Vatican, Feb. 6 (CWNews.com) - At a February 6
meeting with the members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Pope
John Paul II called the prelates' attention to three key topics: respect for
Church teachings, the defense of natural law, and the discipline of clerics who
are guilty of sexual misconduct.
The Pope met with the full membership of the Vatican's top doctrinal body as the
Congregation concluded its biennial plenary assembly. He encouraged them to be
forthright in proclaiming and defending the teachings of the Church, at a time
marked by "both a widespread relativism and a tendency toward facile
pragmatism." In today's culture, the Holy Father remarked, it is
particularly important to convey the message that "full adherence to the
Catholic faith does not diminish, but actually exalts human freedom." In
his remarks to the Congregation, the Pontiff spoke of the need to ensure that
the teachings of the magisterium are properly received throughout the Catholic
world, and the importance of defending the traditional understanding of natural
law. Then he turned to the "very delicate and current" question of
sexual abuse. Recent years have seen a "notable increase" in the
number of cases in which a Catholic cleric is accused of gravely immoral
conduct.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is charged with the
responsibility of canonical discipline in these cases, and the Pope said
that-having provided for a just hearing, and respect the rights of the
accused-the Congregation must be guided by 'the predominant need to protect the
People of God." Once an offense has been proven, the Pontiff said,
discipline should be meted out in proportion to the severity of the offense. At
the same time, he continued, the Congregation should look beyond the current
disciplinary cases, and help dioceses to provide "just and balanced
formation" for future priests. He called for collaboration with other
dicasteries "to adopt the measures that are necessary to ensure that
priests live in accordance with their call and commitment to perfect and
perpetual chastity for the sake of the kingdom of God."
Earlier in his talk, the Pope had placed heavy emphasis on the natural-law
tradition, explaining that a "crisis in metaphysics" in today's world
has created an unhappy situation in which many people "no longer recognize
the truth that is inscribed on the heart of every human person." He
reminded the group that natural law is a "great patrimony of human
wisdom," rather than a specifically Christian or Catholic body of thought.
The natural law, he said, sets out "the first and most essential norms that
regulate moral life." To help revive a general understanding of basic human
morality, the Pontiff asked the Congregation to "promote opportune
initiatives" that could spread a better acceptance of the natural law. He
remarked that such initiatives should have the support of "different
denominations, religions, and cultures."
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith also has the responsibility of
monitoring the reception of Church teachings, including the popular
understanding of new documents issued by the Vatican. Pope John Paul expressed
his concern that the Catholic faithful are sometimes "disoriented rather
than instructed" when a new document appears-in large part because the
teachings are distorted or misinterpreted by the mass media. The issuance of a
teaching document from the Holy See, the Pope said, should be understood not as
a "media event," but as a means of promoting communion within the
Church. The teachings of the magisterium, he explained, are intended to
"shine light on a truth of the faith, or on some aspects of Catholic
doctrine that are contested or distorted by particular trends of current thought
and behavior."