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Receiving the Council: Theological and Canonical Insights and Debates
Vatican II was a seminal council, both an end and a beginning. It left behind intuitive perceptions in need of precise articulation and pointed to theological values in need of structural support. Bearing in mind that Vatican II was the conclusion of one era and the opening of another, Ladislas Orsy insists that the task of the church is to continue 'with both creative insights and critical debates. Creative insights, though never the final answer, are the indispensable stages of development that emerge as we undertake the holy exercise of trying to imagine the best possible state of the church. Creative insights demand that we think anew our perceptions of some challenging aspects of the people of God, unity of Christians, communion, development, freedom, role of the laity. Creative insights emerge within the crucible of the debating community 'the sensus fidei at work to discern the true from the false with regard to such challenging things as infallibility and indefectibility of the church, synodality, collegiality, ecumenism. Receiving the Council is a gift from a highly renowned and deeply respected canon lawyer and theologian who was an eye witness to Vatican II. It is filled with well-articulated questions and intelligent insights as well as prudent proposals for good structures in the house of God" that is the church. Ladislas Orsy, SJ, is a professor of law at Georgetown University, where he teaches Roman Law, History of Philosophy of Law, and Canon Law. During the council he was professor of canon law at the Gregorian University in Rome, then taught theology at Fordham University and canon law at The Catholic University of America. He is the author of Theology and Canon Law as well as eight other books and more than 200 articles. The main intent of his writings is to keep the spirit of the council alive.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
October 1, 2026
A set of ideas which loosely picks up, or reacts to ideas within the documents of Vatican II.
The essays are quite disparate in their interest, and also quite narrowly focused on specific issues. Thus chapter 2 on Episcopal conferences explores how well pope John Paul II’s document Apostolos Suos enacts some key ideas of Vatican II about bishops conferences, and how well it also reflects the broad Catholic (and Orthodox) tradition.
That essay concludes that there are problems in what pope John Paul II proposes as it effectively views episcopal conferences as simply a collection of bishops that gains its authority from the Vatican’s insitution. That is a problem because the Eastern Church synods have a very different rationale, and they can make binding pastoral and doctrinal decisions. However John Paul II’s view of episcopal conferences insists that they need unanimity to speak in the name of the bishops, as they do not have a status other than being a collection of bishops.
The author provides a thought provoking analysis and the point is well made that the church has lost an opportunity to recapture elements of the older tradition of synods which still exists in orthodoxy. If East and West are supposed to be working towards an eventual unity, wouldn’t it make sense to bring alignment on issues such as this? Indeed.
Chapter 3 was an equally specific analysis of a very particular code in the code of Canon law: number 129. That code replaced an old rule that said that laity could play a role in the church if they had a clerical status in minor orders. The new code turns clerical status into ordination as a deacon. The author suggests that that is unfortunate and is in fact a regressive step backtowards clericalism. Under the old law any baptised (male) could count as a cleric in the relevant sense, and that is why in past history laity can be seen playing significant roles in Church councils. Women abbesses also had a recognised role. But that has all been ruled out by the new code of canon law.
Overall, the essays raise interesting topics and they are clearly argued and well presented. The subject matter is somewhat specific so readers are more likely to want to dip into an essay on a topic of interest, rather than read the whole book.
The essays are quite disparate in their interest, and also quite narrowly focused on specific issues. Thus chapter 2 on Episcopal conferences explores how well pope John Paul II’s document Apostolos Suos enacts some key ideas of Vatican II about bishops conferences, and how well it also reflects the broad Catholic (and Orthodox) tradition.
That essay concludes that there are problems in what pope John Paul II proposes as it effectively views episcopal conferences as simply a collection of bishops that gains its authority from the Vatican’s insitution. That is a problem because the Eastern Church synods have a very different rationale, and they can make binding pastoral and doctrinal decisions. However John Paul II’s view of episcopal conferences insists that they need unanimity to speak in the name of the bishops, as they do not have a status other than being a collection of bishops.
The author provides a thought provoking analysis and the point is well made that the church has lost an opportunity to recapture elements of the older tradition of synods which still exists in orthodoxy. If East and West are supposed to be working towards an eventual unity, wouldn’t it make sense to bring alignment on issues such as this? Indeed.
Chapter 3 was an equally specific analysis of a very particular code in the code of Canon law: number 129. That code replaced an old rule that said that laity could play a role in the church if they had a clerical status in minor orders. The new code turns clerical status into ordination as a deacon. The author suggests that that is unfortunate and is in fact a regressive step backtowards clericalism. Under the old law any baptised (male) could count as a cleric in the relevant sense, and that is why in past history laity can be seen playing significant roles in Church councils. Women abbesses also had a recognised role. But that has all been ruled out by the new code of canon law.
Overall, the essays raise interesting topics and they are clearly argued and well presented. The subject matter is somewhat specific so readers are more likely to want to dip into an essay on a topic of interest, rather than read the whole book.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review