教宗与地方主教团关系的历史透视——解读1983年《教会法典》第375条至第411条

The Relations of the Papacy and the Bishops in Perspective:Historical Comments on Canons 375—411 in the Code of Canon Law of 1983

教会法历史作为教会史的一个分支突出地体现了相对稳定的法律条文与不断变化的历史环境之间复杂的互动关系。教宗与各地主教之间的关系在很大程度上受制于教会法传统,但是具体的社会、政治和文化思想的条件也在深刻影响这一关系。本文通过对1983年《教会法典》第375条至第411条教规的历史评注,追溯了教宗与地方主教团的关系,分析了与教宗与各地主教关系有关的古代和中世纪传统,并主要以美国的情况为例阐释了近现代西方国家天主教会与梵蒂冈关系的一些特点。

As a branch of church history, the history of canon law always tells the tension between legal ordinances and their ever-changing social and historical contexts. The Papacy and the bishops in the local churches formed their relations over a long period under varied social, political and intellectual conditions. This essay, in delineating the historical background of canons 375-411, traces the development of the relations between the Papacy and the diocesan bishops, including the traditions from the early church and the medieval church. The relationship between Vatican and the American hierarchy is then cited as a modern model of the communion between the Pope and the local bishops.