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     We continue our seven part segment on the Holy Father's Apostolic Letter to the Bishops of the world on Episcopal Conferences entitled APOSTOLOS SUOS. In his Motu Proprio, Pope John Paul II asserts in no uncertain terms that all bishops must be in union with Rome and their particular conferences and cannot go out on their own without full approval from the Holy See. He cites the way Jesus set up His Church and appointment of His apostles and lists policies established by the Church over the centuries. For the second part, click on THE VICAR OF CHRIST SPEAKS.

INTRODUCTION
      The Apostolic Letter Motu Proprio below Apostolos Suos was released on the Solemnity of Ascension Thursday, May 21, 1998 by the Holy Father and deals with reigning in the bishops from launching their own initiatives without full support from Rome or their colleagues. Many believe the Bishops' Letter "Always Our Children" by a group of liberal American bishops on homosexuality may have been the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back and prompted the Holy See to issue this Letter. Below is part two.

HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II APOSTOLIC LETTER ISSUED MOTU PROPRIO ON THE THEOLOGICAL AND JURIDICAL NATURE OF EPISCOPAL CONFERENCES (1)

Part Two of INTRODUCTION to APOSTOLOS SUOS

I. INTRODUCTION 4. Alongside the tradition of Particular Councils and in harmony with it, starting in the last century, for historical, cultural and sociological reasons, Conferences of Bishops began to be established in different countries. These Conferences were set up for specific pastoral purposes, as a means of responding to different ecclesiastical questions of common interest and finding appropriate solutions to them. Unlike Councils, they had a stable and permanent character. The Instruction of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars issued on 24 August 1889 mentions them expressly by the name "Episcopal Conferences".(28)

      The Second Vatican Council, in the Decree Christus Dominus, not only expressed the hope that the venerable institution of Particular Councils would be revitalized (cf. No. 36), but also dealt explicitly with Episcopal Conferences, acknowledging the fact that they had been established in many countries and laying down particular norms regarding them (cf. Nos. 37-38). Indeed, the Council recognized the usefulness and the potential of these structures, and judged that "it would be in the highest degree helpful if in all parts of the world the Bishops of each country or region would meet regularly, so that by sharing their wisdom and experience and exchanging views they may jointly formulate a programme for the common good of the Church".(29)

5. In 1966, Pope Paul VI, by the Motu Proprio Ecclesiae Sanctae, called for Episcopal Conferences to be established wherever they did not yet exist; those already existing were to draw up proper statutes; and in cases where it was not possible to establish a Conference, the Bishops in question were to join already existing Episcopal Conferences; Episcopal Conferences comprising several nations or even international Episcopal Conferences could be established.(30) Several years later, in 1973, the Pastoral Directory for Bishops stated once again that “the Episcopal Conference is established as a contemporary means of contributing in a varied and fruitful way to the practice of collegiality. These Conferences admirably help to foster a spirit of communion with the Universal Church and among the different local Churches.(31) Finally, the Code of Canon Law, promulgated by me on January 25, 1983, established specific norms (Canons 447-459) regulating the objectives and the powers of Episcopal Conferences, as well as their erection, membership and functioning.

      The collegial spirit which inspired the establishment of Episcopal Conferences and guides their activity is also the reason why Conferences of different countries should cooperate among themselves, as the Second Vatican Council recommended (32) and the subsequent canonical legislation reaffirmed.(33)

6. Following the Second Vatican Council, Episcopal Conferences have developed significantly and have become the preferred means for the Bishops of a country or a specific territory to exchange views, consult with one another and cooperate in promoting the common good of the Church: “in recent years they have become a concrete, living and efficient reality throughout the world”.(34) Their importance is seen in the fact that they contribute effectively to unity between the Bishops, and thus to the unity of the Church, since they are a most helpful means of strengthening ecclesial communion. Even so, the growing extent of their activities has raised some questions of a theological and pastoral nature, especially with regard to their relationship to the individual Diocesan Bishops.

7. Twenty years after the close of the Second Vatican Council, the Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, held in 1985, acknowledged the pastoral usefulness, indeed the need, in the present circumstances of Episcopal Conferences. It also observed that {in their manner of proceeding, Episcopal Conferences must keep in mind the good of the Church, that is, the service of unity and the inalienable responsibility of each Bishop in relation to the universal Church and to his particular Church".(35) The Synod therefore called for a fuller and more profound study of the theological and, consequently, the juridical status of Episcopal Conferences, and above all of the issue of their doctrinal authority, in the light of No. 38 of the conciliar Decree Christus Dominus and Canons 447 and 753 of the Code of Canon Law.(36)

      The present document also is a fruit of that study. In strict fidelity to the documents of the Second Vatican Council, its aim is to set out the basic theological and juridical principles regarding Episcopal Conferences, and to offer the juridical synthesis indispensable for helping to establish a theologically well-grounded and juridically sound praxis for the Conferences.

FOOTNOTES:
• (28) Sacra Congregatio Episcoporum et Regularium, Instructio “Alcuni Arcivescovi”, De collationibus quolibet anno ab Italis Episcopis in variis quae designantur Regionibus habendis (24 August 1889): Leonis XIII Acta, IX (1890), p. 184.

• (29) Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church Christus Dominus, 37; cf. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 23.

• (30) Paul VI, Motu Proprio Ecclesiae Sanctae (6 August 1966), I. Normae ad exsequenda Decreta SS. Concilii Vaticani II “Christus Dominus” et “Presbyterorum Ordinis”, No. 41: AAS 58 (1966), 773-774.

• (31) Congregation for Bishops, Directory Ecclesiae Imago, De Pastorali Ministerio Episcoporum (22 February 1973), 210.

• (32) Cf. Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church Christus Dominus, 38, 5.

• (33) Cf. Code of Canon Law, Canon 459, 1. Such cooperation has in fact been fostered by the International Meetings of Episcopal Conferences, the Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano (C.E.L.AM.), the Consilium Conferentiarum Episcopalium Europae (C.C.E.E.), the Secretariado Episcopal de América Central y Panama (S.E.D.A.C.), the Commissio Episcopatuum Communitatis Europaeae (COM.E.C.E.), the Association des Conférences Episcopales de l'Afrique Centrale (A.C.E.A.C.), the Association des Conférences Episcopales de la Région de l'Afrique Centrale (A.C.E.R.A.C.), the Symposium des Conférences Episcopales d'Afrique et de Madagascar (S.C.E.A.M.), the Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (I.M.B.S.A.), the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (S.A.C.B.C.), the Conférences Episcopales de l'Afrique de l'Ouest Francophone (C.E.R.A.O.), the Association of the Episcopal Conferences of Anglophone West Africa (A.E.C.A.W.A.), the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (A.M.E.C.E.A.), the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (F.A.B.C.), the Federation of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Oceania (F.C.B.C.O.) (Cf. Annuario Pontificio 1998, Vatican City 1998, pp. 1112-1115). Nevertheless, these institutions are not properly Episcopal Conferences.

• (34) John Paul II, Address to the Roman Curia (28 June 1986), No. 7c: AAS 79 (1987), 197.

• (35) Final Report, II, C), 5: L'Osservatore Romano, 10 December 1985, p. 7.

• (36) Cf. ibid., II, C), 8, b.

      In his seventh and final part on The subtleties of satan in his weekly column, Father Stephen Valenta, OFM Conv. points out the vital role of the Woman clothed with the sun - the Blessed Virgin Mary and how, relying on her through prayer and exemplifying all she imparts by living her messages then we imitate Our Lady's virtues and can better fend off the evil one because we are doing what her Divine Son Jesus asks of each of His children. For Father's column, click on HEARTS TO HEART TALK

INTRODUCTION
      "Hearts-to-heart Talk" is a compendium of talks & writings on "How to Pray with the Heart" by the popular Franciscan from upstate New York - Father Stephen Valenta, O.F.M. Conv. and is a regular column each week on Mondays. This quiet, sincere priest, with over 45 years in pastoral care and in the radio/television ministry, will touch your heart as he pinpoints the "how to's" of praying with and from the heart. In his column today in the DAILY CATHOLIC he concludes his series on the craftiness of the the fallen angels and how they can deceive us all if we are not rooted in love, truth and goodness in the heart.    Fr. Stephen's column along with columns by Sister Mary Lucy Astuto and Father John H. Hampsch, C.M.F. promise simple, but effective and vital insights into our faith and ways of fulfilling God's Will every day in every way. You can reach Fr. Valenta at Hearts to heart Center at P.O. Box 212, Rensselaer, New York, 12144 or you can reach him at (518) 434-1723.

The subtleties of satan part seven

      Mary, knowing full well the ploys of satan, begs through some of her instruments that we go deep, deep, deep into prayer that we get into that prayer that is sponsored by her Spouse, the prayer of contemplation. She knows that the winds of immorality are so strong that unless her children put their roots deep into prayer, they will be blown away and lost forever. She warns against simply SAYING prayers. She never says that we should SAY prayers, SAY the rosary. She knows that unless we have the EXPERIENCE of prayer, wherein we humbly speak from the heart with our Father, and receive His Words through our hearts, we become easy prey for satan.

      Because satan is prince of this world, he uses everything at his disposal to keep us away from prayer and/or so active in mind with material things, that we cannot pray without being plagued with distractions. Making use of his many intriguing ways, he has seen to it that hardly any one speaks of goodness, that hardly any one speaks of the source of goodness, the will. Without the use of our will, it is impossible to keep our mind o God even for a minute. It is the will that has power, and most especially with grace, to harness the mind and to raise it up to God. It is for this reason that Our Lady emphasizes that we pray with the HEART. The word HEART is being used synonymously with the word WILL.

      Satan is the essence of evil; Mary is the essence of goodness. Satan lives and operates in the height and depth, length and width of hatred. Mary, immersed within the Spirit of Love, will ultimately crush the head of the Angelic Hater. She asks us to help her in this by converting to her Son Who teaches us by word and example to love all, even our enemies. As followers of Jesus, we are to be LOVERS. Satan, on the other hand, strives with all of his angelic power to keep human beings in the head, i.e., the mind. He enjoins upon whomever he can, to be SMARTIES. The raging battle, therefore, is between LOVERS and SMARTIES. Mary teaches us that if we would become LOVING SMARTIES, wherein both of these qualities flow from our Divine Guest, the Holy Spirit, we have tremendous power over satan. We will become aware of his traps; we will help to counteract his hatred with our love.

      All that has been presented above comes under the umbrella of DOCILITY. Our Heavenly Mother offers this as one of her main directives. To be docile means to be clear of mind and open of heart to receive the influxes of the Spirit of God. It is this Spirit Who is the SANCTIFIER. It is He Who has the responsibility to remind us of all that Jesus taught. It is He, together with Mary, Who brought Jesus into our midst the first time. It is He, Who, together with Mary, will bring on the Second Advent of Jesus into our midst. It is the Divine Indweller Who, abiding within each of those baptized, will help to make all those of good will, simple as doves, shrewd as serpents. It is for this reason that Mary is directing us to look for guidance from her Spouse. She knows how imperative it is for each one of us to live WITH the Holy Spirit, giving Him a continuous, generous and free FIAT. Mary pleads with us to LIVE within the Divine Will, so that we, as her children, will pattern ourselves after her. When we are so connected with our God, we are in the position to help Mary to expose the subtleties of satan and to defeat him, first in our own life and through that, in the lives of our brothers and sisters.

      Mary, as "The Handmaid of the Lord," instructs us in humility. She knows how important it is for each one of us to live in lowliness, in obedience, to our Heavenly Father. Satan's number one sin is pride. Satan introduced pride to our first parents and through them to each one of us. It is her loving concern for her children that she directs us to imitate her. It is no difficult task for children to imitate their mother. It falls within the nature of the child. Our humility is a powerful weapon against satan's usurped power over us. When we imitate Mary in her humility, we disarm satan of this power.

      Finally, Mary never stops asking her children to live in harmony with each other. Every mother wants her children to get along lovingly and to live peacefully with each other. When an effort is made, prompted by grace, to give respect to each PERSON, MADE TO THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD, we weaken and make dull the sharp points of confusion and disunity that satan makes use of to keep us at odds with each other, thus being of no help to Our Mother in her battle against him. Again, it is to the Great Unifier, the Holy Spirit, to Whom we must resort to be one as Jesus and the Father are One.

      Because the bond between the mother and the child is the greatest bond known to mankind, the Triune God sent Mary to us to whisk us out of satan's clutches. If we do not heed her, if we insist on going our own way, we will be lost. Mary is our Leader against satan. If we fail to follow her, we will be lost to him. To refrain from making a decision to follow Mary by placing ourselves under the protection of her Mantle, is to make a decision to be swallowed u and fall victim to the subtleties of satan. Mary is the Gift of the merciful Father to each one of His children. While there is still time we are encouraged to implement her directives in our daily living.

      Let it be known that there are many more directives that Mary gives than those mentioned. These can be obtained through our life of prayer and through our life WITH the Holy Spirit. Through our prayer life, prompted by the Spirit, we will not only become aware of these, but will be assisted in implementing them into a network of Gospel living.

      Today and tomorrow we celebrate the liturgy of Ordinary Time. For the readings, liturgy, and meditations, click on LITURGY FOR THE DAY.

Monday August 31:
Twenty-Second Monday in Ordinary Time

Green vestments

First Reading: 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5
Psalms: Psalm 119: 97-102
Gospel Reading: Luke 4: 16-30

Tuesday September 1:
Twenty-Second Tuesday in Ordinary Time

Green vestments

First Reading: 1 Corinthians 2: 10-16
Psalms: Psalm 145: 8-14, 17
Gospel Reading: Luke 4: 31-37

     While the feast of Saint Raymond Nonnatus is usurped by Ordinary Time in the new liturgy, it is nevertheless his feast day today and therefore we present this prayer in his honor:

O God, by Whose grace Blessed Raymond, Thy Confessor, wrought wonders in the redemption of Thy faithful people from the handle of wicked men; grant, we beseech Thee, by his intercession, that being loosed from the bondage of our sins, we may, with minds set free, do always what is pleasing unto Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

   Dear children! Today I invite you to come still closer to me through prayer. Little children, I am your mother, I love you and I desire that each of you be saved and thus be with me in Heaven. That is why, little children, pray, pray, pray until your life becomes prayer. Thank you for having responded to my call.

For more on Medjugorje, click on MEDJUGORJE AND MORE

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August 31, 1998 volume 9, no. 170   DAILY CATHOLIC