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Link to share: https://hanglberger-manfred.de/en-gehorsam.htm
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Does the practice of
obedience in the church
The words “obedience” and “obey” towards people never appear in the mouth of Jesus, as the Gospels tell us. Obviously, they are not value concepts for Jesus, because Jesus is consistently concerned with maturity, love and responsibility.
If “obedience” to superiors has now become a central value concept in the church, but is contrary to the message of Jesus, this would have to be changed. It would therefore be a very important task for the Church to develop forms of organization that bring the values of the message of Jesus to fruition and that are helpful for the functioning of a worldwide community of faith such as the Catholic Church. It would be very important to make a clear distinction between obedience to God and obedience to people. It must not be the case that God's authority is claimed for obedience structures in internal church hierarchies.
My suggestions in this regard:
· A kind of church “basic law” is needed in which the values of the message of Jesus are formulated in a generally understandable way and to which the members of the faith community officially commit themselves. (Cf. the oath of office of civil servants in a liberal constitutional state and the swearing-in of ministers and the Federal Chancellor before the Federal President in the Federal Republic of Germany). · The current creeds of the church are unsuitable for this, as they are theologically too abstract and do not contain the content of Jesus' message. · Neither the promise of obedience of priests to the bishop at their ordination nor the promise of obedience of cardinals to the Pope are appropriate Christian rites, because it is not about obedience to persons, but to God, who is essentially alive in the values that spiritually and emotionally bind a community together in the spirit of Jesus. · It should be clarified, especially for communities of consecrated life, that the promise of obedience in the evangelical counsels refers to God and not to people. · A working group of bishops and professors of the New Testament, dogmatics and canon law are developing a canon of values based on the Gospels. This working group should also identify all interpersonal obedience structures in the Church and draw up proposals for change in the spirit of the Good News. · Independent bodies are needed to resolve conflicts of values between lay people and people in the hierarchy and between people at lower levels and people at higher levels in the church organization on the basis of generally known and recognized Christian values. · The reasons for these clarification processes must be public and generally understandable. · The Vatican should be asked to publish an encyclical on the understanding of Christian authority and corresponding ecclesial authority structures. · If the Church were to clearly formulate the values on the understanding of authority evident in the Gospels for our time, these could develop a strong missionary force.
Manfred Hanglberger
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Link to share: https://hanglberger-manfred.de/en-gehorsam.htm
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Renewal of faith and church >>>
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