II

COLLEGIAL UNION
AMONG BISHOPS

8. In the universal communion of the People of God, for the service of which the Lord instituted the apostolic ministry, the collegial union of Bishops shows forth the nature of the Church. Being on earth the source and the beginning of the Kingdom of God, the Church is “a lasting and sure seed of unity, hope and salvation for the whole human race”.(³⁷) Just as the Church is one and universal, so also is the Episcopacy one and indivisible,(³⁸) extending as far as the visible structure of the Church and expressing her rich variety. The visible source and foundation of this unity is the Roman Pontiff, the head of the episcopal body.

The unity of the Episcopacy is one of the constitutive elements of the unity of the Church.(³⁹) In fact, through the body of Bishops “the apostolic tradition is manifested and preserved throughout the world”; (⁴⁰) and the essential components of ecclesial communion are the sharing of the same faith, the deposit of which is entrusted to their care, the taking part in the same Sacraments, “the regular and fruitful distribution of which they direct by their authority”,(⁴¹) and the loyalty and obedience shown to them as Pastors of the Church. This communion, precisely because it extends throughout the whole Church, forms the structure also of the College of Bishops, and is “an organic reality which demands a juridical form, and is at the same time animated by charity”.(⁴²)