Cathal BarryEach bishop must have concern for the whole Church, especially to the poor, writes Cathal Barry
The Second Vatican Council taught that when Christ instituted the 12 apostles, “he constituted [them] in the form of a college or permanent assembly, at the head of which he placed Peter, chosen from among them”.
Just as “by the Lord’s institution, St Peter and the rest of the apostles constitute a single apostolic college, so in like fashion the Roman Pontiff, Peter’s successor, and the bishops, the successors of the apostles, are related with and united to one another,” the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, states.
Power to bind
The Church teaches that Christ bestowed the power to bind and to loose upon Peter himself (Mt 16:19) and then upon all the apostles, including Peter (Mt 18:18). This pastoral office of Peter and of the other apostles belongs to the Church’s very foundation and continues with the bishops under the primacy of the Pope.
According to Vatican II, the Pope “is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful”.
“For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered,” the council fathers stated.
Although the college of bishops has “supreme and full authority” over the Church, this authority cannot be exercised without the agreement of the Roman Pontiff.
The college of bishops exercises this power in a solemn manner in an ecumenical council (Canon 337). However, an ecumenical council must be confirmed or at least recognised as such by Peter’s successor.
The college of bishops, comprised of many members, expresses the variety and the unity of the People of God “assembled under one head”.
The individual bishops are the “visible source and foundation” of unity in their dioceses, the Catechism states. Each bishop must also have concern for the whole Church, especially to the poor, to those persecuted for the faith, as well as to missionaries who are working throughout the world.
As “authentic” teachers of the apostolic faith, bishops must “preach the Gospel of God to all”, in keeping with the Lord’s command. They are “heralds of faith, who draw new disciples to Christ; they are authentic teachers” of the apostolic faith “endowed with the authority of Christ”.
In order to preserve the purity of the Faith handed on by the apostles, Christ gave the Church a share in his own infallibility. By their “supernatural sense of faith”, the People of God, guided by the Church’s magisterium, “unfailingly” adhere to this faith (Second Vatican Council).
To aid this, the Catechism points out that the Magisterium’s task is “to preserve God’s people from deviations and defections” and to “guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error”.
“To fulfil this service, Christ endowed the Church’s shepherds with the charism of infallibility in matters of faith and morals.”