HIS-Press-Service, 1980 (5. évfolyam, 16-18. szám)
1980-06-01 / 17. szám
HIS Press Service No.17, June 1980 Page 8 The Position of the Pope on the Obligations of Church Members The Pope's present letter was not written exclusively in his capacity as representative Of the Church's Holy Office. He also speaks as the supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church who not only encourages the faithful in fraternal love, but also makes clear from whom, and in what form, he anticipates cooperation in the area of catechetical activity. As in the past, Hungary's hierarchy tends under the present circumstances to restrict itself to a purely supervisory role as far as the religious faith of the people is concerned, and expects catechetics - the transmission of the truths of the faith - to be taken care of by the religion teachers, the parents, and external factors. The Pope unmistakably stressed the responsibility of the hierarchy in this matter: "Those primarily responsible for catechetics are the bishops. You, my beloved brothers who share the episcopal office, are catechists of the highest rank___ If your catechetical activity within the framework of the local Church is properly carried out, everything else too will proceed more smoothly." At the same time, the Pope stressed that all type of catechetical activity is to take place under the supervision of the hierarchy. The Pope certainly does not expect that, instead of concerning themselves with the leadership of their dioceses, the bishops should actually be functioning as religion teachers. What is expected is that they pave the way for catechetical activity through creating the prerequisites needed for the catechists to carry on their work and do it effectively. In speaking of the role of pastors and their proper activity, the Pope quotes the Council document on the priesthood, which states that they should be the bishops' co-workers; they should be "educators in the faith." As an additional impetus, he stated: "The Church expects you to leave nothing untried, so that thus a secure foundation will be created for catechetical activity and it can be carried on in an orderly manner within a regulated framework. Each member of the Church has a right to catechetical instruction, and each pastor has the duty to provide such instruction. You must never allow a situation to arise where the faithful must relinquish their right to catechetical instruction due to a lack of zealousness on your part." The primary aim of this incentive is that of rescuing the clergy from their state of apathy and resignation and hindering its reoccurrence. This is at the moment the clergy's greatest need since, under the present circumstances, they alone are responsible for the "legal religious instruction" and the blame for all failures rests upon them. According to the Pope, the difficult situation confronting the priests who are involved in religious instruction could be somewhat improved through engaging
