Roman
Catholic texts have varying levels of authority. Conciliar documents are produced by the
"ecumenical councils", such as Vatican II.
They have the highest authority after Scripture itself. Papal
documents are far more common than those of ecumenical councils, and are
considered the most authoritative of the regular teaching instruments of Roman
Catholicism. Other papal texts, curial documents,
and the documents of the individual bishops and
bishops' conferences have a lesser authority. An interesting question that
has arisen from the ecumenical movement is the authority of agreed statements and common
declarations arising from ecumenical dialogues. This is a matter which will remain
undetermined for some time yet.
Catholic Archives
The following sites have a substantial archive of official documents. The links below,
generally, draw from these archives. Although these archives can generally be trusted,
care should be taken to ensure that the documents are translated accurately.
Bishops and bishops' conferences
In the years since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), a new instrument of the
church's magisterium (teaching office) has become important: the bishops' conference. This
has led to some struggle for local authority and independence. The catch-phrases that
reflect a decentralizing ethos are: "collegiality" and "subsidiarity".
Bishop Albert LeGatt (Diocese of Saskatoon)
- Sacramental Sharing with other Christians in the Roman Catholic Diocese of
Saskatoon
Bishops of Alberta
-
The role of the teacher in Catholic School (January 29, 2007)
-
It all starts with faith – Catholic Education Sunday (November
6, 2006)
-
The parent and the Catholic school (January 30, 2006)
-
Alberta bishops' message for Catholic Education Sunday (November 7, 2005)
-
Alberta bishops support Catholic education (November 1, 2004)
-
Catholic education an enduring gift (November 3, 2003)
-
Alberta bishops extol Catholic Education (November 4, 2002)
-
Alberta bishops issue challenge over shared school facilities (September
16, 2002)
-
A century of Alberta Catholic school rights (November 5, 2001)
-
Our schools a sacred trust - Alberta Bishops (November 6, 2000)
-
The
Healing Ministry of Jesus Christ (February 21, 2000)
-
Catholic Education Sunday (November 8, 1999)
-
Celebrate Life: Care for Creation (October 5, 1998)
-
The False Eden of Gambling (January 12, 1998)
-
I Set Before You Life and Death: Choose Life (April 7, 1997)
Bishops of Northern Canada
- The Challenge of Family Healing. A statement to the families of the North
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
- Catholics
and Cremation: Some answers to questions regarding cremation and funerals
(Episcopal Commission for Liturgy)
- Catholic
Funerals and Eulogies, the Pall and the Flag: Some helpful information for preparing a
funeral liturgy (Episcopal Commission for Liturgy)
- The
Church and Social Communications (an Address by Rev. Pierre Babin, OMI to the 1999
Plenary Assembly of the Canadian Bishops)
- Église
et communications sociales en l'an 2000 (Allocution du P. Pierre Babin, o.m.i.,
aux évêques catholiques du Canada)
- The Common
Good or Exclusion: A Choice for Canadians (An Open Letter to the Members of
Parliament from the Episcopal Commission for Social Affairs)
- Communion
from the Cup (Episcopal Commission for Liturgy)
- Celiac
Disease and Communion (Episcopal Commission for Liturgy)
- The
Celebration of Christmas Masses (Episcopal Commission for Liturgy)
- Discerning
Electoral Options (Episcopal Commission for Social Affairs)
- Discerner
en période électorale
- The
Information Highway (March 1995)
- Muslim
People and Institutions Must be Respected (Commission for Interfaith Dialogue)
- Le peuple musulman
et leurs institutions doivent être respectés
- Preparing
to celebrate Christmas (Episcopal Commission for Liturgy)
- The
Struggle Against Poverty: A Sign of Hope for Our World (pastoral letter of the
Episcopal Commission for Social Affairs, 1996)
- To Live
and Die in a Compassionate Community (October 26, 1994)
- Trading away the
future: Concerns Arising From the Investor-State Mechanism of the North American Free
Trade Agreement and its Extension throughout the Americas
A background paper prepared by the Episcopal Commission for Social
Affairs (CCCB) for the Conference on Humanizing the Global Economy. Jointly sponsored by
the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), the Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano
(CELAM) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Hosted by The
Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, January 28-30, 2002.
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
formerly: National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) & the United States
Catholic Conference (USCC)
- Because God
Loves You: A Message from the U.S. Catholic Bishops for the Jubilee Year 2000
(November 1999)
- Blessings
of Age: A Pastoral Message on Growing Older Within the Faith Community (November 1999)
- Called and Gifted
for the Third Millennium (September
1995)
- Catholic
Social Teaching and Environmental Ethics
- Choices
for the Future (statement on Political Responsibility by the USCC Administrative
Board)
- Civility in media
(2000)
- Economic Justice for All (pastoral message)
- Ethical
and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (Committee on Doctrine, December 1, 1994)
- Everyday
Christianity: to hunger and thirst for justice (1998)
- Ex Corde
Ecclesiae: An Application to the United States, Final Draft (November 1999)
- Faithful
citizenship:civic responsibility for the new millennium (1999)
- In All Things
Charity: A Pastoral Challenge for the New Millennium (November 1999)
- In
support of catechetical ministry (2000)
- Lay
Ecclesial Ministry: The State of the Questions (September 1999)
- Nutrition
and Hydration: Moral and Pastoral Reflections (Committee for Pro-Life Activities, April 1992)
- Our Hearts
Were Burning Within Us: A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States
(November 1999)
-
Partners Once More: On our need for the Jewish community (Bishop
Richard J. Sklba, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
March 11, 1999)
- Pastoral
Statement on Abortion (statement on the 1973 Roe v Wade decision)
- Sons and
Daughters of the Light: A Pastoral Plan for Ministry with Young Adults (November 1996)
- Statement on
Same Sex Marriage (July 24, 1996)
- Strengthening the
Bonds of Peace: A Pastoral Reflection on Women in the Church and in Society (September 1994)
- Walk in
the Light: A Pastoral Response to Child Sexual Abuse (Committees on Women in Society and in the Church, and Committee on
Marriage and Family)
- Your family and
cyberspace (2000)
- To Do the Work of
Justice: A Plan of Action for the Catholic Community in the U.S. (May 4, 1978)
Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
- Civil Law
and the Right to Life (Irish Catholic Conference)
- Come home to the
Father's house (Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference)
"This year 1999 is the last year before the Millenium, the year
of God the Father. In this year we are invited to return home to the Father's House,
to the God who is the creator and source of all life. The living God who calls us back to
our Father's home is not only a father but also one who, like a mother, brings us to
life and loves us tenderly. God invites all of humanity to 'come back home' and be
reconciled. God excludes no one from the family home, and as we approach the year 2000, we
here in South Africa must examine ourselves and find out whether there are any people in
our country who feel excluded at present from our Father's home." [Excerpt]
- Directory on Ecumenism for
Southern Africa (Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference)
- One Bread,
One Body (1998 Catholic bishops' conferences of England & Wales, Scotland,
& Ireland)
- Te
Kahu-O-Te-Ora: A Consistent Ethic of Life (New Zealand Catholic Bishops'
Conference, April 18, 1997)
- Toward a More Just and
Brotherly World (pastoral letter of the Hungarian Bishops' Conference)
Other Catholic documents
- Baltimore
Catechism
Note: this catechism is included only as an
historical document. It might be of interest to historians. However, despite the assertion
on the first page of the website, the faith of the church has changed. The basic doctrines
remain the same, however the means of teaching them have changed considerably. This
catechism is no longer authorized for catechesis anywhere. See instead the Catechism
of the Catholic Church [English, Français, Deutsch, Italiano, Latin, Español].
- Biblographic
references in ecumenical theology
Extracts from the references in the quarterly "Catholica." (Johann Adam Moehler Institute for
Ecumenics, Paderborn, Germany)
- Society of
Jesus 34th General Council; Decree 12: Ecumenism
- Questions
and Answers about Women's Ordination
Table of Contents
