THE
P RTAL
January 2013
Page 20
F a t h e r P e t e r ’s P a ge
Sensus Fidelium
One word
has been conspicuous by its absence during the last few
weeks, as politicians and churchmen have commentated on the current affairs
of Christianity in England, and that word is: authority.
It was even absent in the recent debates of the General
Synod of the Church of England. Yet the very concept,
(and one’s attitude towards it), is THE fundamental
religious subject. fidei cannot grow authentically in the believer except
to the extent to which he or she fully participates in
the life of the Church, and this requires a responsible
adherence to her Magisterium.”
three very simple questions main stream or dissident?
It needs three very simple, although profound,
questions to be answered to tease it out: 1. Is
Christianity a revealed religion - or does one change
it/make it up over a process of time? 2. If it is revealed,
who/what is the source of that revelation? 3. Given that
source, who/what adjudicates when there is conflict or
confusion?
The Holy Father then reiterated the true meaning
of sensus fidelium as set out in the Second Vatican
Council dogmatic constitution, Lumen Gentium: The
Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium teaches us on
the subject: “The entire body of the faithful, anointed
as they are by the Holy One cannot err in matters of
belief. They manifest this special property by means
of the whole peoples’ supernatural discernment in
current opinion
matters of faith when ‘from the Bishops down to the
For most recent commentators it was clearly assumed last of the lay faithful’ they show universal agreement
that the answer to all three questions is: Current in matters of faith and morals.” (n.12). “However, the
‘politically correct’ opinion. Even the Archbishop of sensus fidelium only genuinely operates when it is
Canterbury seemed to affirm his commitment to this faithful to scripture, tradition and magisterium of the
concept when, in his immediate reaction to the recent Catholic Church and in obedience to the Pope and
vote in the General Synod he stated, “it should keep up college of bishops.”
with current opinion”.
Sensus fidelium does not mean what a group of
Not only does history show that such an attitude contemporary Catholics (or Anglicans?) just happen
to be very fickle and inconsistent – recall Dean Inge’s to think at the present time. Are you ‘main stream’ or
famous remark: “Remember, if you marry the spirit of a ‘dissident’?
the age, you will soon be a widower” – but to believe
Father Peter Geldard
that the ‘Vox Populi’ (the voice of the people) is the ‘Vox
Dei’ (the voice of God) is to deny that one’s faith has
any fundamentals which are binding or authoritative.
Customary of Our Lady of Walsingham
For them – and for us all – the recent address to
the International Theological Commission by Pope
Benedict XVI is an apposite challenge, not least to all
those currently promoting dissent within the Church,
or misuse of the idea of the sensus fidelium to mean
‘public opinion’:
“Today, however, it is particularly important to
clarify the criteria used to distinguish the authentic
sensus fidelium from its counterfeits. In fact, it is not
some kind of public opinion of the Church, and it is
unthinkable to mention it in order to challenge the
teachings of the Magisterium. This is because the sensus
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