PASTORS AND PEOPLE

THE SYNOD ON THE FAMILY AND THE NON-RECEPTION OF CHURCH TEACHING

Authors

  • Julie Clague University of Glasgow

Keywords:

Pastors, People, Family, Church Teaching

Abstract

This article assesses the approach taken at the 1980 Synod assembly on the family to the non-reception of Church teaching on contraception, and to the value accorded to sociological evidence about patterns of non-reception among the lay faithful. Statistical data demonstrated the embarrassing disjunction between Church teaching and the beliefs and practices of many of the faithful in relation to responsible parenthood. In 1980, the bishops maintained their unified stance over Church teaching and the data was dismissed. After all, the sensus fidei cannot be read in crude statistical terms.

Author Biography

Julie Clague, University of Glasgow

Julie Clague lectures in Christian theology and ethics at the University of Glasgow, UK. Born in the North of England, she studied chemistry and theology at University. She is a member of the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities, which gathers evidence about how faith groups contribute to global health and
development (http://jliflc.com/). She works as a theologian with Catholic development agency, Cafod and the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance. Julie sits on the European Regional Committee for Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church and edits the European Forum essays (www.catholicethics.com). She co-edits the journal Political Theology (www.politicaltheology.com). Email: Julie.Clague@glasgow.ac.uk

References

Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 1964.

Holy See, Statistical Yearbook of the Church 2012, Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2014.

International Theological Commission, Sensus Fidei in the Life of the Church, Vatican City, 2014.

Published

2014-06-30

How to Cite

Clague, J. (2014). PASTORS AND PEOPLE: THE SYNOD ON THE FAMILY AND THE NON-RECEPTION OF CHURCH TEACHING. Asian Horizons, 8(02), 201–225. Retrieved from https://dvkjournals.in/index.php/ah/article/view/2043

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 02 (2014): ASIAN HORIZONS

Section

Articles