‘Co-responsible’ not ‘collaborators’: US bishop tells laity

Published Date: September 29, 2009

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Lay people “must no longer be viewed as ‘collaborators’ of the clergy, but truly recognized as ‘co-responsible’ for the Church’s being and action,” Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput said in a speech delivered on his behalf last week.

In a speech delivered by his representative at the Becket Fund conference, Archbishop Chaput addressed the subject “Voices: The Lay State and Religious Liberty”, Catholic News Agency reports.

Concerning the role of the laity, the archbishop’s remarks focused on a comment made by Pope Benedict, who told a convention in Rome that the Church needs a change in mindset, particularly concerning laypeople.

Summarizing the Pope’s comments, Archbishop Chaput explained in his talk that the laity “must no longer be viewed as ‘collaborators’ of the clergy, but truly recognized as ‘co-responsible’ for the Church’s being and action.”

The laity, he said, “have exactly the same dignity as clergy and religious…They’re not second-class members of the Body of Christ.”

They are charged with changing the world in the name of Jesus Christ, a change that can only be affected through a mature, intelligent, and faithful witness to Christ in every aspect of lay life.

Finally, the archbishop urged lay people to “never be embarrassed by your baptism. Never be afraid of the consequences of your faith. Take pride in your Catholic identity for the blessing and mandate it is. Act on it. Share it with others. We need to find in it once again the confidence to live and preach our faith - in everything we do - without apologies or excuses. And if we do that, then we won’t need to ask what the ‘new evangelization’ looks like. We’ll know - because we’ll be incarnating it in our lives.”

Archbishop Chaput also addressed the role of laity in the public square.

“Politics is the arena where the struggle between truth and lies, justice and injustice, takes place,” he stated.

“Catholics have a duty to bring their Catholic beliefs to bear on every social, economic and political problem facing their country. That’s not just a privilege. It’s not just a right. It’s a demand of the Gospel,” he said.
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Voice of the laity needed in the public square, writes Archbishop Chaput (Catholic News Agency)

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