays will foster continuing academic reflection and renewed pastoral initiatives in our various local churches. Only then will we duly serve the people of God and nurture it in its life and ministry as it confronts continuing pastoral challenges. 4 the jurist ...