‘A Lantern On the Way’: Pope Francis’ Signposts for Ecclesial Ethics

Pope Francis’ way of doing ecclesial ethics is not easy to understand at first glance. It is often unconventional and does not meet the expectations of the faithful who do not wish to see changes in the church, nor does it satisfy those who want rapid change. But if we look more closely at how the Pope understands the church, his approach to ecclesial ethics seems to derive naturally from that. The following contribution aims to show how Pope Francis’ ecclesiology determines his approach to ecclesial ethics. To this end, it will (1) summarize important characteristics of his ecclesiology: the sensus fidelium and synodality; its orientation towards pastoral ministry, the focus on unity in plurality and its process-orientation. From there, it will show which cornerstones for ecclesial ethics can be derived from this ecclesial perspective, namely (2) with respect to formal characteristics and (3) with regard to its content.

Sensus Fidei as a Gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church

In order to understand the meaning of the sense of faith, it is necessary to distinguishbetween sensus fidei (a person’s ability to believe), sensus fidelium(competent to the Church as congregatio fidelium, and is based on sensus fidei)and consensus fidei – fidelium (points to the unity of the Church, which is expressedin a common confession of faith, credo).Sensus fidei is expressed as intuition or understanding of faith. is meansthe potential ability of a person to hear God’s Word addressed to them andto accept it as God’s Word. is makes it possible for members of the Churchto “grasp” the revelations. is charism or ability to discern was given to thewhole Church by the Holy Spirit. It is one of the ways in which the faithfulbear witness to their faith and discover the tradition of the Church. e historyof the development of dogma shows that God’s people also contributeto a deeper understanding of the truths of faith. Consensus fidei has always hadvalue in Catholic theology. e testimony of God’s people helps to recognisethe revealed truth.e Holy Spirit gives believers the ability to understand the supernaturaltruth revealed by Christ. In this way supernatural reality is becoming increasinglybetter known and expressed more precisely through new language formulations.Sensus fidei is born from the Christian experience of participatingin the life of grace, and leads to a clearer understanding of the mystery thanlogical discourse is able to do. e theology of sensus fidei, stressing the activerole not only of Ecclesia docente, but also discente, has enlivened reflectionson the Church as a “living organism” whose global growth, especially in faith,is realised in the vital function of the whole organism.In order to make a reliable judgement on issues that affect the senseof faith, it is necessary to appeal and to base it on the teaching of the Magisteriumof the Church. Only then the understanding of revelation through sensusfidei can be expressed through linguistic expression in a way that is certain andappropriate to the reality being expressed.Between sensus fidei and the teachings of the Magisterium of the Churchthere are mutual relationships. Sensus fidei needs the Magisterium, similarly theteachings of Magisterium should also take into consideration the fruits of sensus fidelium. We can therefore speak of the interpenetration of these two realities.“Mutual reciprocity” – the coordination between laity and Shepherds of theChurch must lead to many benefits, including the proclamation of revealed truth.Sensus fidei seems to point to people who are above all “poor in spirit.”It is true that God o%en gives to simple people, but deeply believing, the abilityof the “eyes of faith” of supernatural reality. A%er all, Jesus Christ Himself says:I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have covered these thingsfrom the wise and prudent, and revealed them to the simple ones. Yes, Father,because that was your liking (Luke 40:/4). Indeed, a true believer has this wisdom,even without profound theological knowledge. e more intensely a person livesa spiritual experience, the more fruitful he or she will participate in the senseof faith. At times, however, too much detachment of sensus fidei from the needfor systematic intellectual formation is sought. It is necessary to be aware thata person open to the grace, instructed by the teaching of the Magisterium, theteaching of theology, is thus in a more advantageous situation in relation to thecharism of sensus fidei. For man “juxtaposes,” analyses facts and words, andunderstands them according to his own experience and his cognitive abilities,according to the principle: ad modum recipientis recipitur. e Holy Spirithelps to evaluate what is understood. However, it does not miraculously replacea proper understanding of facts and words, which are, a%er all, the subjectof this judgementQ|.Post-conciliar theology places sensus fidei above all in the context of theinfallibility of the whole Church. In addition, it sees it as a charism handeddown from the Holy Spirit to the Church. Considering sensus fidei, as “intuition,”“instinct” or “autonomous judgement” we do not mean irrational aspect.However, theologians emphasise that it is not possible to overestimate sensusfidei, too much, because it has its limitations. It is difficult to define a consensusof faith. e faith of much of God’s people is, unfortunately, weak, limited,prone to one-sidedness, and certainly cannot be the foundation for precisedeliberations, although it does inspire them in a way.

Synodality and the Australian Plenary Council: Listening to and Looking at those who are Living in the Spirit

In response to Pope Francis’s call for greater synodality in the Church, the Catholic Church in Australia has been preparing for a plenary council. Both Pope Francis and those preparing for the council have especially stressed the need to listen to the Holy Spirit through listening to each other. It is the burden of this article that while such ‘listening’ is necessary it is not sufficient. Using the plenary council as an example, and engaging with the work of the International Theological Commission and Ormond Rush on the sensus fidelium and synodality, it will be argued that although ‘listening’ is an essential prerequisite for success, for true synodality to occur we must also be ‘looking’ in order to see what the Holy Spirit is already ‘doing’ in the Church. This argument will be supported by examining the biblical meaning of koinonia (communion) and homothumadon (of one accord). These are essential for discerning what the Spirit wishes to say at this time to the Church.

Priestly People of God

The Church faces a crisis of identity today because it has not addressed the conflict inherited from Vatican II between the Church as a society and as communion. The author argues for the priority of the image of the people of God in ecclesiology and draws out some implications for the Church’s self-understanding. He calls the Church to clarify the place and meaning of the laity and their charisms, and challenges the Church to rethink her ministry to better express her underlying identity. Practical implications of this effort are presented, including the role of the sensus fidelium.

A CONFERÊNCIA DE MEDELLÍN COMO RECEPÇÃO DO VATICANO II

O estudo parte do conceito de “recepção”, a acolhida por parte do sensus fidelium de um texto do magistério. O Vaticano II, seguindo a inspiração do Papa João XXIII, desenvolveu um novo estilo de texto conciliar e introduziu um novo método na Constituição Gaudium et spes, um método indutivo de fazer teologia a partir dos “sinais dos tempos”. A partir daí se pergunta como a Conferência Episcopal de Medellín “recebeu” o Vaticano II. São quatro características: o método indutivo de fazer teologia, o recurso aos sinais dos tempos latino-americanos, a libertação dos pobres e oprimidos, a valorização da Igreja local. Por outro lado, Medellín traz três novas questões pastorais: o pluralismo eclesial, as Comunidades Eclesiais de Base (CEBs), o catolicismo popular.

Public Opinion and Sensus Fidelium

Public opinion and religious opinion are located within plural societies, connected to social networks. The experience of the phenomenon of public opinion by the believers interacts with the experience of religious opinions. What are the mediations employed by the sensus fidelium to explain the contradictions between public and religious opinion? This article discusses the proximity between public and religious opinions through the categories of publicity, contradiction, utility and truth. In networked societies, the faithful exercise the right to express their opinions and religious convictions. The phenomenon of the sensus fidelium immediately evidences the experience of faith of the believers as subjective convictions and religious opinions. Afterwards, these opinions are mediated by the collegiate spheres of the Church, expressing the coherence of the belief, that is, its truth. The proximity between public and religious opinions points to more complex scenarios for the Church and the believers.