In 2012, more than 200

theologians Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...

from the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

made a declaration titled ''Catholic Scholars' Declaration on Authority in the Church'' with proposals for changes in church governance. They demanded a redefining of

papal The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

authority with more latitude for bishops in

Synods A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word mea ...

and Bishops' Conferences, and more power to selected groups of clergy and privileged

laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...

diocesan In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

and

parochial Parochial is an adjective which may refer to: * Parishes, in religion ** Parish churches, also called parochial churches * Parochial schools, primary or secondary schools affiliated to a religious organisation * Parochialism Parochialism is the ...

councils.

Demands

The Declaration is made up of seven demands: # The role of the papacy should be redefined in line with the Vatican II Council so as not to hamper the exercise of authority by others in the Church. These ‘other’ authorities are spelled out under the next six headings. # Bishops should be given more autonomy, both as pastors of their dioceses and members of national episcopal conferences. # The Central Synod of Bishops should take part in deciding overall church policy, with and next to the Pope. # The

should actively participate in church governance through pastoral councils on all levels. # Bishops and other church leaders should, to the extent possible, be elected more locally and democratically. The Vatican Council recommended democracy in politics. By implication, it is claimed, this applies also to selecting bishops. Moreover, the election of bishops used to be more local and democratic. # The Roman Curia needs to be reformed. # The

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from Heresy in Christianity, heresy and is ...

needs to be given independent, professional advisers. The implication is that it will then protect the freedom of academic research and expression, rather than suppress it. The Declaration has been published in eight languages, with a fuller explanation of each of the seven demands in further documentation. It ends with the appeal: "The exercise of authority in our church should emulate the standards of openness, accountability and democracy achieved in modern society. Leadership should be seen to be honest and credible; inspired by humility and service; breathing concern for people rather than preoccupation with rules and discipline."

Origin and launch

The idea was born when a group of reform-minded Catholic theologians met at an international conference on 'Handing On the Torch' (Utrecht, 2010). They concluded that in many areas of the Church's life progress is blocked by an imbalance in the exercise of authority. Theologian and writer

John Wijngaards Johannes Nicolaas Maria Wijngaards (born 1935, in Surabaya, Indonesia) is a Catholic scripture scholar and a laicized priest. Since 1977 he has been prominent in his public opposition to the teaching of the Catholic Church on the impossibility ...

spearheaded the effort to gather more information and documentation. Wijngaards, a priest who resigned from his ministry in 1998 and subsequently married, is primarily known for his advocacy of women's ordination and for founding the

Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research The Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research ("Wijngaards Institute") is a British "progressive" think tank producing research on controversial issues within contemporary Roman Catholic theology. It does so by coordinating an international networ ...

. The Declaration was opened for endorsement on 11 October 2012 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

. That is why it was originally known as the ‘Jubilee Declaration’. On 5 March 2013, the Catholic Scholars' Declaration was publicly launched for England by an endorsement ceremony in the

Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...

, London. Baroness

Helena Kennedy Helena Ann Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, KC, FRSA, HonFRSE (born 12 May 1950), is a Scottish barrister, broadcaster, and Labour member of the House of Lords. She was Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford, from 2011 to 2018. Early ...

explained her reasons for becoming sponsors of the declaration.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Text of the declaration
2012 in Christianity 21st-century Catholicism Catholic theology and doctrine Dissident Roman Catholic theologians Ecclesiology