The Church is all the people of God – Episcopal Conferences and Pastoral Letters
Fr Clyde Muropa SJ
T
the second part addresses the role of
The bishops exercise three functions;
the papal nuncio as representative of
teaching, governing and sanctifying.
Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference
the Apostolic See (the Church) or as
By “teaching,” the bishops instruct the
(ZCBC), entitled The March is not
ambassador of the Vatican City State or
Christian faithful entrusted to their care.
Ended published in early August of
both. An episcopal conference or bishops
According to the law of the Church, the
2020 attracted vitriol responses from
conference “is a kind of assembly in
bishops as the authentic magisterium are
the Zimbabwean government. The
which the bishops of some nation or
the official and authoritative teachers and
attack by the government on the person
region discharge their pastoral office in
they teach in the name of the Church.
of the Archbishop of Harare, Robert
collaboration [the better] to promote the
Bishops exercise the magisterial function
Christopher Ndlovu, as president of
good which the Church offers to people,
collegially as members of conference of
the conference, is regrettable. Any
especially through forms and methods of
bishops, particular councils and synods.
attack on the bishops in general is
apostolate carefully designated to meet
The magisterial authority of bishops’
still ill-advised, especially when the
contemporary conditions.”
conferences is regulated by the 1998 letter
bishops are exercising their teaching
The Church is the people of God.
issued motu proprio (on his own initiative)
authority. The first part of this article
It is a hierarchical society headed
by Pope John Paul II, Apostolos sous.
analyzes the “teaching authority” of
by the bishops at the local level.
(1), in NORMAN P. TANNER, (ed.), Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, vol. II, London, Sheed and Ward, 1990, 936.
he recent pastoral letter by the
bishops or episcopal conferences, and
1
1. SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL, Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, no. 38
“… at all times and in all places, the Church should have the true freedom to preach the faith, to proclaim its teaching about society, to carry out its task among men without hindrance, and to pass moral judgment even in the matters related to the political order, wherever the fundamental rights of man or the salvation of souls requires it” (Gaudium et spes, no. 76) Mukai - Vukani No.78 | October 2020 |
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