Letters

Vatican II 'ambiguities' (letter)

George F. Simpson

Contents - Aug 2001 - Buy a copy now Editorial: The Assumption of Our Lady: 15 August - Michael Gilchrist Melbourne's new Archbishop receives Pallium from John Paul II - AD2000 Report News: The Church Around the World After 14 years: why does AD2000 continue? - Michael Gilchrist Denver Archdiocese: the future of Catholicism - David Scott US bishops implement papal teaching on Catholic universities - Charles E. Rice Appreciating the Mass: a successful new publication - Fr Robert Egar PP Australian scholarship for African priest Letters: Balanced presentation (letter) - Denis O'Leary Letters: BEC success stories (letter) - Errol P. Duke Letters: BECs not new (letter) - John Barich Letters: Radical feminists (letter) - Dr T.R. White Letters: Statement of Conclusions (letter) - Mark Power Letters: Orthodox seminary (letter) - Paul Chigwidden Letters: Finding more priests (letter) - Theo Silvas Letters: Evolution/Original Sin (letter) - John Schmid Letters: Vatican II 'ambiguities' (letter) - George F. Simpson Letters: Choosing life (letter) - Mark Whybrow Letters: St Thomas Aquinas (letter) - Valentine Gallagher Letters: Generous response (letter) - Fr Stephen B. Muchemwa Letters: Mass leaflet (letter) - Stephanie McClarty Letters: Correct statement (letter) - Elizabeth Carr Books: Genetic Turning Points, by James Peterson - Bill Muehlenberg (reviewer) Books: The Cross of Anzac, by Tom Johnstone - Mark Posa (reviewer) Books: Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God, by Scott Hahn - Catherine Sheehan (reviewer) Books: Learning to Pray, by Julie Keleman - Anthony Cappello (reviewer) Books: The DNA of God: Newly Discovered Secrets of the Shroud of Turin, Garza-Valdez - Anthony Cappello (reviewer) Books: The Christian Travellers' Guides: France, Britain, Italy, Germany - F.T. Long (reviewer) Events: Victorian Thomas More Winter School 2001 in Ballarat, 3 - 5 August 2001 Events: Cardinal Lustiger to visit Australia, 6 August 2001 Events: Second National Chesterton Conference, 30 Sept - 1 Oct 2001 Reflection: Clerical celibacy: Giving ourselves up completely to God and the people He loves - Fr Dennis W. Byrnes PP

Philip Robinson ("Ambiguities" July AD 2000) illustrates certain idiomatic differences in three languages rather than ambiguities in the source document. The Italian and French quotations suffer from double translations, first from Latin and then into English. Despite this, I read all three as saying that the unchangeable doctrine of the Church should be promulgated in modern ways. I see no ambiguity.

One must question why the Council-appointed commission issued no interpretations when it is claimed that the post-Vatican II period was devoted to interpretation of the Council rather than implementation of its decrees. Could this be because the dissenters wished to place their individual interpretations on the documents rather than submit any questions for determination by the authorised body? Surely, if the documents were riddled with ambiguities, the commission would have been swamped with more than enough enquiries to force it to make some determinations. Its failure to do so suggests that very little, if anything, was bought to its attention.

It is difficult to attack the integrity of an Ecumenical Council without attacking the teaching authority of the Church. As successors of the Apostles, bishops in communion with the Pope and with his consent, exercise supreme and full power over the universal Church: "This power is exercised in a solemn manner in an Ecumenical Council" (Christus Dominus, 4).

This does not preclude vigorous debate and the risk of some ego- bruising during Council deliberations. The published results authorised by the Holy Father must, however, be accepted by the faithful, including those who argued against those results. There is no excuse for biased individual interpretations.

GEORGE SIMPSON
North Blackburn, Vic

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 14 No 7 (August 2001), p. 14