While supposedly always a Roman Catholic doctrine, this was defined in Vatican II where it was maintained that the bishops of the world formed a "College of Bishops" and had real rights of expression and authority, although always subservient to the Pope.

A number of more progressive bishops tried to flex their muscles at a bishops' synod in Rome in 1980. The results are in the following news stories, both from the San Jose, CA MERCURY.

10/1/80. "An Italian cardinal Tuesday criticized a proposal by an American archbishop to review and possibly update the church's ban on artificial birth control. `I listened to a discourse asking for a new study on Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI's encyclical banning artificial contraceptives. I consider the document closed,' said Cardinal Pericle Felici, 69, a member of the Roman Curia.

"Archbishop John Quinn of San Francisco had called for a new study on the church's doctrine of birth control and sexuality. Quinn had said the `crisis of faith' of birth control was immense. `Approaches found in the manuals and in pre-Vatican II authors are not adequate for the present situation. New approaches must be found which are compatible with fidelity to truth and with the changed situation in the modern world,' Quinn said.

"The most forceful criticism came from Cardinal George Basil Hume (England), who said that many `good, conscientious and faithful' Catholics could not accept the church's total ban on artificial birth control. `It cannot be just said that these persons have failed to overcome their human frailty and weakness; the problem is more complex than that,' Hume said.

`Archbishop Joseph Bernardin of Cincinnati told the synod, `A new, more positive theology of sexuality is necessary.'"

10/2/80. "`Neither I nor the American Bishops' Conference reject or challenge the doctrine of the Catholic Church on contraception,' said Quinn. `The intent of my speech was to suggest possible ways of making the church's teaching on contraception better understood and more widely acceptable,' said Quinn."

James Drummey, apologist for THE WANDERER, said, in his 3/6/97 column (page 3, Catholic Replies) an answer to why a certain appendix was affixed to Vatican II's "Dogmatic Constitution of the Faith."

He said, "Higher authority' (presumably Pope Paul) directed that (the appendix) be published as an authentic interpretation of chapter III . . .(which) deals with such matters as the authority of the college or body of bishops to the Holy Father . . .

"The addendum . . . emphasizes that the college of bishops cannot exist without its head, the Roman Pontiff; that nothing must be allowed to jeopardize the power of the Pope; that . . . the Sovereign Pontiff can always exercise his authority as he chooses . . . and that the council never contemplated the bishops taking any action independently of the Pope."

Authority of bishops' conferences limited from Louisville, KY Record, 7/30/98

By CINDY WOODEN

Catholic News Service

Bishops' conferences may issue statements on moral and other doctrinal matters only if they pass with a unanimous vote or receive the prior approval of the Vatican, Pope John Paul, II said in an apostolic letter last week.

The July 23 letter, "The Theological and Juridical Nature of Episcopal Conferences," said any authority national bishops' conferences have is delegated to them or flows from their unity with the pope and the universal College of Bishops.

Pope John Paul praised bishops' conferences as expressions of the unity of the church and as effective means for the bishops of a nation or region to promote and defend the faith.

But, the pope said, in responding to new doctrinal issues and moral concerns being raised in their nations, the members of a conference must recognize the limits of their pronouncements.

'The authentic magisterium of the bishops, namely what they teach insofar as they are invested with the authority of Christ, must always be in communion" with the head of the Catholic Church and the members of the worldwide College of Bishops, he said.

The pope said caution also must be taken to ensure that conference statements do not unwittingly interfere with pronouncements on the same subject being developed by other national bishops' conferences.

"When the doctrinal declarations of episcopal conferences are approved unanimously, they may, certainly be issued in the name of the conferences themselves, and the faithful are obliged to adhere with a sense of religious respect," the pope wrote.

"However, if this unanimity is lacking," he said, "a majority alone of the bishops of a conference cannot issue a declaration as authentic teaching of the conference to which all the faithful of the territory would have to adhere, unless it obtains the 'recognitio' (approval) of the Apostolic See, which will not give it if the majority requesting it is not substantial."

CHRISTIAN COMMENT

It is clear that the Bishops thought the "collegiality of bishops" gave them permission to contribute actively to the Roman Catholic moral teachings such as Birth Control. Very quickly, however, a member of the Curia set them straight and the following day Archbishop Quinn reversed his statement to fit in to the wishes of the Curia.

The Bishops found out that they could say whatever they wanted to say, as long as they said what the pope wants them to say.

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