6.2 Ecclesial Implications
What are the implications for the life of
the Church of an ecclesial request for forgiveness? A number of aspects can be
mentioned.
It is necessary above all to take into
account the different processes of reception of acts of ecclesial
repentance, because these will vary according to religious, cultural,
political, social, and personal contexts. In this light, one needs to consider
that events or words linked to a contextualized history do not necessarily have
a universal significance, and vice versa, that acts conditioned by a determined
theological and pastoral perspective have had powerful consequences for the
spread of the Gospel (one thinks, for example, of the various historical models
of the theology of mission). Furthermore, there needs to be an evaluation of
the relationship between the spiritual benefits and the possible costs of such
acts, taking into account also the undue accentuation which the media may give
to certain aspects of the Church’s statements. One should always remember the
apostle Paul’s admonition to welcome, consider, and support the “weak in faith”
with prudence and love (cf. Rom 14:1). In particular, attention must be
given to the history, the identity, and the current situation of the Eastern
Churches and those Churches which exist in continents or countries where the
Christian presence is a minority.
It is necessary to specify the appropriate
subject called to speak about the faults of the past, whether it be local
Bishops, considered personally or collegially, or the universal Pastor, the
Bishop of Rome. In this perspective, it is opportune to take into account - in
recognizing past wrongs and the present day subjects who could best assume
responsibility for these - the distinction between Magisterium and authority in
the Church. Not every act of authority has magisterial value, and so behavior contrary
to the Gospel by one or more persons vested with authority does not involve per
se the magisterial charism, which is assured by the Lord to the Church’s
Bishops, and consequently does not require any Magisterial act of reparation.
It is necessary to underscore that the
one addressed by any request for forgiveness is God and that any human
recipients – above all, if these are groups of persons either inside or outside
the community of the Church – must be identified with appropriate historical
and theological discernment, in order to undertake acts of reparation which are
indeed suitable, and also in order to give witness to them of the good will and
the love for the truth of the Church’s sons and daughters. This will be
accomplished to the extent that there is dialogue and reciprocity between the
parties, oriented toward a possible reconciliation connected with the
recognition of faults and repentance for them. However, one should not forget
that reciprocity - at times impossible because of the religious convictions of
the dialogue partner – cannot be considered an indispensable condition, and
that the gratuity of love often expresses itself in unilateral initiatives.
Possible gestures of reparation must
be connected to the recognition of a responsibility which has endured through
time, and may therefore assume a symbolic-prophetic character, as well as
having value for effective reconciliation (for example, among separated
Christians). It is also desirable that in the definition of these acts there be
joint research with those who will be addressed, by listening to the legitimate
requests which they may present.
On the pedagogical level, it is
important to avoid perpetuating negative images of the other, as well as
causing unwarranted self-recrimination, by emphasising that, for believers,
taking responsibility for past wrongs is a kind of sharing in the mystery of
Christ, crucified and risen, who took upon himself the sins of all. Such an
interpretation, rooted in Christ’s Paschal Mystery, is able in a particular way
to produce fruits of liberation, reconciliation, and joy for all those who,
with living faith, are involved in the request for forgiveness – both the
subjects and those addressed.
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