Papal Primacy and the Episcopate

Papal Primacy and the Episcopate

Summary and Reflection

The book Papal Primacy and the Episcopate is a doctrinal and synthetic essay of Michael Buckley, SJ regarding the relationship between primacy and the episcopate, especially are its essential and indispensable and dispensable elements.
It primarily answers the question of the conflict between them that has been splendidly raised on the historical overview of the matter, which asks “Can papal primacy be conceived in such a way that it does not derogate from the proper dignity and ministry of the bishops, either taken singly or as a college?” In short, the matter lies on the primacy of the other over the other, vice-versa. Moreover, different language and ideology are also considered as problems of the development of the relationship of papacy and episcopacy. As the title suggests the two must be viewed in a relational understanding not by domination and will-to-power that has been flagged on them based in the history of the Church. Another significant problem is the blindness and good will that may be obtained in the ideology of papacy and episcopacy.

In line with this, the first chapter immediately clarified the conditions in such office and power as both the papacy and episcopacy need first the purity of heart because if not, disordered desires and passions inevitably distort the reflection. Only the purity of heart will enable a discussion that is not governed by ambition or fear or a desire to curry favor or by Oepidal resentments and the frustrated consciousness of powerlessness.

In the language game, primacy and episcopate are each an abstraction: “primacy,” for the leadership of the bishop of Rome, the primate; “episcopate,” for the collectivity of bishops, for the episcopate, precisely as episcopate, that is, in their relationship to one another and collectivity to the Church as whole. Moreover, episcopate and primacy is also a relation of persons: primacy relates one person to many; episcopate relates persons in community to others. By these identification of episcopate and primacy within the so called “category of relation” makes it an indispensable element since it is necessary for its foundation and its term, that is, what brings it into being and sustains it in existence (esse) and what gives it its character (ratio). What then brings them into being and what sustains them continually as relations is by the communications of God’s own Spirit by Christ, communication actualized and specified in Episcopal ordination through receiving the munera (teaching, sanctifying and governing).

What then is the relationship between the primacy and the episcopate? This relationship is unity. In order to foster that first there must be unity within the episcopate, the unity of the bishops among themselves, and second, by means of that unity, the unity of the members of the Church.

Personally, this book is like an initial step towards attaining unity among Christian churches especially in understanding the rightful role of the Pope of the Catholic Church in promoting it. As Pope Paul VI says that the Pope is undoubtedly the gravest obstacle in the path of ecumenism. Probably, Buckley wants us to understand the proper role of papacy in the Church. May be, without a leader, nobody can be a symbol of unity in a particular community. However, it must be fully remember that the leader must have a purity of heart in his office. The will-to-power and other inordinate desires will certainly distort unity and create factions among its members by not having Christ as the center of its life.

It tries first to settle the ecumenism between the papacy and episcopate. The relational conflict developed by the past was shift into this new kind of thinking that monarchial power of the pope is not anymore considered as such but turned to the power of the collegiality of bishops as the supreme authority of the Church. A clear understanding of this terms will allow us to proceed to a greater ecumenism with other Christian Churches and then to other religions.

Before I became a seminarian, I never knew of this matter that the pope is only a bishop of Rome and he is the head of the Catholic Church both by name and authority. This shift of thinking brought me a broader understanding of how unity can be promoted in many ways. By sharing this ideology of papacy and episcopate will surely help us to open our minds the need for unity in the Church especially in Local churches. For me, this is a startling discovery in the life of the Church as its member.

Here in the Philippines, some people still think that the Cardinal possesses a higher authority than the other bishops. And the pope is ranked higher than the other cardinals. May be by way of distinction and without proper understanding of the collegiality of bishops accuse the Catholic Church as disunited by having different external ways or rites in liturgy and sacraments in different dioceses.