Pastoral councils should offer advice, not orders, pope says

Published: 2004-01-12

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Parish councils and diocesan pastoral councils are to offer advice, not orders, to the pastor and bishop, Pope John Paul II said. "A balanced relationship between the role of the laity and that which properly belongs to the diocesan ordinary or pastor must be safeguarded," the pope told members of the Congregation for Clergy. Meeting the congregation members Jan. 10, the pope said that lay people must "take an active part in the mission of the church," offering their input and expertise, but without confusing their role with the role of the bishop or pastor. "In exercising their office, legitimate pastors never are to be considered simply executors of decisions deriving from the majority opinions" of the parish or diocesan pastoral council, he said. The hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church was willed by Christ, the pope said. While all members of the church have an equal dignity and a role to play, the roles are not the same for everyone.

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