Church as Institute – under the feudal system
Source texts
Deformities accrued in the Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages governance in the Church began to be shaped on the model of feudalism. This led to many discrepancies with Jesus’ original vision.
DISTORTION FIVE – top-down structure of authority.
Medieval societies discerned four layers of citizens, each one on top of the other: (1) the king/queen – (2) underneath the aristocracy – (3) underneath free citizens – (4) at the bottom slaves. Commands flowed from top to bottom.
The Church was structured similarly: (1) the Pope, (2) bishops, (3) priests and (4) the congregation of the faithful – who just needed to be obedient.
Feudal status symbols were adopted:
- Pope – white dress; “Your Holiness”
- Cardinal – red dress with long tail; “Your Eminence”
- Archbishop – purple dress with mitre and crozier; “Your Grace”
- Bishop – purple dress with mitre and crozier; “Your Lordship”, “My Lord”
- Priest – black dress with clerical collar; “Father”
DISTORTION SIX – the clergy is ranked as part of the aristocracy, and therefore not accountable to courts of justice.
In the Church this meant that, just like other members of nobility status, clerics were only accountable to Church authorities. This was the reason Rome forbade referring priests involved in sex abuse to secular authorities.
DISTORTION SEVEN – the ‘People of God’ are deprived of their central role in the Church.
- The Second Vatican Council reaffirmed that “the body of the faithful as a whole . . . cannot err in matters of doctrine. Thanks to a supernatural sense of faith which characterizes the People as a whole, it manifests this unerring quality when from the bishops down to the last member of the laity it shows universal agreement in matters of faith and doctrine” (Lumen Gentium 12). But the teaching authority refuses to listen to the voice of the faithful, the vast majority of whom, for instance, support the ordination of women.
- The Second Vatican Council decreed that “in dioceses, as far as possible, councils should be set up to assist the Church’s apostolic work, whether in the field of evangelization and sanctification or in the fields of charity, social relations and the rest … Such councils should be found too, if possible, at parochial, inter-parochial, inter-diocesan level [sic], and also on the national and international plane” (Apostolate of the Laity, 26). But the 1983 Code of Canon law declared that such councils are only consultative (Canon Law 511-513).
DISTORTION EIGHT – the charisms of the ordinary faithful are ignored.
In feudal society challenges to those in authority by persons of lower rank were not tolerated. The same principle was applied to the Catholic community.
- The gift of ‘prophecy’ is well testified to in the New Testament. “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy . . . Everyone who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort . . . The person who prophesies edifies the church [ekklesia]” (1 Corinthians 14, 1-4). But church authorities do not listen to the prophetic voices of many of the faithful.
- Theologians should be free to speak. “All the faithful, both clerical and lay, should be accorded a lawful freedom of inquiry, freedom of thought and freedom of expression” (Gaudium et Spes 62; Canon Lawno 212 § 3). But in the Church, theologians have been suppressed in multiple ways. An oath of agreement with papal teaching was imposed. Pressure was exerted to ensure only conservative theologians were appointed to Catholic colleges and seminaries. Theologians who expressed unwelcome views were dismissed from their job.
Discussion in “Christ’s Idea of Authority in the Church”, chapters 10, 11, 12, 13, 16 and 20.
John Wijngaards