General
The Teaching Ministry of the Diocesan Bishop: A Pastoral Reflection (1992)
The Teaching Ministry of the Diocesan Bishop: A Pastoral Reflection
In 1985, the Committee on Doctrine of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops began work on a document that would address a number of the issues facing the bishops of the United States in the exercise of their teaching office. At the 1988 general meeting of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, during the discussion of the document Doctrinal Responsibilities: Approaches to Promoting Cooperation and Resolving Misunderstandings between Bishops and Theologians, it was suggested that additional reflections on the relationship between bishops and theologians become part of the Committee on Doctrine's work on the teaching office of the bishop. A subcommittee was formed to consider the issues and to draft the document. In May 1991, a draft of the document was sent to all the bishops, to a selected group of theologians, and to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In light of the many comments and suggestions submitted to the Committee on Doctrine, the text was revised into its present form. The Teaching Ministry of the Diocesan Bishop: A Pastoral Reflection, the fruition of that consultative process, is hereby authorized for publication by the undersigned.
January 13, 1992
Monsignor Robert N. Lynch, General Secretary, NCCB/USCC