Councils and Theology Theologians discussed the consultative-only status of councils at the June 10-13, 2004 meeting of the Catholic Theological Society of America, which met in Reston, Virginia. At a session of the Pastoral Theology Group, convened and summarized by Raymond J. Webb and moderated by Elizabeth Willems, SSND, members heard three presentations and a response. For a summary and a response to them, click on one of the links below.
Mark F. Fischer	Parish Pastoral Councils have a consultative vote only, according to canon 536. The church assumes that pastors consult councils because they want to know their people and serve them better. Mark F. Fischer (St. John's Seminary, Camarillo) defended the consultative-only clause in a paper read by James A. Coriden. He argued that the clause is prudent and harmonizes with Christian freedom.
Bradford E. Hinze	It is not enough for pastors to consult their pastoral councils. They should be required to cultivate with them the spiritual skills of collective discernment. Bradford E. Hinze (Marquette University) argued that the consultative-only clause frustrates advances in Vatican II ecclesiology. It undermines the adult faith of Catholics, reduces their contribution to mere advice-giving, and fails to set up the requirements for mutual accountability in the parish context.
Gaile Pohlhaus	Voice of the Faithful, an organization organized after the sexual abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Boston, believes that Parish Pastoral Councils are the the best way to work for structural change in the Church. Gaile Pohlhaus (Villanova University) reported that a VOTF member survey led her to conclude that consultative-only councils do not preclude active PPCs in which pastor and council work for the parish's benefit.
William Clark, S.J.	Should the legal foundation of councils stress the ministerial authority of the pastor (M. Fischer), or the baptismal authority of the community (B. Hinze)? Father William Clark (Holy Cross College) was not persuaded that the Church's idealistic view of pastors (Gaile Pohlhaus) is warranted. He preferred to emphasize the community's spiritual, baptismal authority.

Questions? Mark Fischer would love to hear from you. Send him email! MarkFischer@roadrunner.com

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