Introduction

Abstract

1 Faculty of Theology and Religious Sciences, University of Laval, Quebec. 2 Catholic Theological Faculty, University of Erfurt. 3 The first cycle of research, initiated in 1998 and closed in 2001, addressed questions relative to primacy and infaillibility, episcopal conférences, the selection of bishops, and Eucharistic hospitality in the case of mixed marriages. The texts of this first cycle of research have been published in The Jurist 59/2 (1999). A second cycle of dialogue was initiated in 2002 focusing on the theme “Collegiality in the Church” and was pursued up to 2004. It culminated in two days of discussion by the Seminar participants at Georgetown University on April 15–16, 2004. The Seminar itself was followed by a public session at the Woodstock Theological Center on April 17, 2004. The texts of the communications presented at this meeting have been published in The Jurist 64 (2004) 1–383. 323 The Jurist 68 (2008) 323–327 INTRODUCTION Gilles Routhier1 and Myriam Wijlens2 At the initiative of Ladislas Örsy, the Peter and Paul Seminar saw the light of day in Ottawa in 1998.At the beginning, the Seminar intended to contribute in a positive way to the reform of the Church or, in other words, to fill a gap between the ideas developed at the Second Vatican Council and their implementation in the life of the Church and its law as it is expressed in the Code of Canon Law. In short its purpose was to improve the functioning of the Church by connecting more closely the conciliar vision of the Church and the provisions of the law. For this purpose the Seminar gathered theologians, canonists, and historians from different universities in North America and Europe to examine in depth questions of serious importance for the life of the Church as well as to foster the unity of the Christian churches. In short, just as was the case at Vatican II, what was pursued was the renewal of the Catholic Church and the unity of Christians. The participants tried first to identify what, in the doctrine ofVatican II, still needed to be appropriated by today’s community; and, second, find a modality for the appropriation of that doctrine which was identified as being in need of implementation. Thus until now the Seminar has undertaken three cycles of research, each relating to a specific question.3 Each cycle of research lasted between two and three years. During this period the members of the traveling Seminar met once or twice a year for an in-depth discussion of preliminary texts drafted by the members and circulated among them. Every two years they presented the results of their research at a colloquium, and subsequently that research was published in The Jurist. After a meeting held at Georgetown University in April 2004, the group decided to launch a new cycle of research centered this time on the question of the local church and synodality. This was because the discussions held during the meeting inWashington clearly indicated the need to transcend an approach to collégiality which was not integrated within a study of the ministry of the bishop in the local church which was entrusted to him. The discussions had concluded that an approach to collégiality which was limited to a consideration of relations among bishops and between bishops and the pope was theologically deficient. This was because it did not take into account certain significant theological values which were necessary to view the bishop’s ministry of presidency in a balanced way by situating him at the intersection of relationships within the communion of churches and the internal communion of the church over which he presided. Indeed any discussion of collégiality which does not take into account the bishop’s relationship to the local diocesan church which he pastors and the internal synodality of that local church will lead to an impasse. It is necessary then to assume the reality of the local church and, in a balanced discussion of collegiality, envision the communion among the churches and not simply the relationships among the bishops. Besides this approach is suggested by the different parts of Christus Dominus. It was then on...