" In short as Hans Kung states 'St Peter was not given a primacy of jurisdiction by Christ, nor did he exercise one in the Apostolic Church. Neither did he pass his special role in the Apostolic Church on to a direct historical successor. ' Yet the supreme authority of the pope as successor to Peter is a central tenet of the Catholic Church 'for the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered." The latter phrase in particular contradicts the collegial model of the early Christian movement that evolved from a willingness to spread the good news- by men and women, married and unmarried, sharing, discussing and interpreting, collectively the work to be done "
My Response: I agree! This is the reason that the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests offers a circular model in our governance and in our communities. The Roman Catholic Church needs to adopt an updated version of its earlier collegial approach and abandon the present top down hierarchical model in which an all-male- clergy makes all decisions in doctrine and governance. It is a bankrupt system that treats women as second class members of their own church. Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP, www.arcwp.org
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