Bishops to share more power

From Alan McElwain in Rome
THE Extraordinary Synod of Bishops ended on Monday with Pope Paul, while not in the least diminishing his own supreme authority, undertaking to grant his bishops throughout the world more power in the sharing with him of the government of the universal Church.
He agreed:
1 To recommendations that a General Synod be held once every two years, starting from this year, with Extraordinary and Special Synods being called when necessary.
That bishops representing National 1' Episcopal Conferences throughout the world be given an active part in the Synod's permanent secretariat in Rome on lines to be determined.
Pope Paul also promised to give the "utmost consideration" to bishops' wishes that, through their representatives working with the secretariat, they should be able to put forward their own subjects for inclusion on Synod agendas.
Until now, the Pope has arbitrarily fixed the topics, at the same time specifically banning, in the case of the first General Synod in 1967, others like birth control and clerical celibacy, which many bishops considered should rightly be debated.
In a speech at the Synod closing, the Pope said nothing about one of the bishops' 13
proposals—that he consult them before deciding and issuing statements on key matters affecting the entire Church.
The Pope said that his readiness to heed the recommendations put to him would indicate to the bishops the confidence he had in the Synod, which had emerged from the teaching and spirit of the Second Vatican Council and was intended. not to produce power rivalry or difficulties for ordered and effective government within the Church, but rather as a mutual inclination of Pope and episcopate for "greater communion and organic collaboration."
For his part, he added, he intended to see all this realised, while respecting fully and heartily the duties and responsibilities of his episcopal brothers, whether individually or in lawful canonical assemblies.
"We will do so, however, without at any time renouncing in our turn our specific duties and responsibilities, which are imposed on us both by the charism of the primacy conferred by Christ himself to Peter. whose most lowly yet authentic successor we are, and by the obligation, rather than the right, of exercising that primacy faithfully." Pope Paul added.
The Pope. he said. must be the Church's heart, to make charity circulate, charity which comes from the heart and goes to the heart. The Pope must also be a crossroads for charity, receiving all and loving all, because, as St. Ambrose said, Christ left us Peter as "the vicar of his love."
"And so," Pope Paul said, "our heart is ready to receive every legitimate aspiration for a greater recognition of the characteristic
and particular demand of local churches.
"This certainly is a principle which requires a greater clarification both in doctrine and in practice, but which we certainly accept in its fundamental concept . . . However, it must not be confused with an alleged demand for 'pluralism,' which might touch the faith, the moral law, or the fundamental lines of the sacraments, liturgy and Canon Law, which are designed to preserve necessary unity in the Church."
The 13 proposals approved by the bishops were: 1 The competence of bishops, both as individuals and as members of episcopal conferences, should be more clearly defined.
1Decrees of the Holy Sec should be cornmunicated to the bishops before being published, together with an explanation of the reasons for making them advisable.
The local bishop should be consulted 11" before any decision is made on particular questions dealing with the internal life of a diocese or region.
Keeping intact the freedom of the Pope
4
to exercise his universal power on his own, bishops' conferences and Oriental Synods should offer their collaboration in the preparation of documents on unity of faith and discipline. In turn. the bishops' conferences should seek the Pope's opinion before publishing their own statements.
Z Means should be studied to improve col
laboration between the Vatican Congre
gations and the Oriental Synods and bishops' conferences.
The exchange of communications be" tween these bodies should also be improved.
7—The Vatican should publish in various a languages its own documents and those of major importance issued by bishops' conferences.
SThe structure of the Synod should be revised to make it more representative of episcopal collegiality.
0—The Synod Secretariat should be ex' paraded and made permanent so that it can prepare the Synod's work and bring into effect its resolutions after the Pope has approved them. The secretariat should do this in collaboration with bishops designated by the Synod.
10—The Secretariat should also coordinate questions to be discussed in the Synod and relations between the Holy See and bishop's conferences.
11—The General Synod, apart from extraordinary and special ones, should be held, if possible, once every two years. 12—Bishops' conferences should be allowed to propose items to he discussed.
13-Experts in various matters should be at the disposal of the Synod and national conferences should be permitted to propose items for Synod agendas.
Turn to P.9; Douglas Brown—P,4; Pope on celibacy—P.9