Speedup

The first two sessions of the Vatican Council proceeded as if the bishops had a leisurely century to do the job. The third, which opens in Rome this week, may act as if the devil were dogging the bishops' footsteps; it promises to be the most productive in accomplishment.

Council leaders believe that the bishops have had enough time to impress their flocks back home with set speeches. This fall, prelates must submit copies of their talks five days ahead of time, thereby allowing the four council moderators to weed out repetitions. More over, six of the schemata -- on the Eastern churches, missionary activity, priests, seminaries, schools, and the religious -- will be put to the bishops as take-it-or-leave-it propositions without debate.

Principal Testimony. Streamlining the schemata has left the bishops free to consider the theological issues that will constitute the council's principal testimony: the nature of the church, ecumenism, the duties of bishops, divine revelation, and -- if time allows -- marriage and the church in the modern world. Also scheduled for debate are two declarations that are strongly backed by the U.S. hierarchy: 1) a ringing affirmation of every man's right to worship as his conscience dictates, and 2) a somewhat less than forthright condemnation of antiSemitism.

Many Catholics believe that the council has already completed its essential job, in giving its imprimatur to worldwide currents of church renewal and in opening the doors to further free debate about still unseen change. Nonetheless, some Vaticanologists believe that a "purple backlash" of bishops whose zest for reform has cooled may temper the results of the council. Some U.S. prelates who privately shrug off their early enthusiasm for John XXIII may be inclined this session to side with the Roman Curia, which has worked skillfully to limit the council's powers. One sign of this veer toward conservatism: on the Rome press panel set up by the U.S. hierarchy, which offered daily guidance on the council to bishops and priests as well as journalists, three of the most liberal interpreters--German Moral Theologian Bernard Haring, Labor Expert Monsignor George Higgins and Paulist Father John Sheerin of the Catholic World--have been replaced by less renewal-minded men.

Prudent Change. Much depends on Pope Paul VI, whose encouragement of church reform has been balanced by a desire to conciliate the Curia professionals he must work with in governing the church. Last week, however, Paul indicated that his sympathies still lie with prudent change. He announced that for the first time in church history a select few nuns and laywomen would attend the council as auditors. And to open the third session, he planned to celebrate a pontifical Mass together with 24 bishops from around the world. Concelebration is an ancient practice restored to the Roman rite by the second session's far-reaching liturgical constitution; it is also a not-so-subtle hint of his support for the progressive idea of collegiality--the theory that the bishops share ruling power over the church with the Pope.

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