THE BISHOPS' AGENDA

When the bishops assembled in the aula of St. Peter's for the first session of the Vatican Council in 1962 their agenda contained 70 schemata (drafts of decrees) with drastic editing, the work load of the council has been brought down to a more manageable 16 items. Five have already been promulgated: decrees on mass communications, the Oriental Churches and ecumenism and constitutions on the nature of the church. This session, four schemata will be dicussed ln full, then revised and discussed again before a final vote. Simultaneously, the bishops will vote chapter by chapter on the revised drafts of seven other items that have been debated at previous session".

For Full Debate

sbOn Religious Liberty. Widely regarded as a touchstone of council progress, the declaration affirms the right of all men-- by implication, atheists as well as believers in God -- to freedom of conscience; the state can neither coerce adherence to one faith nor interfere with man's right to worship.

sbOn the Church and the Modern World. Already rewritten 20 times the schema is an essay on the Christian response to secular life, addressed not just to Catholics but to all men. Its major topics: the true theology of the family, the characteristics of modern life, the Christian role in politics, the church's proper response to such issues as nuclear war and pacifism.

sbOn the Missions. Sharply rejected at the third session because of its sterile, scholastic tone, the 40-page schema acknowledges the duty of the church to respect the cultural heritage of different nations, proposes a Central Evangelization Board for Catholic missions, vaguely outlines how Catholics may and may not cooperate with other Christian missionaries.

sbOn the Priestly Life and the Ministry. Also rejected at the third session and now drastically rewritten, the schema outlines the proper relationships between priests, their laity and their bishops, urges creation of special postgraduate training centers for the clergy, proposes a revision of canon law to insure better distribution of priests around the world (Ireland has one for every 800 Catholics, Guatemala one for every 20,000).

Ready for Voting sbOn Devine Revelation. Probably the first schema that will be approved by the fourth session, this lengthy thelogical treatise empathisizes the role of Scripture (rather than tradition) and analyzes the meaning and proper interpretation of the Bible for the church today

sbOn the Apostolate of the Laity.Where does the layman stand in the church? This 72-page schema attempts to give the answer. discusses the layman's role in the church's mission, his place in family life, work and politics, the responsibilities of Catholic organizations.

sbPastoral Office of Bishops in the Church. Closely related in theme to the constitution On the Church the schema spells out the relationship of bishops to the Pope and the Curia, outlines the scope and responsibility of national conferences of the hierarchy.

sbOn the Religious. A schema aimed at nuns, brothers and and priests in religious orders. Among the changes it proposes: modernization of clerical garb, greater cooperation among religious orders, consolidation of marginal monasteries and convents with more prosperous ones, revisions of organizational charters and customs in accordance with the general spirit of the council.

sbOn Christian education. A pet project of the U.S. hierarchy, this brief schema asserts the right of parents to decide on how their children should be educated, stresses the importance and continuing need of catholic school systems.

sbOn Priestly Formation. Of vital importance for the future of the church, the schema proposes the first overhaul of the Catholic seminary system since the Council of Trent, acknowledges the need for more priestly training in sociology certain to psychology and the arts. One issue certain to casue debate: should the writing of St. Thomas Aquinas continue to form the basis of seminaries philosophy and theology courses?

sbOn Non-Christian Religions. Although the chapter in the declaration dealing with the Jews received the most attention, other sections pay notable tribute to the faith of Islam and, for all religions that acknowledge God.

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