Common Calling: The Laity and Governance of the Catholic Church - Softcover

Common Calling will spark critical discussion among academics and church personnel who seek a fuller examination of church policies and an honest vesting of laypeople in pastoral life. By elaborating specific steps toward structural change, the book's authors furnish both solid historical precedents and constructive proposals for building a pastoral future that belongs to all the baptized members of the Church. Theological Studies Editor Stephen Pope says Common Calling will play a helpful role if it contributes some insights of value for the ongoing conversation about the renewal of ecclesial governance. I judge it quite successful and I commend Boston College and Georgetown University Press for bringing it to us. These essays could be appreciated by capable undergraduate and graduate students, and many others. The scholarship, candor and concern of the contributors is quite compelling. Horizons

The sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church has been exacerbated in the minds of many by the dismal response of church leadership. Uncovered along with the abuse of power were decisions that were not only made in secrecy, but which also magnified the powerlessness of the people of the church to have any say in its governance. Accordingly, many have left the church, many have withheld funding - others have vowed to work for change, as witnessed by the phenomenal growth of Voice of the Faithful. "Common Calling" is indeed a call - for change, for inclusion, and a place at the table for the laity when it comes to the governance of the church. By first providing compelling historical precedents of the roles and status of the laity as it functioned during the first millennium, "Common Calling" compares and contrasts those to the place of the laity today. It is this crossroad - between the past and the possible future of the Catholic Church - where the distinguished contributors to this volume gather in the hope and expectation of change. They examine the distinction between laity and clergy in regard to the power of church governance, and explore the theological interpretation of clergy-laity relations and governance in the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. They look at how church officials interpret the role of the laity today and address the weaknesses in that model. Finally, they speak clearly in outlining the ways governance may be improved, and how - by emphasizing dialogue, participation, gender equality, and loyalty - the role of the laity can be enhanced. Speaking as active believers and academic specialists, all of the contributors assert that the church must evolve in the 21st century. They represent a variety of disciplines, including systematic theology, sacramental theology, canon law, political science, moral theology, pastoral theology, and management. The book also includes an essay by James Post, cofounder of the Catholic lay movement Voice of the Faithful, the organization that was in part responsible for the resignation of Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law. "Common Calling" looks to a future of transparency in the Catholic Church that, with an invested laity, will help to prevent any further abuse - especially the abuse of power.