The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1962-07-20

dONLA liiCo Ut tAlG IClOA llIo DCSl
suited to the given circum-
stances. The collaboration of
the bishops in a council.
brings out many aspects the
pope might have overlooked.
The Council of Chalcedon pro-
vides us with a good example.
POPE LEO HAD, in his let
ter to Flavian, expounded the
mystery of the Incarnation in
opposition to the Monopoly
sites and HISTORIANS, and the
Fathers of Chalcedon solemn
ly declared their acceptance.
But some eastern bishops
thought that some of the ex-
pressions in the letter took
insufficient account of the diff
ferent Technology of the
Eastern Church. They worked
out a new formulation of the
dogma, which, in contrast to
the floridity of the papal let
ter, was terSe and precise in
terms unfamiliar to Rome and
the West, and removed any
possibility of miSinterpreta-
ton. There resulted a master
piece of clearness and accur-
acy which effectively prevent
ed the Monophysites accusing
the Council of Nestorianism.
Further examples are the
enormous work done by the
bishops and theologians at
Trent and the Vatican. This
work of reason enlightened
by faith, together with hard
and fruitful study and evaIua-
ton of sources, alone made
possible the final form Of
the Conciliar DEGREES.
Ecumenical councils are a
wonderful demonstration of
Catholic unity in their formal
announcements by the whole
episcopate, preceded by the
most careful deliberation and
informed by t thorough
theological research. They are
the most appropriate means
of proclaiming revealed truth
in an impressive manner and
refuting error. Being the
work of the Church as a
whole, their decisions impress
men more strongly than those
coming from the Holy See
alone, and they have a like
authority.
THE BISHOPS who take
part in a council are best
fitted to decide on doctrine,
after collaborating to that
end; they will be the more
jealous in carrying out the
reforms they have themselves
decided. Their deliberation
give them a deeper under
standing of theological ques-
lions, which will make more
fruitful the discharge of their
teaching office.
In a lecture delivered in
August 1860, Cardinal Mon
TIM said that the Pope's de-
cision to call a council
amounted to a refutation of
the opinion, hitherto seeming
ly not unjustified, that coun-
ellis are, as it we're, merely
tolerated by the popes. The
opinion, too that the procla-
nation of papal infallibility
at the first Vatican Council
would bring about the end
of councils cannot now be
sustained.
Press articles on the coun-
Gil show the different mean
ings given to the word
~"ecumenical," according as it
is used by Protestant, Ortho-
dox, or Catholic writer's, and
that they are bound up with
very different conceptions in
the field of theology and
canon law. | will speak here
only of the fundamental
Catholic idea of a council,
without discussing the various
types of council found in
history nor any particular de-
tails of Church history.
An Ecumenical Council is a
solemn assembly of all bish-
ops throughout the world to
discuss, in union with the
bishop of Rome, questions
which concern the whole of
Christendom. To be truly
ecumenical, certain conditions
must be fulfilled as regards
its summoning, execution and
authority.
l. The summoning: How do
the bishops united with the
pope represent the whole
Church?
A COUNCIL is ecumenical
in its summoning, if all the
bishops of the Catholic world
have been officially invited.
The reason is that the bish-
ops, as successors of the Apos-
ties, form with the pope, the
teaching body of the Church,
which represents the highest
ecclesiastical authority. By
the customary law of the
Church now in force, the class
of those to be invited has
been widened, to include
holders of ecclesiastical of
fees bearing quasi-episcopal
jurisdiction. In addition, all