The “Consultative-Only” Parish Council
Photo from Photos.comSince the new Code of Canon Law appeared in 1983, most parish pastoral councils have become aware that they "possess a consultative vote only" (Can. 536). We need to understand the church’s rationale for consultation. Only then can we see why it is so important to defend the right of Catholics to express themselves, and the freedom of pastors to consult as they see fit.
The church endorses consultation because it contributes to wise governance. Pastors need to know their parish if they are to govern it wisely. They consult their parishioners because they seek what Aristotle called practical wisdom. It is the knowledge that cannot come from a textbook on pastoral theology. Pastors need to know, from among the many possible things the parish could do, what is the right decision for their people at the present time. To be sure, the church doesn’t leave parish governance to a majority vote. Political democracy seems incompatible with Catholic unity. But no wise pastor acts in a dictatorial fashion. He seeks the wisdom of the parish community because his primary duty is to maintain the communion of the parish. That is why the good pastor consults.
Two Assumptions
Behind this act of consultation are two assumptions. The first is about pastors. The church assumes that pastors love their people and want to serve them better. Wise pastors recognize that parishioners have true insight into parish realities. Such pastors establish councils because, like Socrates, they know that they don’t know everything.
Of course, there are know-it-all pastors. They humiliate their councilors by reducing their words to “mere advice-giving.” Wise pastors don’t make that mistake. They consult because they want to know more about the needs of their people. That is the first assumption.
The second assumption is about parishioners. The church assumes not only that parishioners have wisdom, but also that they want to put it at the service of the church. They want to help the pastor govern the parish better. To be sure, the church doesn’t give councils legal power over the pastor. Most councillors have other responsibilities and wouldn’t want to govern the parish in the pas tor’s stead. But most councillors love their parish. They see in it the place where the believer can encounter God. And they want to serve it, even if they don’t have the final say.
Mark F. Fischer is associate professor of theology at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, California. He is the author of Parish Councils in Today's Catholic Parish: In the Spirit of Vatican II. His "Parish Pastoral Council Web Site" can be found at pastoralcouncils.com
