Is the Church Like a Political Party? Monday, July 21, 2003. Regarding an article in the June issue by Luke Timothy Johnson.

Tuesday, May 06, 2003. The conservatives often imply that the magisterium cannot err even when they are not invoking a solemn definition through their extraordinary authority. A case in point is Ordinatio Sacerdotalis. Where the Vatican position is that the ordinary papal magisterium has witnessed to a truth possessed by the ordinary and universal magisterium. Based on the Decretum Gratiani.

Is the Church a Divine Monarchy? Tuesday, May 06, 2003. As Catholics, do we believe the Church is a divine monarchy? In The Apostolic Constitutions. Dating to the fifth century, Book 8. 4, it is indicated that Bishops were once elected by the people and then approved by existing Bishops through the ordination ceremony. Indeed, this is how Saint Augustine was elevated to the office of Bishop. The Second Vatican Council and the 1983 Code of Canon Law attempted to retrieve some of the democratic process of C.

Friday, May 02, 2003. In a debate with a conservative Catholic, I was advised that conscience cannot be trusted, which strikes me as unreasonable, and perhaps even heretical. The Catechism on Conscience at the Vatican Site. Note that in the .

Women and elected married men were included too. Friday, September 12, 2003. Sorry for the length - but this is well worth the effort. I believe that there were other Apostles than the Twelve, and that Apostolic Succession includes these other Apostles. Conservatives sometimes make a circular argument about Apostolic succession.

Friday, May 02, 2003. This post offers some initial reflections. In Vorgrimler, Herbert, ed. , Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II, vol.

Tuesday, May 06, 2003. Believe it or not, I do accept the notion of papal infallibility and the infallibility of the Roman Catholic Church. The idea of a progressive.