Is the "Charter" Morally Binding on the Bishops?

From the Washington Post today:

.... Until the Vatican gives its approval, the charter is morally but not legally binding on every bishop. But a greater problem is that each bishop may interpret key elements of the policy in his own way....

I suspect that the "morally binding" assertion is not quite accurate. The conference of bishops has no authority to bind all the bishops legally, unless its prescriptions have been approved by the Apostolic See. (See Canon 455.) That is why the "Essential Norms" were drawn up for presentation to Rome. Where would the conference derive any authority to bind the bishops morally to these documents? Only from each individual bishop's approval of the Charter & Essential Norms. But the vote was not unanimous (13 voted in the negative): so, I think, only the bishops who approved the documents in the final vote would be morally bound by them.

(Thanks Amy.)

Lane Core Jr. CIW P — Sun. 06/16/02 07:22:46 AM
Categorized as Classic.