|
|
Thesis/Dissertation Information
- Degree Disciplines:
- Theology
Notes
- Abstract:
- The ecclesiology of the Catholic Church is the framework of this thesis. The historical development of communal structures in the Church and the emergence of its hierarchy are described in this paper. The study begins with the early Church its first communities, and their methods of selecting leadership. Several centuries later, the Roman Emperor Constantine legalized the Christian Church as a religion within the Roman Empire and reorganized the Church’s structure in conformity to imperial governance. The emergence of the papacy as a political and a religious force followed the decline of the Roman Empire. The monarchial, aristocratic form of Church governance persists to the present time and lacks a governance role for the laity. The American Revolutionary War period and calls for democracy in the new nation stimulated trusteeship as a form of Church governance that involved a lay role in the process. The trustee form of Church governance endured until immigrants from Europe arrived in the United States in large numbers. Immigrants brought with them the monarchial, aristocratic form of Church governance that suppressed trusteeships with the Vatican’s assistance and support. The Second Vatican Council’s leaders attempted to give laity a more significant role in the Church. They identified laity as “the People of God” with a role in the “Priesthood of Christ.” Lumen gentium, chapter three, reiterated the traditional role of the hierarchy and created an ability to interpret the document in various ways. The 1992 clerical sexual abuse scandal in the Boston Archdiocese gave rise to the Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), an organization that called for change in Church governance. The author of this paper believes Catholics must understand the etiology and nature of the Church before governance change can be accomplished. This paper’s thesis is that an educational program can be developed for VOTF lay members that empowers them.
- Thesis:
- Thesis (D.Min.)--Barry University, 2013.
- Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-154).
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Barry University
- Holding Location:
- Barry University Archives and Special Collections
- Rights Management:
- Copyright Raymond J. O'Connor. Permission granted to Barry University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Identifier:
- BX1920.O366 2013_O'ConnorRaymond ( BU-Local )
- Classification:
- BX1920.O366 2013 ( lcc )
|
|
