In cooperation with Bishop Geoffrey Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing, we have pleasure in presenting the end chapter meditations from his book which has created so much interest around the world. Today the reflection comes from Chapter Seven.

"The Authority of 'the Church'"

All individuals in the church serve the community of the church, so that the church may serve the reign of God within the minds and hearts of all people in the world. No one is above the church, for no one can be above the reign of God.

Responsibility is the single most crucial element in human growth. And people will feel truly responsible only for that which they have in some manner helped to create, whether it be a local project or a universal church.

Ideas concerning such matters as participatory government and subsidiarity, which the church constantly preaches to nations, must be applied to the church itself

Just as, before the church proclaims a truth, it should ensure that this truth is not contrary to the bible, or the world around and within us or what has been handed on, so it should ensure that the truth is not contrary to the faith of the pope, or the faith of the bishops or the faith or sensus fidei of the whole church.

This can only be achieved by dialogue, "in order to settle conjointly, in a decision rendered balanced and equitable by the advice of many, all questions of major importance."

Credit: These meditations are taken from the end of chapter reflections in Bishop Geoffrey Robinson's book, Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church — Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus, published by John Garratt Publishing. We thank Bishop Robinson and John Garratt Publishing for permission to reproduce these meditations on Catholica Australia.

Bishop Geoffrey Robinson who has degrees in Philosophy, Theology and Church Law, was Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Sydney from 1984 until his retirement in 2004. In 1994 he was elected by the Australian Bishops to the National Committee for Professional Standards, coordinating the response of the Catholic Church in Australia to revelations of sexual abuse, and from 1997 until 2003 he was co-chairman of this committee..

We welcome your thoughts in response to Bishop Robinson's reflection in our forum.

©2007 Geoffrey Robinson

[Sunday Reflections Archive]