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December 4th @ 6:15 pm

The Open Question of Church Polity and Governance: Trent, Vatican I, Vatican II

Dec 04
The Open Question of Church Polity and Governance: Trent, Vatican I, Vatican II

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Free and open to the public. Cosponsored by the Theology and Ethics Workshop at the Divinity School and the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus.

Sexual and financial scandals are prompting Catholics to ask hard and painful questions about church government.  Who is in charge?  How is responsibility and accountability for governance distributed in the Church?  By no means is this the first time that the Catholic Church has reckoned with the letter and the spirit of its own governance. Drawing from his latest book, When Bishops Meet: An Essay Comparing Trent, Vatican I, and Vatican II (Harvard, 2019), Fr. John O’Malley, S.J. retraces how the three modern ecumenical councils grappled with church reform and highlight resources in that tradition that may help us today. A response from Russell Hittinger follows, leading to open discussion moderated by Jennifer Newsome Martin (University of Notre Dame).


Social Sciences, Room 122

1126 E 59th St. Chicago, IL 60637
Hyde Park, IL