Joseph Ratzinger’s Proposal to Decentralise the Ecclesial Structures in the Context of Conciliar Debates on Lumen Gentium

Published: 2023-11-15

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2023-11-16 (2)
2023-11-15 (1)

Vol. 93 No. 4 (2023)

Joseph Ratzinger’s Proposal to Decentralise the Ecclesial Structures in the Context of Conciliar Debates on Lumen Gentium

Damian Wąsek

, Marek Gilski

Collectanea Theologica

Section: Articles

https://doi.org/10.21697/ct.2023.93.4.08

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to show Ratzinger’s proposal, contained in his book Das neue Volk Gottes, regarding the decentralisation of ecclesial structures in the context of the conciliar debates on Lumen gentium. The aim is to answer the questions: To what extent did Ratzinger’s work fit into the thinking of theologians and bishops at Vatican II? To what extent did the German professor’s ideas represent his original, or isolated, voice, and to what extent were they compatible with other reformist views in theological reflection at the time? The article consists of three parts: the first part refers to the conciliar discussions on those passages of Lumen gentium which deal with the relationship between the college of bishops and the pope; the second presents Ratzinger’s proposals for the decentralisation of ecclesiastical structures; the third part is evaluative and shows the later pope not so much as an innovator, but as a proponent of a compromise solution.

Keywords:

patriarchy, collegiality, papal primacy, Second Vatican Council, Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict XVI

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Wąsek, D., & Gilski, M. (2023). Joseph Ratzinger’s Proposal to Decentralise the Ecclesial Structures in the Context of Conciliar Debates on Lumen Gentium. Collectanea Theologica, 93(4), 109–127. https://doi.org/10.21697/ct.2023.93.4.08

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