READ THE NEW TESTAMENT IN A YEAR (NEW TESTAMENT READING PLAN 2025)

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Is the Church is no longer top-down?

On 20 December, 'Pope' Francis gave an interview to Argentina's 'Canal Orbe 2', in which he shared his thoughts on the challenges of our times, the Church’s openness to all, and, of course, Synodality. Commenting on the conclusion of the Synod, he said:

'The Church is no longer top-down. It is no longer the bishops, the Pope, the priests, the nuns; it is the Church from below that expresses itself and creates community.' (Pope Francis’ vision of hope, forgiveness, and unity in troubled times , Vatican News, 20 December 2024, 18:00, [accessed 22 December 2024]).

It sounds like a denial of the Church's hierarchical constitution, doesn’t it?

Before discussing the aforementioned statement, let’s consider what the magisterium has to say:

The Hierarchical Constitution of the Church: An Overview

The Catholic Church is hierarchical. Ecclesiastical power is derived from the hierarchy to the faithful, not the other way around.

The Council of Trent taught that the Church is hierarchical by Divine ordinance and anathematised the opposing opinion (D. 966).

Pius VI condemned as heretical the following error from the Synod of Pistoia concerning the power attributed to the community:

'That power has been given by God to the Church, that it might be communicated to the pastors who are its ministers for the salvation of souls"; if thus understood that the power of ecclesiastical ministry and of rule is derived from the COMMUNITY of the faithful to the pastors. ' (D. 1502)

Saint Pius X condemned the following two propositions:

'The organic constitution of the Church is not immutable; but Christian society, just as human society, is subject to perpetual evolution.' (D. 2053)

'The dogmas, the sacraments, the hierarchy, as far as pertains both to the notion and to the reality, are nothing but interpretations and the evolution of the Christian intelligence, which have increased and perfected the little germ latent in the Gospel.' (D. 2054)

More recently, Pius XII denounced those who affirm that the laity possess true sacerdotal power, while the ordained priest acts on behalf of the community:

'For there are those . . . who today revive errors long since condemned, and teach that in the New Testament the name "priesthood" includes all who have been cleansed by the water of baptism; and likewise that that precept by which Jesus Christ at the Last Supper entrusted to the apostles the doing of what He Himself had done, pertained directly to the entire Church of the faithful in Christ; and that hence, and hence only, has arisen the hierarchical priesthood. Therefore, they imagine that the people enjoy true sacerdotal power, but that the priest acts only by virtue of an office delegated by the community. So they believe that the Eucharistic Sacrifice is truly called a "concelebration," and they think that it is more expedient for priests standing together with the people to "concelebrate" than to offer the Sacrifice privately in the absence of the people.' (D. 2300)  

Now, let's get back to Bergoglio:

The Synodal Church vs. The Catholic Church

Francis believes that…	… But the Church teaches that:
The Church is no longer top-down.	the Church is hierarchical by Divine ordinance.
	the organic constitution of the Church is immutable.
The Church from below expresses itself and creates community.	the power of ecclesiastical ministry and of rule is NOT derived from the COMMUNITY of the faithful to the pastors.