Folia Theologica 22. (2011)
Juhász Gábor Tamás: Equality and Inequality of "Christ's Faithful" from a Perspective of Philosophy and Theology of Canon Law
EQUALITY AND INEQUALITY ... 167 A part of this royal power is the judiciary power, which contains also the power of absolution, which is subdelegated to each priest by the bishop (i.e. teaching of the Council of Trento).16 II. The priestly power of lay Catholics (universal priesthood) comes from baptism, and according to LG 10-11 it consists of the passive acceptance of sanctification and of witnessing it.17 About the difference between the priesthood of clerics and the laity Pius XII writes extensively in his Mediator Dei encyclical letter.18 The prophetic power (and obligation) of the catholic laity founded on baptism means that they should transmit to those subordinated to them what, in the light of revelation, their natural reasoning learned from the divine teaching. In case of catholic lay parents this obligation is accompanied with that which comes from their parenthood that is as parents it is their obligation to transmit to their children whatever they hold as truth, (i.e. CIC can. 226 § 2).19 The royal power of the catholic laity founded on baptism means that by words and example they should bring up those entrusted to them to be obedient members of the Church. A special case is with parents, because for them the obligation coming from baptism is accompanied with the one coming from natural law regarding to them as parents.20 III. Following this we must examine what kind of philosophical means we have in order to be able to define what is the relation between a cleric's participation of Christ's threefold power and a lay person's participation of it "according to his or her particular conditions". In order that we may give a scientific answer with philosophical and canonical accuracy we recall some philosophical truths that 16 DS 1764. 17 Erdő, P., Teológia del derecho canónico. Una aproximación histórico-institucional, Budapest 2002. 115-116. 18 Pius XII, Litt. Enc. Mediator Dei (20 nov. 1947): AAS 39 (1947) 521-595. 19 CIC Can. 226 - § 1. Qui in statu coniugali vivunt, iuxta propriam vocationem, peculiari officio tenentur per matrimonium et familiam ad aedificationem populi Dei allaborandi. English translation: According to their own vocation, those who live in the marital state are bound by a special duty to work through marriage and the family to build up the people of God. 20 Cf. Ratzinger, ]., Refiction on the Instruction regarding the collaboration of the Lay Faithful int he Ministry of Priests, in L'Osservatore Romano (29 apr. 1998) 6.
