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Surprised?
The Call To Action movement - even the name itself
- had its original foundation not in the great
1976 gathering of bishops and laity in Detroit but
in a 1971 document by Pope Paul VI, which has come
to be known as his "Call to Action"
pastoral letter.
With
his usual clarity and wit, Fr. Charles Curran
explained how the letter, written for the 80th
anniversary of Leo XIII's encyclical, Rerum
Novarum, dramatically altered certain emphases in
the church. It was from that letter that the U.S.
bishops in 1976 chose the title for their meeting.
Curran cited four important contrasts between the
two documents:
1.
While Leo railed against excessive "individualism”,
Paul extolled the freedom and equality of all
persons and the right of the individual to
participate in society.
2.
While Leo stressed the eternal truths taught by
the church, Paul spoke of the "transient,
changing nature of truth”, as the church,
pilgrim‑like, marches through the centuries.
3.
Whereas Leo insisted on strict obedience to the
law of God above all things, Paul proposed a new
model of moral life, with the "relational
aspects" taking precedence "over the
legal”. Instead of relying strictly on abstract
principles, said Paul, the faithful must discern
what is "the responsible thing to do" in
a world constantly in flux.
4.
And while Leo favored the "triumphal view"
of the church, with all people of good will
flocking to the papacy to find "the safe
road”, Paul lamented how "difficult it is"
to propose "solutions with universal validity”.
Because of this, he said, national and local
churches should have wide "latitude" in
deciding matters relevant to their own countries
and areas.
Paul
and John Paul : poles apart
Curran
then compared the record of Pope John Paul II with
the major points of Paul's "Call to
Action”. The present pope, he said, has
strengthened Paul's emphasis on the dignity of the
person and the importance of basic human rights.
But he has strongly opposed and actually “fears",
said Curran, ideas associated with "historical
consciousness" or the changing nature of
truth. Similarly, he explained, John Paul is
wedded to immutable moral norms and rejects any
suggestion of "personal morality”. Finally,
Curran said, the present pope leaves no room for
decisionmaking at the local or national level and
has gone to great lengths to keep the bishops in a
strictly advisory position something the recent
Synod of Bishops protested.
(Résumé
d'une communication aux Conférences de Call to
Action 2001.On peut se procurer la cassette de la
communication sur le site de Call
to Action, pour le prix de 10 $ US)
Call
to Action News,
Vol
23, Number 3, p 3
December 2001 – January 2002
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