Avant-propos - Studia Moralia

186 TODD A. SALZMAN
sinful human beings, who, as history has shown, can fail to cooperate.
Because of human finitude and sin, this cooperation is
not always present, either for theologians or the magisterium.
Given the profound role of the magisterium to teach authoritatively
within the Church, it has a greater burden, and thus a
greater responsibility, in learning and searching out truth in light
of “the signs of the times.” Part of this learning and searching entails
not only the magisterium’s own listening in the form of discernment,
research, scholarship, and prayer, but also dialoging
with theologians in order to aid the magisterium in this process.
Thus, while maintaining a central position in the learning-teaching
process, the magisterium cannot dispense with the process.
“Universal Consensus,” Theologians and the Magisterium
The different ecclesiological models and models of the relationship
between the magisterium and theologians lead to two
fundamentally different hermeneutics of Church documents on
the criteria for determining whether or not a pronouncement of
the ordinary universal magisterium is infallible, the second issue
to be addressed between the BGT and revisionism. Similar to
the investigation of Scripture and its methodological function in
ethical theory, 51 the selection of Church documents, and their interpretation
and application, both shape and reflect one’s theory
as well. While a detailed investigation of these texts would take
us beyond the scope of this work, I will focus on a paragraph
from Lumen Gentium used by both the BGT and revisionism.
Based on different interpretations of this text each theory derives
very different conclusions on its implications for tradition
as a source of moral knowledge.
Lumen Gentium 25 states the following with regard to the
51 WILLIAM C. SPOHN, What Are They Saying about Scripture and Ethics?
(New York: Paulist Press, 1995 rev. ed.) 13-20; and “Morality on the Way to
Discipleship: The Use of Scripture in Veritatis Splendor,” in MICHAEL E. ALL-
SOPP and JOHN J. O’KEEFE, eds., Veritatis Splendor: American Responses
(Kansas City, MO: Sheed & Ward, 1995) 83-105, at 87-89.