Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Part 1. The Responsibilities and Limitations of the Task - 1. Principles and Methods - The Roman Catholic Church
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
PASTORAL PSYCHOLOGY
referred to the priest, who is related to them as the doctor is to
his patient; and as the qualified physician is alone authorised to
prescribe dangerous drugs, so the priest alone is authorised to
prescribe remedies for the spiritual disorders of mankind.
As early as the time of Gregory the Great a fully developed
office for the care of souls had been prepared and was included
in his pastoral rules. Already the Holy Catholic Church had
asserted its final authority and had arrogated to itself power and
dominion over the individual.
During the period of the Roman Catholic Church’s supremacy
the ecclesiastical care of souls consisted mainly in the regular
administration of the sacraments and the exercise of
discipline. The purpose of this discipline was, by admonition or
encouragement, to ensure that the individual observed the
rules and sacraments of the Church. The means were twofold :
by teaching and confession. Through sermons and instruction
in the catechism the individual gained knowledge of the duties
and conditions of Christian living. Through oral confession and
absolution the individual was instructed how to apply this
knowledge and restrained from attempting to question its
authority or validity.
As in the Early Church, so also in the Roman Catholic
Communion, the care of souls was markedly pedagogic in its
emphasis. Gregory gave a great deal of advice on admonition
and many practical hints on methods by which individuals’
special needs might be met, but his directions laid great emphasis
on the importance of exercising skill to ensure the obedience of
the individual to the directions or commands of his spiritual
director. The interest of the Church came first, and as time went
on the care of souls became more and more an instrument of
ecclesiastical diplomacy, a means whereby the Church’s
independence of all secular authority was secured and her
absolute authority sustained over all her members. A
disposition to exploit the spiritual hunger, or ignorance, of the church
member in the service of a religious organisation’s political
ambitions is not, of course, confined to the Church of Rome.
Wherever institutional religion assumes totalitarian pretensions,
` those responsible for the care of souls tend to confuse their
spiritual obligations to the individual with their political
ambitions and are tempted to use their followers as tools.
18
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
