Consider Reform of Terminology and Organization

To solve this difficulty two practical reforms are being considered: one is a change in terminology; the other, its corollary, is an organizational reform. First of all, it would be necessary to restore to the term "Catholic Action" its generic sense and to apply it only to all organized movements of the lay apostolate recognized as such, nationally or internationally, either by the bishops on a national level or by the Holy See for movements desiring an international status. It would then be sufficient for each movement to be designated by its name and be characterized by its specific form, and not by a common term.

The organizational reform would follow the reform of terminology. All groups would belong to Catholic Action and would preserve their own name and their own autonomy, but together they would form, as Catholic Action, a federated unit. Every bishop would remain free to accept or reject a movement, to entrust it or not entrust it with a mandate, but he could not refuse it recognition on the ground that it does not belong to Catholic Action by its nature. The eventual fulfillment of such a project naturally requires attentive and prolonged reflection. Your Congress is a good occasion for discussion and examination of this problem and other similar questions.

There is one more thing which must be said before We conclude these abstract considerations of the relations between lay apostolate and ecclesiastical authority It is sufficient to repeat what We laid down in 1951 as a general rule: that the lay apostolate "must always remain within the limits of orthodoxy and must not oppose itself to the legitimate prescriptions of competent ecclesiastical authorities." (Discorsi e Radiomessaggi, vol. XIII, p. 298)

Since that time We have been compelled to refute an erroneous opinion on "lay theology" which derived from an inexact concept of the responsibility of the layman. (Allocution "Si diligis," May 31, 1954-Discorsi e Radiomessaggi, vol. XVI, p. 45) The term "lay theology" is without any meaning whatsoever. The rule which applies to the lay apostolate in general, which We have just recalled, is naturally valid, and even more so for "lay theologian." But if he wishes to publish writings on theological matters, the layman also needs the explicit approval of the ecclesiastical authority.

The activity of the Catholic layman is especially necessary in the fields in which theological research borders on that of the secular sciences. Recently, acting upon the initiative of the "Gorres-Gesellschaft," a group of theologians and naturalists agreed to meet regularly and discuss questions of common interest. We can only congratulate them for such initiative.