ABSTRACT
Is collegiality to be limited to the two pillars of the Church which are de jure divino, the primacy and the episcopate, or does it extend to institutions which are de jure ecclesiastico? Can there be, strictly speaking, collegial acts which are other than the two instances specifically mentioned by Lumen gentium, namely, the acts of an ecumenical council and the acts of the entire college dispersed throughout the world in union with the pope? Can the personal charism of the bishop given him through sacramental consecration in any sense be said to be capable of being delegated to a ‘representative’ assembly? Is the primacy of the Roman Pontiff potentially undermined by these new assembles of bishops? Is the unity of the Church endangered if one or more national hierarchies issue teachings potentially at variance with those of other nations? These are some of the issues that need further clarification and which I will address in some way.
