Catholic Laity
Encyclopedia
There are estimated to be over 1 billion Roman Catholics in the World. The majority of these are Lay Catholics otherwise known as the Laity
. The Catholic Church is overseen by the Pope
, 200 Cardinals
and just over 31,000 Bishops. The Pope, Cardinals, and Bishops are known collectively as the Catholic Hierarchy and are responsible for the supervision, management, and pastoral care of all members the Catholic Church including Clergy
, Religious, and the Laity
.
is a Dicastery
of the Roman Curia. It is based in Vatican City
, Italy
.
It "...assists the Pope in all matters concerning the contribution the lay faithful make to the life and mission of the Church, whether as individuals or through the various forms of association that have arisen and constantly arise within the Church."
This Dicastery emerged from the Decree on the Lay Apostolate of the Second Vatican Council
- Apostolicam Actuositatem. It was officially created by Pope Paul VI on 6 January 1967 with the motu proprio Catholicam Christi Ecclesiam.
. The new Code of Canon Law was promulgated in 1983. The Code was revised mainly as a result of documents that came out the Second Vatican Council
.
The 1983 Code of Canon Law
included a new section: BOOK II: THE PEOPLE OF GOD (Canons 204-746). This book contains the majority of the rights assigned to the Laity.
Can. 211 All the Christian Faithful (i.e. the Laity [which includes Religious] & the Clergy) have a right and a duty to spreading the Good News to the whole world.
Can. 212
§2. The Christian Faithful have the right to make known their needs and desires to the “pastors of the Church”. For Clergy “pastors” could be their Dean
, Bishop
/ Archbishop
, etc. For Laity this could be their Parish Priest
or Dean
or Bishop
, etc.
§3. The Christian Faithful have the right “…and even at times the duty” to give “…the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful”.
Can. 213 The Christian Faithful have the right to receive assistance from the “sacred pastors” “…especially the word of God and the sacraments.”
Can. 214 The Christian Faithful have the right to worship according to approved rites and to “…follow their own form of spiritual life so long as it is consonant with the doctrine of the Church.”
Can. 215 The Christian Faithful are free to “…found and direct associations for purposes of charity or piety or for the promotion of the Christian vocation in the world and to hold meetings for the common pursuit of these purposes.”
It is of note these do not have to be approved by the ecclesiastical authorities. However, cf. Canon 216 below about using the name Catholic.
Can. 216 The Christian Faithful have the right to “…promote or sustain apostolic action even by their own undertakings”. However, “…no undertaking is to claim the name Catholic without the consent of competent ecclesiastical authority.”
Can. 217 The Christian Faithful have the right to a Christian education “…by which they are to be instructed properly”.
Can. 218 The Christian Faithful who are involved in “the sacred disciplines” have the right to inquire and express opinions in their area of expertise as long as they are in accordance with the magisterium of the Church.
Can. 219 The Christian Faithful have the right not to be forced into a particular “state of life.”
Can. 220 Nobody is permitted to “illegitimately” harm another person’s reputation or to “injure” a person’s right of privacy.
Can. 221
§1. The Christian Faithful have the right to “vindicate” and defend the rights they possess in Canon Law within a “competent ecclesiastical forum”. This is most often going to be the Diocesan Tribunal which mainly oversees marriage annulment applications.
§2.The Christian Faithful have the right to a fair trial by any “competent authority”. This extends to civil and criminal trials as well as within ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
§3. The Christian Faithful can only be punished with “canonical penalties” (such as ex-communication) “according to the norm of law”, that is they cannot be bestowed arbitrarily. Any ecclesiastical charges against an individual must be fully proven.
These rights are specific to the Laity. In summary they are:
Can. 226
§2 Parents have the right to educate their children.
Can. 227 The Laity should have the same freedoms as their fellow citizens. However, these freedoms should be enjoyed and lived out in accordance with the “spirit of the gospel” and the magisterium of the Church. At the same time the Laity should avoid any suggestion their opinions are necessarily the teaching of the Church.
Can. 228
§1. Suitable qualified Lay persons can be appointed by “the sacred pastors” to those “…ecclesiastical offices and functions which they are able to exercise according to the precepts of the law.”
§2. Lay persons who “…excel in necessary knowledge, prudence, and integrity” can be appointed by “the pastors of the Church” as experts and advisors, even in councils according to the norm of law.”
Can. 229
§1. Lay persons have the right to “...acquire knowledge of Christian doctrine.”
§2. Lay persons also possess the right to acquire that fuller knowledge of the sacred sciences and attend “…ecclesiastical universities and faculties or in institutes of religious sciences.”
§3. If the”… prescripts regarding the requisite suitability have been observed”, they “...are also qualified to receive from legitimate ecclesiastical authority a mandate to teach the sacred sciences."
Can. 230
§1. Lay men can be admitted “…through the prescribed liturgical rite to the ministries of lector and acolyte.” Nevertheless, the conferral of these ministries does not grant them the right to obtain support or remuneration from the Church.
§2. Lay persons can fulfill the function of lector “…by temporary designation”. All lay persons can also undertake “…the functions of commentator or cantor, or other functions, according to the norm of law.”
§3. When required, such as a lack of Ministers, “…lay persons, even if they are not lectors or acolytes, can also supply certain of their duties, namely, to exercise the ministry of the word, to preside offer liturgical prayers, to confer baptism, and to distribute Holy Communion, according to the prescripts of the law.”
Can. 231
§2. Without prejudice to the prescript of ⇒ can. 230, §1 where, for example, a lay person works full time for the Church they “…have the right to decent remuneration” by the Church for roles they undertake for Her. “They also have a right for their social provision, social security, and health benefits to be duly provided”.
It is of note that there are a number of fundamental rights stipulated here – the right to privacy, the right to fair trial, etc. Such rights are also reflected in many civil Human Rights Charters such as the a European Convention of Human Rights.
It is of particular note that many of the more specific rights outlined above are conditional and require approval by the appropriate “ecclesiastical authority”.
Can. 492
§1. In every diocese a Finance council is to be established, at which the diocesan bishop himself or his delegate presides and which consists of at least three members of the Christian faithful truly expert in Financial affairs and civil law, outstanding in integrity, and appointed by the bishop.
§2. Members of the Finance council are to be appointed for Five years, but at the end of this period they can be appointed for other Five year terms.
§3. Persons who are related to the bishop up to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity are excluded from the Finance council.
Can. 493 In addition to the functions entrusted to it in Book V, The Temporal Goods of the Church, the Finance council prepares each year, according to the directions of the diocesan bishop, a budget of the income and expenditures which are foreseen for the entire governance of the diocese in the coming year and at the end of the year examines an account of the revenues and expenses.
Can. 494
§1. In every diocese, after having heard the college of consultors and the Finance council, the bishop is to appoint a Finance officer who is truly expert in Financial affairs and absolutely distinguished for honesty.
§2. The Finance officer is to be appointed for a Five year term but can be appointed for other Five year terms at the end of this period. The finance officer is not to be removed while in this function except for a grave cause to be assessed by the bishop after he has heard the college of consultors and the Finance council.
§3. It is for the Finance officer to administer the goods of the diocese under the authority of the bishop in accord with the budget determined by the Finance council and, from the income of the diocese, to meet expenses which the bishop or others designated by him have legitimately authorized.
§4. At the end of the year, the Finance officer must render an account of receipts and expenditures to the Finance council.
Can. 537 In each parish there is to be a finance council which is governed, in addition to universal law, by norms issued by the diocesan bishop and in which the Christian faithful, selected according to these same norms, are to assist the pastor in the administration of the goods of the parish, without prejudice to the prescript of ⇒ can. 532.
In effect here, according to Canon Law, there must be a Finance Council at Parish level.
Can. 1287
§1. Both clerical and lay administrators of any ecclesiastical goods whatever which have not been legitimately exempted from the power of governance of the diocesan bishop are bound by their office to present an annual report to the local ordinary who is to present it for examination by the finance council; any contrary custom is reprobated.
§2. According to norms to be determined by particular law, administrators are to render an account to the faithful concerning the goods offered by the faithful to the Church.
In relation to Canon 1287 §1 an annual report must be presented to the local Bishop by anybody who has been appointed as the administrator of any "eccelsiasticasl goods", for example the annual income and expediture within a particular Parish. As regards §2 the same administrators must "render an account" to the Faithful relating to the "goods", for example money, they have given to the Church. Canon Law does not specify how this "account" should prepared or transmitted.
and Major orders
. The Minor Orders
were, in effect, the lower orders of the Clerical state and were reserved for those preparing for the Priesthood:
As a result of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, on 15 August 1972, Pope Paul VI issued the Motu Proprio Ministeria Quaedam.
This in effect suppressed the Minor orders
and replaced them with two ministries, namely Lector
and Acolyte
. A major difference was that: "Ministries may be assigned to lay Christians; hence they are no longer to be considered as reserved to candidates for the sacrament of orders."
The following are requirements for admission to the ministries:
The ministries are conferred by the Ordinary (the bishop and, in clerical institutes, the major superior) through the liturgical rites De institutione lectoris and De institutione acolythi as revised by the Apostolic See.
An interval, determined by the Holy See or the conferences of bishops, shall be observed between the conferring of the ministries of reader and acolyte whenever more than one ministry is conferred on the same person."
However, "In accordance with the ancient tradition of the Church, institution to the ministries of reader and acolyte is reserved to men." Due to this fact these ministries are rarely formally instituted in may regions of the Catholic Church.
In their place has evolved the widespread use of commissioned Readers, Altar Servers and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist as these functions can be undertaken by both men and women.
Permission to undertaken these roles can be found in The General Instruction of the Roman Missal.
In relation to Readers Instruction #101 says: "In the absence of an instituted lector, other laypersons may be commissioned to proclaim the readings from Sacred Scripture. They should be truly suited to perform this function and should receive careful preparation, so that the faithful by listening to the readings from the sacred texts may develop in their hearts a warm and living love for Sacred Scripture."
As regards Altar Servers and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist Instruction #100 says: "In the absence of an instituted acolyte, lay ministers may be deputed to serve at the altar and assist the priest and the deacon; they may carry the cross, the candles, the thurible, the bread, the wine, and the water, and they may also be deputed to distribute Holy Communion as extraordinary ministers."."
It is worth noting, an option to institute the other Minor orders was retained in this document in that a Bishops Conference may request permission from the Apostolic See: "...if they judge the establishment of such offices in their region to be necessary or very useful because of special reasons. To these belong, for example, the ministries of porter, exorcist, catechist, as well as others to be conferred on those who are dedicated to works of charity, where this ministry had not been assigned to deacons."
does not permit the Laity to have any kind of executive or juridical powers in Ecclesiastical affairs. This therefore curtails the extent of influence the Laity has over how the Church is governed on a day-to-day basis.
However, Lay experts and advisors were appointed to participate during the deliberations of the Second Vatican Council
. Post the Second Vatican Council members of the Laity are routinely appointed to sit on Commissions & Committees established at every level – Curial, Bishops Conference, Diocesan, Deanery
, and Parish
.
Derek Worlock, who later became Archbishop of Liverpool
, England
. It became one of the Consultative Bodies of the Bishops’ Conference in England & Wales and was formed from all the large Catholic Lay organisations.
The NCLA was initially called the National Lay Apostolic Group and was formed after the First World Congress for the Apostolate of the Laity held in Rome in October 1951. In 2003 the NCLA celebrated its 50th birthday with a Golden Jubilee Mass in Salford Cathedral
.
Today however the NCLA appears to no longer exist as a viable organisation.
. The National Council of the Laity (Consejo Nacional de Laicos) in Venezuela routinely issues statements and press releases often criticising the policies of the current President
Hugo Chávez
.
The results of these deliberations were drawn together in a document entitled “The Easter People
”. This document was very publicly rejected by Pope John Paul II
when it was presented to him by Cardinal Hume and Archbishop Worlock in Rome, Italy, in 1980.
There has not been another National Pastoral Congress since this time in England & Wales.
The majority have sought and have been given backing by the appropriate “ecclesiastical authority”. However, others have invoked the right contained in Canon 215 to form a Catholic Association without ecclesiastical approval. In these circumstances the only prescription on them is that they cannot use the term “Catholic” in their name. (Can. 216)
The Pontifical Council for the Laity
is the body responsible for approving those Catholic Associations that exist at an international level.
The structure of some Religious Orders allow for Lay branches to be associated with them. These are often referred to as Third Orders.
Some of the best known Catholic Lay Associations are Knights of Columbus
, Knights of Columba, Catenians, Knights of Malta. There are also many Lay Catholic guilds and associations representing a whole range of professions. These include the Catholic Police Guild
, Holy Name Society (NYPD), the Association of Catholic Nurses, the Guild of Catholic Doctors, the Catholic Phyicians Guild, the Catholic Association of Performing Arts (UK), the Catholic Actors Guild of America.
and Miles Jesu
are ostensibly Catholic Lay organisations which are overseen by clergy associated and / or affiliated with them. The strucutre of these organisations are termed a personal prelature
.
Some of the main demands of these groups are:
One of the best known in England is the London based Daily Telegraph blog run the journalist Damian Thompson
. Much of his criticism is reserved for the Bishops of England and Wales whom he often refers to collectively using the pejorative phrase "the magic circle".
However, there are also many thousands of other websites and blogs that have been produced by Lay Catholics with the aim of assisting with the teaching, explanation, & propagation of the faith as well as providing Catholic related news.
The Vatican hosted a conference of bloggers on 2 May 2011. This was sponsored jointly by the Pontifical Council for Culture
and the Pontifical Council for Social Communications
. One hundred and fifty bloggers were invited from across the world.
Richard Rouse, an English layman, who works for the Pontifical Council for Culture, has stated that this meeting was most certainly not held in an attempt by the Vatican to try and control Catholic blogs. He has also confirmed that there will not be another Vatican Blogmeet, but individual Diocese may hold similar conferences."
and The Tablet
. In the United States of America (USA) there is the National Catholic Register
and the National Catholic Reporter
.
The first of these was Catholic Voices in England
& Wales
. The catalyst was Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom
in September 2010.
Catholic Voices is now being replicated in Spain
& Germany
. In Germany the lay media group will be known as Catholic Faces. Other countries who have expressed an interest in this concept are Chile
, Colombia
, Ecuador
, Mexico
, Costa Rica
and the USA.
There continue to be a number of unofficial and semi-unofficial Lay spokepeople for the Church who are called upon to give a Catholic viewpoint by the various news media outlets. These Lay Catholic commentators are often chosen due to their particular viewpoint be they traditional or liberal. The Catholic Hierarchy are somewhat uncomfortable with this as they have no control over what is said.
In England one such Lay interviewee is Joanna Bogle
. She has written extensively on Catholic related subjects and has given many interviews both on radio and TV. Her reputation is that of a fierce Catholic Apologist. Bogle is particulalry infamous for a Channel 4 News interview she gave in March 2009, where she admits she lost her cool.
Secularists and others have seized upon this interview and cited it as an example of Catholic biogtry, nievety and narrow mindedness. However others have defended her vehement and passionate stance.
is difficult to define. In relation to the Catholic Clergy it is often associated with a narrowness of view and a desire to retain and not to relinquish any powers, privileges, or position.
There are some who believe that a new wave of clericalism is infecting the Church. Some link it to the new wave of orthodoxy and traditionalism that has been sweeping the Catholic Church in recent years. In April 2011 during a conference in Milwaukee, USA on the clergy child sex abuse scandal, the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin
said: “There are signs of a new clericalism, which may even at times be ably veiled behind appeals for deeper spirituality or for more orthodox theological positions”.
In the same conference Martin also said that he planned to require all seminarians to: “…carry out some part of their formation with lay people so that they can establish mature relationships with men and women and do not develop any sense of their priesthood giving them a special social position”.
As regards the Catholic Laity clericalism is often viewed as a barrier to progress to improving Lay rights and greater access to the supervision, oversight, and administration of the Church, as well as increased involvement in Church ministry. Such sentiments are often accompanied by the now infamous quotes of Monsignor George Talbot made in 1867. Talbot's views were largely in response to the position of John Henry Newman in his article “On Consulting the Faithful in Matters of Doctrine”, which was published in the Rambler in July, 1859. The recipient of Talbot’s utterances was the then Archbishop of Westminster Henry Edward Manning.
John Henry Newman, himself, was a great defender and proponent of significantly increased Catholic Lay involvement in the life of the Church. After publishing “On Consulting the Faithful in Matters of Doctrine” Newman was thereafter looked upon with grave suspicion and distrust by many of the Catholic Hierarchy, both in England and Wales, and in Rome. However, he was ultimately made a Cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879. Talbot died in an asylum at Passy, near Paris in 1886.
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
. The Catholic Church is overseen by the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, 200 Cardinals
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
and just over 31,000 Bishops. The Pope, Cardinals, and Bishops are known collectively as the Catholic Hierarchy and are responsible for the supervision, management, and pastoral care of all members the Catholic Church including Clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
, Religious, and the Laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
.
The Pontifical Council for the Laity
The Pontifical Council for the LaityPontifical Council for the Laity
The Pontifical Council for the Laity has the responsibility of assisting the Pope in his dealings with the laity in lay ecclesial movements or individually, and their contributions to the Church. The Cardinal President of the Council is Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko. The Secretary is Bishop Josef...
is a Dicastery
Dicastery
Dicastery is an Italicism sometimes used in English to refer to the Departments of the Roman Curia....
of the Roman Curia. It is based in Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
It "...assists the Pope in all matters concerning the contribution the lay faithful make to the life and mission of the Church, whether as individuals or through the various forms of association that have arisen and constantly arise within the Church."
This Dicastery emerged from the Decree on the Lay Apostolate of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
- Apostolicam Actuositatem. It was officially created by Pope Paul VI on 6 January 1967 with the motu proprio Catholicam Christi Ecclesiam.
The Rights of the Laity
Within the Catholic Church the rights of the Catholic Laity are found within the Code of Canon LawCanon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
. The new Code of Canon Law was promulgated in 1983. The Code was revised mainly as a result of documents that came out the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
.
The 1983 Code of Canon Law
1983 Code of Canon Law
The 1983 Code of Canon Law is the codification of canonical legislation for the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church...
included a new section: BOOK II: THE PEOPLE OF GOD (Canons 204-746). This book contains the majority of the rights assigned to the Laity.
The Obligations & Rights of All the Christian Faithful
The first set of rights are found within Canons 208 – 223: The Obligations & Rights of All the Christian Faithful. These rights do not only apply to the Laity but all members of the Church. In summary they are:Can. 211 All the Christian Faithful (i.e. the Laity [which includes Religious] & the Clergy) have a right and a duty to spreading the Good News to the whole world.
Can. 212
§2. The Christian Faithful have the right to make known their needs and desires to the “pastors of the Church”. For Clergy “pastors” could be their Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
, Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
/ Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
, etc. For Laity this could be their Parish Priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
or Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
or Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, etc.
§3. The Christian Faithful have the right “…and even at times the duty” to give “…the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful”.
Can. 213 The Christian Faithful have the right to receive assistance from the “sacred pastors” “…especially the word of God and the sacraments.”
Can. 214 The Christian Faithful have the right to worship according to approved rites and to “…follow their own form of spiritual life so long as it is consonant with the doctrine of the Church.”
Can. 215 The Christian Faithful are free to “…found and direct associations for purposes of charity or piety or for the promotion of the Christian vocation in the world and to hold meetings for the common pursuit of these purposes.”
It is of note these do not have to be approved by the ecclesiastical authorities. However, cf. Canon 216 below about using the name Catholic.
Can. 216 The Christian Faithful have the right to “…promote or sustain apostolic action even by their own undertakings”. However, “…no undertaking is to claim the name Catholic without the consent of competent ecclesiastical authority.”
Can. 217 The Christian Faithful have the right to a Christian education “…by which they are to be instructed properly”.
Can. 218 The Christian Faithful who are involved in “the sacred disciplines” have the right to inquire and express opinions in their area of expertise as long as they are in accordance with the magisterium of the Church.
Can. 219 The Christian Faithful have the right not to be forced into a particular “state of life.”
Can. 220 Nobody is permitted to “illegitimately” harm another person’s reputation or to “injure” a person’s right of privacy.
Can. 221
§1. The Christian Faithful have the right to “vindicate” and defend the rights they possess in Canon Law within a “competent ecclesiastical forum”. This is most often going to be the Diocesan Tribunal which mainly oversees marriage annulment applications.
§2.The Christian Faithful have the right to a fair trial by any “competent authority”. This extends to civil and criminal trials as well as within ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
§3. The Christian Faithful can only be punished with “canonical penalties” (such as ex-communication) “according to the norm of law”, that is they cannot be bestowed arbitrarily. Any ecclesiastical charges against an individual must be fully proven.
The Obligations & Rights of the Lay Christian Faithful
The second set of rights are found within Canons 225 – 231: THE OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF THE LAY CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL.These rights are specific to the Laity. In summary they are:
Can. 226
§2 Parents have the right to educate their children.
Can. 227 The Laity should have the same freedoms as their fellow citizens. However, these freedoms should be enjoyed and lived out in accordance with the “spirit of the gospel” and the magisterium of the Church. At the same time the Laity should avoid any suggestion their opinions are necessarily the teaching of the Church.
Can. 228
§1. Suitable qualified Lay persons can be appointed by “the sacred pastors” to those “…ecclesiastical offices and functions which they are able to exercise according to the precepts of the law.”
§2. Lay persons who “…excel in necessary knowledge, prudence, and integrity” can be appointed by “the pastors of the Church” as experts and advisors, even in councils according to the norm of law.”
Can. 229
§1. Lay persons have the right to “...acquire knowledge of Christian doctrine.”
§2. Lay persons also possess the right to acquire that fuller knowledge of the sacred sciences and attend “…ecclesiastical universities and faculties or in institutes of religious sciences.”
§3. If the”… prescripts regarding the requisite suitability have been observed”, they “...are also qualified to receive from legitimate ecclesiastical authority a mandate to teach the sacred sciences."
Can. 230
§1. Lay men can be admitted “…through the prescribed liturgical rite to the ministries of lector and acolyte.” Nevertheless, the conferral of these ministries does not grant them the right to obtain support or remuneration from the Church.
§2. Lay persons can fulfill the function of lector “…by temporary designation”. All lay persons can also undertake “…the functions of commentator or cantor, or other functions, according to the norm of law.”
§3. When required, such as a lack of Ministers, “…lay persons, even if they are not lectors or acolytes, can also supply certain of their duties, namely, to exercise the ministry of the word, to preside offer liturgical prayers, to confer baptism, and to distribute Holy Communion, according to the prescripts of the law.”
Can. 231
§2. Without prejudice to the prescript of ⇒ can. 230, §1 where, for example, a lay person works full time for the Church they “…have the right to decent remuneration” by the Church for roles they undertake for Her. “They also have a right for their social provision, social security, and health benefits to be duly provided”.
It is of note that there are a number of fundamental rights stipulated here – the right to privacy, the right to fair trial, etc. Such rights are also reflected in many civil Human Rights Charters such as the a European Convention of Human Rights.
It is of particular note that many of the more specific rights outlined above are conditional and require approval by the appropriate “ecclesiastical authority”.
Obligations & Rights Pertaining to Financial Administration
In other parts of the Code of Canon Law there are some other specific rights which include obligations on the ecclesiastical authorities to appoint suitable qualified members of the Chrisitan Faithful (i.e. either / and / or Clerics or Lay people) into poisitons of financial management:Can. 492
§1. In every diocese a Finance council is to be established, at which the diocesan bishop himself or his delegate presides and which consists of at least three members of the Christian faithful truly expert in Financial affairs and civil law, outstanding in integrity, and appointed by the bishop.
§2. Members of the Finance council are to be appointed for Five years, but at the end of this period they can be appointed for other Five year terms.
§3. Persons who are related to the bishop up to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity are excluded from the Finance council.
Can. 493 In addition to the functions entrusted to it in Book V, The Temporal Goods of the Church, the Finance council prepares each year, according to the directions of the diocesan bishop, a budget of the income and expenditures which are foreseen for the entire governance of the diocese in the coming year and at the end of the year examines an account of the revenues and expenses.
Can. 494
§1. In every diocese, after having heard the college of consultors and the Finance council, the bishop is to appoint a Finance officer who is truly expert in Financial affairs and absolutely distinguished for honesty.
§2. The Finance officer is to be appointed for a Five year term but can be appointed for other Five year terms at the end of this period. The finance officer is not to be removed while in this function except for a grave cause to be assessed by the bishop after he has heard the college of consultors and the Finance council.
§3. It is for the Finance officer to administer the goods of the diocese under the authority of the bishop in accord with the budget determined by the Finance council and, from the income of the diocese, to meet expenses which the bishop or others designated by him have legitimately authorized.
§4. At the end of the year, the Finance officer must render an account of receipts and expenditures to the Finance council.
Can. 537 In each parish there is to be a finance council which is governed, in addition to universal law, by norms issued by the diocesan bishop and in which the Christian faithful, selected according to these same norms, are to assist the pastor in the administration of the goods of the parish, without prejudice to the prescript of ⇒ can. 532.
In effect here, according to Canon Law, there must be a Finance Council at Parish level.
Can. 1287
§1. Both clerical and lay administrators of any ecclesiastical goods whatever which have not been legitimately exempted from the power of governance of the diocesan bishop are bound by their office to present an annual report to the local ordinary who is to present it for examination by the finance council; any contrary custom is reprobated.
§2. According to norms to be determined by particular law, administrators are to render an account to the faithful concerning the goods offered by the faithful to the Church.
In relation to Canon 1287 §1 an annual report must be presented to the local Bishop by anybody who has been appointed as the administrator of any "eccelsiasticasl goods", for example the annual income and expediture within a particular Parish. As regards §2 the same administrators must "render an account" to the Faithful relating to the "goods", for example money, they have given to the Church. Canon Law does not specify how this "account" should prepared or transmitted.
Lay Ministries
Prior to 1972, no Lay ministries existed, only the Minor ordersMinor orders
The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy. The most recognized minor orders are porter, lector, exorcist, and acolyte. In the Latin rite Catholic Church, the minor orders were in most cases replaced by "instituted" ministries of lector and acolyte, though communities that use...
and Major orders
Major orders
The term major orders or sacred orders was a part of the clerical terminology of the Roman Catholic Church until shortly after the Second Vatican Council, when the use widely disappeared due to reform of the clerical structure. During the Counter-reformation, the Council of Trent issued a decree...
. The Minor Orders
Minor orders
The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy. The most recognized minor orders are porter, lector, exorcist, and acolyte. In the Latin rite Catholic Church, the minor orders were in most cases replaced by "instituted" ministries of lector and acolyte, though communities that use...
were, in effect, the lower orders of the Clerical state and were reserved for those preparing for the Priesthood:
- AcolyteAcolyteIn many Christian denominations, an acolyte is anyone who performs ceremonial duties such as lighting altar candles. In other Christian Churches, the term is more specifically used for one who wishes to attain clergyhood.-Etymology:...
- ExorcistExorcistIn some religions an exorcist is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or other demons. A priest, a nun, a monk, a healer, a shaman or other specially prepared or instructed person can be an exorcist...
- LectorLectorLector is a Latin term for one who reads, whether aloud or not. In modern languages the word has come to take various forms, as either a development or a loan, such as , , and . It has various specialized uses:...
aka Reader - OstiariusOstiariusAn ostiarius, a Latin word sometimes anglicized as Ostiary but often literally translated as porter or doorman, originally was a servant or guard posted at the entrance of a building. See also gatekeeper....
aka Porter
As a result of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, on 15 August 1972, Pope Paul VI issued the Motu Proprio Ministeria Quaedam.
This in effect suppressed the Minor orders
Minor orders
The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy. The most recognized minor orders are porter, lector, exorcist, and acolyte. In the Latin rite Catholic Church, the minor orders were in most cases replaced by "instituted" ministries of lector and acolyte, though communities that use...
and replaced them with two ministries, namely Lector
Lector
Lector is a Latin term for one who reads, whether aloud or not. In modern languages the word has come to take various forms, as either a development or a loan, such as , , and . It has various specialized uses:...
and Acolyte
Acolyte
In many Christian denominations, an acolyte is anyone who performs ceremonial duties such as lighting altar candles. In other Christian Churches, the term is more specifically used for one who wishes to attain clergyhood.-Etymology:...
. A major difference was that: "Ministries may be assigned to lay Christians; hence they are no longer to be considered as reserved to candidates for the sacrament of orders."
The following are requirements for admission to the ministries:
- the presentation of a petition that has been freely made out and signed by the aspirant to the Ordinary (the bishop and, in clerical institutes, the major superior) who has the right to accept the petition;
- a suitable age and special qualities to be determined by the conference of bishops;
- a firm will to give faithful service to God and the Christian people.
The ministries are conferred by the Ordinary (the bishop and, in clerical institutes, the major superior) through the liturgical rites De institutione lectoris and De institutione acolythi as revised by the Apostolic See.
An interval, determined by the Holy See or the conferences of bishops, shall be observed between the conferring of the ministries of reader and acolyte whenever more than one ministry is conferred on the same person."
However, "In accordance with the ancient tradition of the Church, institution to the ministries of reader and acolyte is reserved to men." Due to this fact these ministries are rarely formally instituted in may regions of the Catholic Church.
In their place has evolved the widespread use of commissioned Readers, Altar Servers and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist as these functions can be undertaken by both men and women.
Permission to undertaken these roles can be found in The General Instruction of the Roman Missal.
In relation to Readers Instruction #101 says: "In the absence of an instituted lector, other laypersons may be commissioned to proclaim the readings from Sacred Scripture. They should be truly suited to perform this function and should receive careful preparation, so that the faithful by listening to the readings from the sacred texts may develop in their hearts a warm and living love for Sacred Scripture."
As regards Altar Servers and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist Instruction #100 says: "In the absence of an instituted acolyte, lay ministers may be deputed to serve at the altar and assist the priest and the deacon; they may carry the cross, the candles, the thurible, the bread, the wine, and the water, and they may also be deputed to distribute Holy Communion as extraordinary ministers."."
It is worth noting, an option to institute the other Minor orders was retained in this document in that a Bishops Conference may request permission from the Apostolic See: "...if they judge the establishment of such offices in their region to be necessary or very useful because of special reasons. To these belong, for example, the ministries of porter, exorcist, catechist, as well as others to be conferred on those who are dedicated to works of charity, where this ministry had not been assigned to deacons."
The Powers & Influence of the Laity
The 1983 Code of Canon Law1983 Code of Canon Law
The 1983 Code of Canon Law is the codification of canonical legislation for the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church...
does not permit the Laity to have any kind of executive or juridical powers in Ecclesiastical affairs. This therefore curtails the extent of influence the Laity has over how the Church is governed on a day-to-day basis.
However, Lay experts and advisors were appointed to participate during the deliberations of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
. Post the Second Vatican Council members of the Laity are routinely appointed to sit on Commissions & Committees established at every level – Curial, Bishops Conference, Diocesan, Deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
, and Parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
.
National Council for Lay Associations (England & Wales)
The National Council for Lay Associations (NCLA) was the idea of the late MonsignorMonsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
Derek Worlock, who later became Archbishop of Liverpool
Archbishop of Liverpool
The Archbishop of Liverpool heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool in England. As such he is the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Liverpool, known also on occasion as the Northern Province.-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It became one of the Consultative Bodies of the Bishops’ Conference in England & Wales and was formed from all the large Catholic Lay organisations.
The NCLA was initially called the National Lay Apostolic Group and was formed after the First World Congress for the Apostolate of the Laity held in Rome in October 1951. In 2003 the NCLA celebrated its 50th birthday with a Golden Jubilee Mass in Salford Cathedral
Salford Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist, usually known as Salford Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the City of Salford in Greater Manchester, England. Located on Chapel Street, Salford , not far from Manchester city centre, it is the seat of the Bishop of Salford and mother...
.
Today however the NCLA appears to no longer exist as a viable organisation.
The National Council of the Laity (Venezuela)
One country where a Council of the Laity appears to be thriving is VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. The National Council of the Laity (Consejo Nacional de Laicos) in Venezuela routinely issues statements and press releases often criticising the policies of the current President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
.
The Council of the Catholic Lay Apostolate Organizations of Korea
The Council of the Catholic Lay Apostolate Organizations of Korea, formerly The Catholic Lay Apostolate Council of Korea was renamed during the 2010 Autumn General Assembly of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of Korea. This was ratified at the 44th Ordinary General Meeting of the Council which was held at the Catholic Center in Myeongdong, Seoul on February 19, 2011.The National Pastoral Congress (England & Wales)
Archbishop Derek Worlock, supported by the late Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Basil Hume, convened the National Pastoral Congress in Liverpool, England in 1980. The Congress consisted of some two-thousand Lay people. The Congress discussed and deliberated on issues and topics that the gathering agreed were of particular relevance and concern to Lay Catholics in England & Wales at that time.The results of these deliberations were drawn together in a document entitled “The Easter People
The Easter People
The Easter People was a liberal policy document of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.-Background:The ultimate inspiration for the work which gave rise to the document was the Second Vatican Council...
”. This document was very publicly rejected by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
when it was presented to him by Cardinal Hume and Archbishop Worlock in Rome, Italy, in 1980.
There has not been another National Pastoral Congress since this time in England & Wales.
Lay Associations
There are many thousands of lay associations existing at a local, diocesan, national / bishops conference or international level. The cover the whole spectrum of Catholic Lay life, from their Faith, Social Action, to the Professions in which they work.The majority have sought and have been given backing by the appropriate “ecclesiastical authority”. However, others have invoked the right contained in Canon 215 to form a Catholic Association without ecclesiastical approval. In these circumstances the only prescription on them is that they cannot use the term “Catholic” in their name. (Can. 216)
The Pontifical Council for the Laity
Pontifical Council for the Laity
The Pontifical Council for the Laity has the responsibility of assisting the Pope in his dealings with the laity in lay ecclesial movements or individually, and their contributions to the Church. The Cardinal President of the Council is Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko. The Secretary is Bishop Josef...
is the body responsible for approving those Catholic Associations that exist at an international level.
The structure of some Religious Orders allow for Lay branches to be associated with them. These are often referred to as Third Orders.
Some of the best known Catholic Lay Associations are Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
, Knights of Columba, Catenians, Knights of Malta. There are also many Lay Catholic guilds and associations representing a whole range of professions. These include the Catholic Police Guild
Catholic Police Guild
The Catholic Police Guild of England & Wales was founded in 1914 as the Metropolitan and City Catholic Police Guild. This was an association for Catholic Police men and women, and approved by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster, in response to representations made by Catholics serving in...
, Holy Name Society (NYPD), the Association of Catholic Nurses, the Guild of Catholic Doctors, the Catholic Phyicians Guild, the Catholic Association of Performing Arts (UK), the Catholic Actors Guild of America.
Personal Prelatures
Organisations such as Opus DeiOpus Dei
Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei , is an organization of the Catholic Church that teaches that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The majority of its membership are lay people, with secular priests under the...
and Miles Jesu
Miles Jesu
Miles Jesu is an Ecclesial Family of Consecrated Life in the Roman Catholic Church, which was founded on January 12, 1964 in the basement of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Phoenix, Arizona...
are ostensibly Catholic Lay organisations which are overseen by clergy associated and / or affiliated with them. The strucutre of these organisations are termed a personal prelature
Personal prelature
Personal prelature is an institutional structure of the Roman Catholic Church which comprises a prelate, clergy and possibly laity who undertake specific pastoral activities. Personal prelatures, similar to dioceses and military ordinariates, are under the governance of the Vatican's Congregation...
.
Lay Pressure Groups
In recent years many Lay Pressure Groups have formed. Many of these have been in response to the widespread clerical sex abuse that has been uncovered. Much of this has been blamed on a lack of supervision and oversight by those in authority within the Church, poor and weak management and flawed decision making when such abuses came to light.Some of the main demands of these groups are:
- The binding of the Catholic Hierarchy to a universal and comprehensive system of transparency and accountability relating to their governance of the Church
- The mandatory empowerment of the LaityLaityIn religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
to a degree of oversight and scrutiny at every level of the Church - local, diocesan, provincial, national / bishops conference, international, dicasteryDicasteryDicastery is an Italicism sometimes used in English to refer to the Departments of the Roman Curia.... - Automatic consultative and collaborative rights for the Laity at every level of the Church
- Increased rights for women in the Church
- Increased Lay access to and involvement with ministry within the Church
- The freedom of speech and an end of censorship
Lay Blogs & Websites
Many Lay Catholics have set up online blogs and website to express their criticisms of the Catholic Church and to call for reform, knowing that by using this medium they will be free of any censorship or control by the Church's ecclesiastical authorities.One of the best known in England is the London based Daily Telegraph blog run the journalist Damian Thompson
Damian Thompson
Damian Thompson is a British journalist, author and blogger.Thompson was educated at Presentation College, Reading, and read history at Mansfield College, Oxford University. He received his Ph.D in the sociology of religion from the London School of Economics for a thesis on the management of...
. Much of his criticism is reserved for the Bishops of England and Wales whom he often refers to collectively using the pejorative phrase "the magic circle".
However, there are also many thousands of other websites and blogs that have been produced by Lay Catholics with the aim of assisting with the teaching, explanation, & propagation of the faith as well as providing Catholic related news.
The Vatican hosted a conference of bloggers on 2 May 2011. This was sponsored jointly by the Pontifical Council for Culture
Pontifical Council for Culture
The Pontifical Council for Culture is a department of the Roman Curia charged with fostering the relationship of the Catholic Church with different cultures. Pope John Paul II founded it on 20 May 1982...
and the Pontifical Council for Social Communications
Pontifical Council for Social Communications
The Pontifical Council for Social Communications is a dicastery of the Roman Curia...
. One hundred and fifty bloggers were invited from across the world.
Richard Rouse, an English layman, who works for the Pontifical Council for Culture, has stated that this meeting was most certainly not held in an attempt by the Vatican to try and control Catholic blogs. He has also confirmed that there will not be another Vatican Blogmeet, but individual Diocese may hold similar conferences."
Lay Newspapers
There are also many Catholic newspapers and periodicals produced around the world by Lay Catholics, which are independent of hierarchical control or oversight. Examples in the United Kingdom are The Catholic HeraldThe Catholic Herald
The Catholic Herald is a London-based Roman Catholic newspaper, published in broadsheet format and retailing at £1.50 ....
and The Tablet
The Tablet
The Tablet is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Contributors to its pages have included Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Paul VI ....
. In the United States of America (USA) there is the National Catholic Register
National Catholic Register
Not to be confused with the National Catholic Reporter or the Catholic RegisterThe National Catholic Register is the oldest national Catholic newspaper in the United States. It was founded on 8 November 1927 by Msgr. Matthew J...
and the National Catholic Reporter
National Catholic Reporter
The National Catholic Reporter is the second largest Catholic newspaper in the United States; its circulation reaches ninety-seven countries on six continents. Based in midtown Kansas City, Missouri, NCR was founded by Robert Hoyt in 1964 as an independent newspaper focusing on the Catholic Church...
.
Lay Spokespeople
A very recent project conceived and run by Opus Dei is the media training of a select number of young Lay Catholics in order to be available for interviews to religious and secular media outlets on Catholic related subject, issues and beliefs.The first of these was Catholic Voices in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
& Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The catalyst was Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom
Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom
Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom from 16 to 19 September 2010 was the first state visit by a pope to the United Kingdom...
in September 2010.
Catholic Voices is now being replicated in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
& Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In Germany the lay media group will be known as Catholic Faces. Other countries who have expressed an interest in this concept are Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and the USA.
There continue to be a number of unofficial and semi-unofficial Lay spokepeople for the Church who are called upon to give a Catholic viewpoint by the various news media outlets. These Lay Catholic commentators are often chosen due to their particular viewpoint be they traditional or liberal. The Catholic Hierarchy are somewhat uncomfortable with this as they have no control over what is said.
In England one such Lay interviewee is Joanna Bogle
Joanna Bogle
Joanna Bogle is a British Catholic journalist, writer and broadcaster.-Biography:From a 'mixed' family, her father was not a Catholic, she worked for the Richmond Herald and later the Surrey Comet newspaper after leaving school...
. She has written extensively on Catholic related subjects and has given many interviews both on radio and TV. Her reputation is that of a fierce Catholic Apologist. Bogle is particulalry infamous for a Channel 4 News interview she gave in March 2009, where she admits she lost her cool.
Secularists and others have seized upon this interview and cited it as an example of Catholic biogtry, nievety and narrow mindedness. However others have defended her vehement and passionate stance.
Clericalism
ClericalismClericalism
Clericalism is the application of the formal, church-based, leadership or opinion of ordained clergy in matters of either the church or broader political and sociocultural import...
is difficult to define. In relation to the Catholic Clergy it is often associated with a narrowness of view and a desire to retain and not to relinquish any powers, privileges, or position.
There are some who believe that a new wave of clericalism is infecting the Church. Some link it to the new wave of orthodoxy and traditionalism that has been sweeping the Catholic Church in recent years. In April 2011 during a conference in Milwaukee, USA on the clergy child sex abuse scandal, the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin
Diarmuid Martin
Diarmuid Martin is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland. He was born in Dublin.-Early life and education:...
said: “There are signs of a new clericalism, which may even at times be ably veiled behind appeals for deeper spirituality or for more orthodox theological positions”.
In the same conference Martin also said that he planned to require all seminarians to: “…carry out some part of their formation with lay people so that they can establish mature relationships with men and women and do not develop any sense of their priesthood giving them a special social position”.
As regards the Catholic Laity clericalism is often viewed as a barrier to progress to improving Lay rights and greater access to the supervision, oversight, and administration of the Church, as well as increased involvement in Church ministry. Such sentiments are often accompanied by the now infamous quotes of Monsignor George Talbot made in 1867. Talbot's views were largely in response to the position of John Henry Newman in his article “On Consulting the Faithful in Matters of Doctrine”, which was published in the Rambler in July, 1859. The recipient of Talbot’s utterances was the then Archbishop of Westminster Henry Edward Manning.
John Henry Newman, himself, was a great defender and proponent of significantly increased Catholic Lay involvement in the life of the Church. After publishing “On Consulting the Faithful in Matters of Doctrine” Newman was thereafter looked upon with grave suspicion and distrust by many of the Catholic Hierarchy, both in England and Wales, and in Rome. However, he was ultimately made a Cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879. Talbot died in an asylum at Passy, near Paris in 1886.