In a new apostolic constitution, Pope Francis has reformed the Synod of Bishops, creating a mechanism for the assembly’s final document to be included in official Church teaching.
Episcopalis Communio, promulgated by the pope on Sept. 15, establishes that the final document of a synod assembly, drafted and approved by a special commission, can be considered part of the ordinary magisterium – that is, the official teaching of the Church – if it receives a particular level of papal approval.
The constitution does not require the publication of a post-synodal papal document to make its conclusions authoritative, though these have traditionally followed synodal sessions.
The most recent synod, which was held on the theme of the family, was followed by the 2015 post-synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia.
Regarding how the final document is to be approved by the membership, Episcopalis Communio refers back to the current “particular law.” Accordingly, individual provisions to be adopted in the final document will still require the approval of two-thirds of the synod’s members, while a simple majority suffices to reject an item.
The new constitution does, however, urge the synod fathers to seek “moral unanimity” whenever possible.
Once the final document has been prepared and voted on, it is presented to the Holy Father for his approval and publication. At this point, the pope can choose to grant a particular kind of approval to the document, called “in forma specifica” in canon law, by which it would become an act of the pope and part of the ordinary papal magisterium.
Speaking at a press conference in Rome, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, said that the process of receiving this specific papal approval does not require a strictly judicial standard, or depend upon a particular margin of approval by the synod fathers.
Full story at Catholic News Agency.
More evidence that we have a Peronist Pope. But I’m thinking that this might not be consequential.
If anything is approved to be part of the ordinary magisterium which can’t be reconciled with organic development and the development of doctrine, history and future generations will condemn the new teaching.
He is rigging this whole thing to pave the way for the church to say homosexuality and sodomy are good.
The reason he doesn’t want to have to write a summary document is because he and his cronies have already written the synod’s final document, which he expects the bishop to rubber-stamp.
Vigano! Vigano! Vigano! Vigano!
How does homosexuality even play into this? You just made this up, Angry Blob.
The Church’s Divine gift of infallibility in faith and morals has heretofore been exercised by the bishops of the world in union with the pope or the pope individually in cases of ex cathedra pronouncements. Is Francis attempting to transfer that power by fiat to a subgroup of specially picked bishops whose work products must be approved–or in many cases dictated in advance–by the pope, thus shutting out the vast majority of the world’s bishops? Such a fiat cannot lie within the pope’s authority.
No. Not at all. He is saying that this is an exercise of ordinary magisterium, which is not necessarily infallible.
Not “necessarily,” correct. But I quote from Wikipedia: “The ordinary and universal episcopal magisterium is considered infallible as it relates to a teaching concerning a matter of faith and morals that all the bishops of the Church (including the Pope) universally hold as definitive and only as such therefore needing to be accepted by all the faithful.” Will they try to pass off the “teachings” of these Synods as infallible and binding, even though they’re not composed of all the bishops?
Wikipedia is not the source of our faith, Lawrence. Their statement is a mishmash of things. It throws in “universally hold as definitive” confusing things by inserting a qualification on what was supposed to be a universal definition. Not all cases of the ordinary magisterium are held as definitive, although it still requires religious assent of the mind, yet could still be fallible. Most of what comes in the form of pastoral letters, synod documents & encyclicals fall into this category. Then there is indefectability, which prevents an exercise of ordinary magisterium that would teach something that is an obstacle to salvation.
“…When there has not been a judgment on a doctrine in the solemn form of a definition, but this doctrine, belonging to the inheritance of the depositum fidei, is taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium, which necessarily includes the Pope, such a doctrine is to be understood as having been set forth infallibly.” A quote from “DOCTRINAL COMMENTARY ON THE CONCLUDING FORMULA OF THE PROFESSIO FIDEI; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,” June 29, 1998, Cardinals Ratzinger and Bertone.
From my understanding, there are three levels of magisterial teaching:
• “extraordinary” — explicit, ex-cathedra;
• “ordinary” — what has always been believed & taught from the Apostolic Age;
• “merely ordinary” — teachings from the Petrine Office.
I suspect PF is saying that what comes from the Synod(s) is to be considered the latter.
We’re called to give these teachings our full respect and consideration.
However, anything that doesn’t comport with higher two levels is to be rejected.
Hope and pray that this bishops would make things good.
Ha, I wouldn’t trust the Bishops with my pet dog.