www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Inviting Orthodox Bishops to help run the Catholic Church

Pope Francis ‘is plotting a path to unity’ and could invite Orthodox to help run the Church, says new aide Enzo Bianchi
01 August 2014 13:10 by Hannah Roberts in Rome

Pope Francis wants to reform the papacy to allow greater unity between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, a newly appointed senior adviser has claimed.

Enzo Bianchi, appointed on 22 July as consultor of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, said the Pope could allow a council of bishops including Orthodox bishops to assist in governing the Church.

Reform of the Synod of Bishops and the growth of synodality within the Catholic Church would greatly enhance the opportunity for union between Rome and the Orthodox Churches, by making the papacy less “monarchical” and the Catholic Church less centralised.

Bianchi, Prior of the Bose monastery in north-east Italy, said: “I believe that the Pope wants to achieve unity by reforming the papacy.” Pope Francis feels that union with the Orthodox Churches in particular is “an urgent goal”, he emphasised. “I believe that the Pope has one particular concern, that unity should not be achieved in the spirituality of unity but rather it is a command by Christ which we must carry out,” he told the Italian daily La Stampa.

Reform would involve a new balance between collegiality and primacy, Bianchi explained. “The Orthodox have synodality, but not primacy. We Catholics have primacy but a lack of synodality.”

“It is conceivable that we could have an episcopal body that helps the Pope in governing the Church without calling into question his primacy,” Bianchi said. “This would help to create a new style of papal primacy and the government of bishops.”

Pope Paul VI’s Nota Praevia, attached to the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, ensured that none of the document’s teaching on collegiality or the Synod of Bishops should impact on the rights and privileges of the Pope. The Synod of Bishops therefore remains a solely consultative body and relies on papal endorsement.

Last year Pope Francis suggested strengthening the Synod saying it was a “half-baked” development of the Second Vatican Council.

Pope Paul VI’s Nota Praevia, attached to the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, ensured that none of the document’s teaching on collegiality or the Synod of Bishops should impact on the rights and privileges of the Pope. The Synod of Bishops therefore remains a solely consultative body and relies on papal endorsement.

I wish Mr Bianchi were on the forum, so I could ask whether he means with or without becoming Catholic. (And yes I did read the whole article -- just in case anyone is going to ask. )

As a preeminent Eastern Catholic historical theologian put it to me some years back, "If Pius IX is a beatus, then I'm an astronaut." To that I would append this list of αναξιοι: Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Stepinac, Josemaria Escriba de Balaguer for openers.

As a preeminent Eastern Catholic historical theologian put it to me some years back, "If Pius IX is a beatus, then I'm an astronaut." To that I would append this list of αναξιοι: Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Stepinac, Josemaria Escriba de Balaguer for openers.

Peter,

It seems clear enough to me that "helping" to run the Church isn't the same as actually running it, and that Orthodox bishops could certainly advise and otherwise help Catholic bishops without actually becoming Catholic.


Peace,
Deacon Richard

Exactly. The author may have meant without actually becoming Catholic (but doesn't make it clear).

Peter,

Let me try this again. What I said was it seems clear enough to me, so YES, I think Brother Enzo is saying WITHOUT becoming Catholic--clearly, with no ambiguity, no uncertainty, no confusion of any kind.

Perhaps you're picking up something here that I'm not, but my point is that the article would have a completely different tone if it were saying anything else.


Peace,
Deacon Richard