Conciliarity

Conciliarity refers to the adherence of various Christian communities to the authority of ecumenical councils and to synodal church government. It is not to be confused with conciliarism, which refers to a particular historical movement within the Catholic Church. Different churches interpret conciliarity different ways.

Conciliarity in the Catholic Church

The government of the Catholic Church is essentially monarchical, both on a papal and episcopal level. Catholic doctrine does regard ecumenical councils as legitimate but extraordinary sources of authority. They can only be called by a pope. A pope can prorogue a council (as Pius IX prorogued the First Vatican Council in 1871.) If a pope dies in the middle of a council the council immediately loses its source of authority. His successor must renew the council, as happened when Pope Paul VI succeeded Pope John XXIII in 1963, when the Second Vatican Council was sitting.

The decisions of an ecumenical council do not become authoritative until approved by the pope. Popes are not bound by the decisions of ecumenical councils, nor by the mandate to implement a council's decisions. However, since the decrees of an ecumenical council are regarded as expressing the mind of the Church and of Jesus Christ, a pope would not normally ignore a council. The decisions of ecumenical councils, approved by the pope, are binding upon all the clergy and laity, subject to papal regulation.

Lesser councils also play a part in the governance of the Catholic Church. The Synod of Bishops is an assembly of bishops which advise the pope in the government of the Church. On a national level, there is the episcopal conference, regulating national issues. These conferences do not, however, exercise authority over particular dioceses.

Conciliarity in the Eastern (Apostolic, Non-Catholic) churches

Churches of the Eastern Orthodox Communion, and other apostolic churches, view ecumenical councils as the supreme norm of government.

Conciliarity in the Protestant churches

Protestant communities tend to deny or downplay the authority of ecumenical councils, though many do adhere to synodal government.

See also

• Conciliarism
• Ecumenical council
• Synod
• Episcopal conference
• College of bishops
• Apostolicity
• Episcopal polity

This Christian theology article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Ecclesiology Christian theology stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая? Det Norske Luftfartselskap Bobrovník Look at other dictionaries: conciliarity — con·cil·i·ar·i·ty …   English syllables conciliarity — kənˌsilēˈarəd.ē noun ( es) : the principle of government found in Eastern Orthodox churches that places final authority in representative councils compare sobornost …   Useful english dictionary Episcopal polity — is a form of church governance which is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop (Greek: episcopos ). This episcopal structure is found most often in the various churches of Orthodox,… …   Wikipedia Christian theology — The Prophetess Anna, Rembrandt, 1631 See also: History of Christian theology and Outline of Christian theology Christian doctrine redirects here. For the United States Court case known by that name, see G.L. Christian and associates v. US.… …   Wikipedia Ecclesiastical polity — is the operational and governance structure of a church or Christian denomination. It also denotes the ministerial structure of the church and the authority relationships between churches. Polity is closely related to Ecclesiology, the study of… …   Wikipedia Conciliar — may refer to: Conciliarity, conciliar authority Conciliarism, a movement in Roman Catholicism emphasising Conciliarity This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link …   Wikipedia sobornost — rˌnȯst noun ( s) Etymology: Russian, literally, conciliarity, from sobornyĭ conciliar, from sobor council : spiritual harmony based on freedom and unity in love : ecumenicity; …   Useful english dictionary ИОАНН (ЗИЗИУЛАС) — Иоанн (Зизиулас [греч. ᾿Ιωάννης Ζηζιούλας] (род. 10.01.1931, с. Катафийон, близ г. Козани, Греция), митр. Пергамский (с 1986), богослов. Жизнь Иоанн (Зизиулас), митр. Пергамский, на конференции «Святитель Василий Великий отец и учитель Церкви» в… …   Православная энциклопедия Christian eschatology — Part of a series on Christianity   …   Wikipedia Christology — Stained glass window of the Confession of Peter in Luke 9:20: But who do you say that I am? Peter answered: The Christ of God .[1] …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”