A: One indispensable element of their role is listening in order to encourage, support, evaluate, and coordinate various aspects of the Church's mission.

There is of course a wide diversity among the situations in which Christians - willingly or unwillingly - find themselves. . . In the face of such widely varying situations it is difficult for us to utter a unified message and to put forward a solution which has universal validity. Such is not our ambition, nor is it our mission. It is up to the Christian communities to analyze with objectivity the situation which is proper to their own country, to shed on it the light of the Gospel's unalterable words and for action from the social teaching of the Church. . . It is up to these Christian communities, with the help of the Holy Spirit, in communion with the bishops who hold responsibility and in dialogue with other Christians and all people of goodwill, to discern the options and commitments which are called for in order to bring about the social, political and economic changes seen in many cases to be urgently needed. . . (Pope Paul VI, Octogesima Adveniens, May 14, 1971; emphasis added)

Their pastors know how much the laity contribute to the welfare of the entire Church. They also know that they were not ordained by Christ to take upon themselves alone the entire salvific mission of the Church toward the world. On the contrary they understand that it is their noble duty to shepherd the faithful and to recognize their ministries and charisms, so that all according to their proper roles may cooperate in this common undertaking with one mind. (Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 30; emphasis added)

A bishop . . . is sent by the Father to govern his family . . . Let him not refuse to listen to his subjects, whom he cherishes as his true children and exhorts to cooperate readily with him . . . (Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 27; emphasis added)

Bishops, pastors of parishes, and other priests of both branches of the clergy should keep in mind that . . . the laity also have their own roles in building up the Church. For this reason they should work fraternally with the laity in and for the Church and take special care of the lay persons in these apostolic works.. . . Through continuous dialogue with the laity, . . . priests should carefully investigate which forms make apostolic activity more fruitful. They should promote the spirit of unity within the association as well as between it and others. (Vatican II, Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, 25; emphasis added).

TOP OF PAGE