Authority in the Roman Catholic Church

This book offers an important contribution to debate on the notion and structures of authority within the church, and within the ranks of Roman Catholicism in particular. Leading Catholic theologians from both sides of the Atlantic take up the key issues: analysing the concept of authority and governance; examining the history of authority within t

How did the present authority structures within the Church come into existence? How, if at all, can we justify their existence? What form of authority should exist in the Church? These and other related questions exercise the minds of many Christians in these days when the very notion of authority is questioned, but debate about them is perhaps nowhere more lively than within the ranks of Roman Catholicism. This book offers an important contribution to such debate within that church. Leading Catholic theologians from both sides of the Atlantic take up the key issues: analysing the concept of authority and governance; examining the history of authority within the Roman Catholic church; discussing who should have a say in future developments; exploring ecumenical dimensions, with particular reference to Anglicanism and the Orthodox churches; and suggesting the kind of reforms that might be prudent, as well as ways in which such reforms might be brought about. The book will prove of interest to many Roman Catholics, but given the ecumenical impact of many of the issues explored, it is likely to exert a wide appeal far beyond the confines of that church.

Inhalt
Contents: Introducing the main themes, Bernard Hoose; Authority and the Church: What do we mean by authority?, Gerard Mannion; Spiritual authority and governance: a historical perspective, Hugh Lawrence; Authors, authority and authorisation, Nicholas Lash; Ordination and governance, Hugh Lawrence; The Role of the Faithful: Sense of faith, sense/consensus of the faithful, Francis A. Sullivan; The reception of doctrine: new perspectives, Richard Gaillardetz; Ecumenical dimensions: Trinity, Church and State, Paul McPartlan; The ARCIC Statements, Nicholas Sagovsky; The same but different, Paul McPartlan; Organisational culture and authority: The experience of religious orders, James Sweeney; Communio models of Church: rhetoric or reality?, David B. McLoughlin; Marginalisation and Authority: Language for God, gender and authority, Margaret Fraser; The authority of the poor, John O'Brien; A Step Beyond: Where do we go from here?, Bernard Hoose; Index.