Receiving the Council: Theological and Canonical Insights and Debates [Paperback]

Ladislas Orsy is one of the grand old men of the Vatican II Church, and as both a canon lawyer and a theologian he has trenchant and loving words to say about a number of facets of today's Roman Catholic Church. This book is a delight in its wisdom and humanity and it suggests a way beyond pointless wrangling between ideological liberals and conservatives. Orsy knows better than most that while you are entitled to your own opinions, you are not entitled to your own facts. For more detail see my full review in America magazine at [...]

If you want to understand why it's theologically and morally indefensible for the church to maintain it's current highly centalized and authoritarian organizational structure, this is the book for you. It describes specific actions taken by the popes and the Roman Curia since the end of the Vatican Council and how these actions have moved the Church in the opposite direction of where it needs to go if it is to really understand and implement (or as Orsy says, receive) the Council.

He talks about the theological understanding of the Church as a communion and how operationally everything should flow from that. He explains how the current structure of episcopal conferences compromises the proper communion of bishops (and why this goes against tradition and is theologically untenable). He explains how a recent canon law excludes the laity from governance of the church (and why this goes against tradition and is theologically untenable), how canon law should be received and the underlying theology of this reception, and how development of canon law has been paralyzed since the Council (and why this goes against tradition and is theologically untenable). He addresses the issue of the administration of justice in the church by setting Church justice side by side with secular legal wisdom and showing how short it falls in comparison. He then takes apart "definitive doctrine," a new category of doctrine created by John Paul II which is not "infallible" but which nevertheless is "irreformable" (i.e., can't be changed) - a logical inconsistency on the face of it.

His precise diagnosis of the developments that have moved the Church towards a strangling authoritarianism in the years since the Council (and the flawed theology and misreading of traditon upon which they stand) point the way to future reforms. No ranting here, just a statement of the truth of things from an esteemed Jesuit canon lawyer.

He says, "I wish to present my opinions as insights, proposed for debate. Nothing more, nothing less. ... In probing the insights, a good step forward is to offer them to the living community: let the believers' sense of faith judge them. Let the insights become disputed questions. Disputations in the spirit of openness and charity always had a place of pride in the intellectual history of the Christian community. St. Thomas of Aquinas was a supreme master of it. He liked to preface his affirmations by contrasting questions. Such a venerable tradition should not become extinct. After all, the entire body of the faithful has been entrusted with the fullness of the evangelical message. Hence, no one should ever be left out of the process of seeking its fuller understanding." (p. xii)

"We need an environment where Christians are increasingly free to use their gifts of grace and wisdom and where the Holy Spirit is not hampered by our rules." (p. xiii)

"To cling to structures and norms that were historically conditioned and that the church is leaving behind would be to opt for stagnation and demise. ... Excessive attachment to the ways and means of a remote past is a deadly apostasy from the life-giving present." (p.13)

PS Also note the excellent review of this book at National Catholic Reporter:

[...]

Fr. Ladislas Orsy was present at Vatican II and now has written this wonderful book in defense of the teachings of that most important church gathering. His book is written elegantly, imbued with the Spirit, full of anecdotal reference and accurately presents the heart of the current differing currents within the church. He argues that the spirit of Vatican II remains a source of inspiration today and offers some insights on how that spirit can be made manifest.

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