In the early days of the church, Boni pointed out, it was not uncommon for lay people to voice their support for a bishop by yelling “dignus est!,” Latin for “He is worthy!” “The centralization of bishop nominations in the hands of the Roman pontiff began in the Middle Ages and was consolidated in the subsequent centuries,” she said. There is nothing keeping lay people today from being more involved in “the delicate discernment” of their leaders, she added.
Coincidentally, Nov. 7 marked the 40th anniversary of the current code of canon law, which was promulgated in 1983 by Pope John-Paul II as an update to a 1917 revision. At a celebration for the 1983 code, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State, said that any changes to how the church operates would have to be reflected in canon law. “There are no realistic alternatives,” he said.
And while some canons may be simply modified, in many cases, changes to the code would mean changing the catechism of the Catholic Church, he said, a more difficult and controversial task.
What is becoming clear is that, with all the talk at the synod of the power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit will not be the only guide. Earlier this month, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, a papal ally who heads the Italian Bishops’ Conference, confirmed that at the next phase of the synod, which will be held in a year, there will be more canon lawyers and theologians to help implement synodality at all levels.
This article originally appeared here.
