Pilar RíoThe laity, men and women "of the world at the heart of the Church" : The laity, men and women "of the world at the heart of the Church".The first proclamation: the task of the laity in today's ChurchEdinson FarfanThe laity is not second class, we are all part of the People of God".Two years ago, at a congress for the laity organized by the Vatican, there were hardly any lay speakers and attendees. In fact, the lecture on lay spirituality was given by a religious. This kind of facts give the impression that there is still a long way to go to ensure that the laity have the protagonism that the Second Vatican Council tried to promote. This week at the Pontifical University of Salamanca there is a congress on "Lay Spirituality".Laity and public witness to the faith". We chatted with Román Pardo, professor of Moral Theology and vice dean of the Faculty of Theology.
How has the understanding of the role of the laity advanced in recent decades?
- In the 19th century, lay people like Blessed Frédéric Ozanam and some other thinkers started a movement in France that promoted the theology of the laity and was the precursor of Leo XIII's Rerum novarum. It is interesting to know that in this context there were progressive-minded people and others who were much more conservative, heirs of the vision of the ancien régime. However, both had the intuition that the laity should carry out the mission they had received at baptism.
What specifically does this mission consist of?
- In addition to the rite of water, in baptism we are anointed with oil, the meaning of which is to show that the new Christian shares with Christ a triple mission as prophet, king and priest. This means that the laity, by virtue of the common priesthood, make the sacred present wherever they are; they are prophets because they speak of God to the people around them and announce his Kingdom and his coming at the end of time.
Before we go any further, how would you define a layperson?
- The best definition I have come across of the laity is one from the VOX dictionary which says: "the group of faithful who belong to the Catholic Church, committed to the propagation of the message of Jesus in normal living conditions".
Returning to the present situation, how does the Church view the laity today?
- The Cardinal Yves CongarFrench Dominican and theologian, promoted the theology of the laity in the second half of the 20th century. He insisted that "the laity runs the risk of being clericalized", something that undoubtedly happens today. At Vatican II "Lumen Gentium" and "Gaudium et Spes" opened new perspectives, but the feeling of many theologians is that soon after there was a stagnation. Even in John Paul II's "Christifideles laici", published in 1988, the understanding of the laity seems to be subordinated to their inclusion in the ecclesial movements that proliferated in the latter part of the last century.
Does this mean that the value, the role, of a layperson per se is still not understood?
- For example, in the German synodal path we see the insistence that the laity participate more in the government of the Church, or that women have more protagonism in the liturgy. These are aspects that clericalize the laity.
The laity has been for a long time a passive subject in the Church. He received the sacraments, listened to preaching, but for some time now there has been an effort to make him a much more active subject in the life of the Church and beyond.
You spoke earlier about the movements, how would you evaluate their insertion in the parishes?
- In the Church there are many eminently lay realities, although juridically they are not movements, from associations of the faithful to charismatic realities, a personal prelature or realities without a specific juridical configuration, such as Emmaus or Effetá. The insertion of all these charisms in parish life is very different, since it depends on their specific characteristics. However, it is important to keep a balance between participation in one's own group and in the life of the parish. Cardinal Martini dreamed that the new movements would be inserted in the parish, that they would be a driving force there.
The parish is the place of the Christian, the common place where we all make Church, but without forgetting that the laity must also be in the place where God finds them. And if it is in a reality other than the parish, then welcome. It is necessary to combine these two aspects in the best possible way.
Finally, what messages and challenges do you think the Church should send to the faithful?
- Well, perhaps we can insist on "where" and "how" it has to be. It has to be inside the church, but also outside. And inside the church it does not have to be in the sacristy, although there is no problem for it to be in the sacristy.
The laity must be aware of the consecration of baptism, which makes them "priest, prophet and king"; they must make Christ present in the midst of the world. We must emphasize the secular identity of the laity, their role in the midst of the world, because sometimes we focus on ministerial ecclesiology, which debates tirelessly on the functions that it is possible to perform in the Church.
