Roman Catholics Only: Is local church sufficient to parish?

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Spike2001

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This post is not meant we no longer obey or follow the Vatican. I want to hear what others think to see. Please read ahead.

I never pay attention to what is going on in Rome, the Vatican. I assume it’s better to parish at a local church. I love Pope Francis, and think he’s awesome, but I never really pay attention what goes on. In my interpretation, it’s better to keep it our Bishop’s problem. Our priests and bishops will let us know if anything important happens.

Should I?
 
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The Church has been built from the beginning following the principle of “subsidiarity”. Although as always has happened it was formally declared by Pope Pius XI in his enciclical “Quadragesimo anno”.
As for totally not paying attention. That is not something we should do either. We are part of the Body of Christ and we should at least be aware of what is going on within it.

Peace!
 
Would it be sinful though if you prefer to just take your religion at a local level and not deeper? As in not worry about the higher levels of authority? Am I making sense?
 
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In this modern world of advanced communications and information at our fingertips, it has become quite routine to stay in touch with our remote locations such as Washington, DC and Rome and Jerusalem, and be advised of every thing that goes on there, and every word that escapes a leader’s mouth. This is a historical anomaly. People used to rely totally on their local community for information and everything else related to their survival. They did not concern themselves with what was going on in remote centres of power, because they could not. It was also considered quite irrelevant, when one had a farm to raise, children to teach, and relationships with other real people.

So I do not think it should be frowned upon that someone today is unconcerned with such things. I would simply consider it the traditional stance.
 
I’m Roman Catholic, and believe me I do love Pope Francis, but I’m wondering if it is somehow sinful to not focus on the Vatican, is it me or am I being scrupulous?
 
The Vatican is far away and far above us. Our most important relationship with the Church is with our pastor. Let him filter the big news. In the end, our heart is at home, where it really matters. It is absolutely not sinful.
 
You don’t know how much I feel better reading your comment. Thanks buddy.
 
You’re fine not focusing on the Vatican. Oftentimes I regret doing so, personally. Even reading about the archdiocese I’m under is sometimes too much.
 
You shouldn’t regret it, you should be proud of yourself for expressing interest to your religion, Christ would sure love this. If you don’t want to go on reading them, he understands but will never stop loving you.
 
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Spike2001 said:
This post is not meant we no longer obey or follow the Vatican. I want to hear what others think to see. Please read ahead.

I never pay attention to what is going on in Rome, the Vatican. I assume it’s better to parish at a local church. I love Pope Francis, and think he’s awesome, but I never really pay attention what goes on. In my interpretation, it’s better to keep it our Bishop’s problem. Our priests and bishops will let us know if anything important happens.

Should I?
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We are obligated to increase our understanding so should use the resources available, including Catechisms. These catechisms and other Church approved documents contain teachings of scripture, of many generations of Fathers of the Church, and saints, including the Popes, many of which are saints. They should not be ignored.
 
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Again I’m not advising we stop following or obey the Vatican, but I feel to me; everything we need to know is from our local church. Our pastor and bishop will let us know if anything important is going on in Rome.
 
I may be catching what you mean completely wrong, so my response is unintentionally biased toward what it seems you were getting at:

I think if you mean you know you specifically are doing something possibly frowned upon by Magisterial documents, then ignorance is more willful -vincible ignorance- and you’re held to a degree of culpability.

If there’s a learning issue or time constraint, and you simply cannot take in the amount of information (canon law, catechism, etc), then I’d suppose a spiritual director, which would be local, and a confessor (your parish priest) should suffice in helping to guide you. Anything they fail to notice would be less willful ignorance on your part and more just …erring toward invincible ignorance.

If you are doing things you know may be wrong and fail to tell the spiritual director or confessor and also fail to research, that would lean toward vincible ignorance.

So it just depends, but this may be something to talk to your priest or spiritual director about.
 
Spike2001 said:
Again I’m not advising we stop following or obey the Vatican, but I feel to me; everything we need to know is from our local church. Our pastor and bishop will let us know if anything important is going on in Rome.
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One of my pastors advised to read the Vatican News. News from the Vatican - News about the Church - Vatican News

While the pastor or bishop may let you know, it is not guaranteed.

Did your pastor mention the 2018 change to the Catechism (1997 second edition) No. 2267?
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2018/08/02/180802a.html
 
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Of course it’s not a sin.

Before the Internet, many if not most Catholics did not hear much about what was going on at the Vatican, unless maybe one lived in Rome where the Vatican is the local “industry” and is discussed a lot. If the Pope does something that parishioners need to know, usually the bishop will direct that the priests all read a letter about it at the Sunday Mass or similar.

You don’t need to be constantly focusing on what the Pope is doing. I usually don’t have time to read all the Vatican news myself unless the Pope is doing something that interests me (like canonize one of my favorite holy people) or involves my diocese (like he’s going to visit here).
 
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Here where I live we have the problem of a community of faithful - not the bishop but the flock - which tends to distance itself from the popes.

We need to rediscover the profound unity with the bishop of Rome that we have had for centuries.

And we are a 40-minute flight from Rome.

Sure - you say - but we are faithful to the Magisterium of the Church.

Okay this is the discriminating factor, I don’t deny it.

But shouldn’t the visible element that makes the unity between us, you, the faithful African, Indian, Chinese and Japanese brothers tangible, be cultivated?

Then do you know how it ends, at least here?

That the faithful know nothing of what the Pope said, or if he is traveling, and where.

But still they don’t know anything about anything the bishop said.

Of course, I’m not interested in the quarrels of the Roman Curia either. No sane person unless he does it as a profession can find pleasure in palace intrigues.

Even fictional stories about reigning and emeritus popes don’t interest me, and I’m a fan of fiction.

It is not a question of saying “it is sin” or “it is not sin” but of finding a balance between the two, because both are holy, both must be lived, but the “how” is up to our discernment in the Holy Spirit.
 
Check what St. Paul stated in one of his letters to a church he founded. About making collections and send them to Jerusalem where the Apostles dwelled. So he was concerned with the well being of the center of Christendom at the time. Should not we concern with head of the Church today? And the Apostles obviously used the means they had at their disposal at the time. Otherwise we would not have the “LETTERS” they wrote to the various churches they had established at the time. to say that we must avoid interest on what is going on within the Body of Christ namely HIS Church is wrong. I cannot say it is sinful it is above my pay grade. Just my 2 shekel.

Peace!
 
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