The
Community
at
Prayer
Reflection
by
Father
Paul
M.
Baca
December
20,
2009,
4th
Sunday
of
Advent
(Continuation) Ministries and Spirituality[ A continuation of our Advent Human Rights Reflection ]
... Someone said that Jesus came to assure everyone of their rights, their God-given rights, so we are putting these in our reflections for our prayerful consideration as we prepare for the coming of Jesus.
... Father Paul M. Baca
No. 12. All Catholics have the right to receive from the Church those ministries which are needed for the living of a fully Christian life, including:
a) Instruction in the Catholic tradition and the presentation of moral teaching in a way that promotes the helpfulness and relevance of Christian values to contemporary life. (C.229:1,2)
b) Worship which reflects the joys and concerns of the gathered community and instructs and inspires it. c) Pastoral counseling that applies with love and effectiveness the Christian heritage to persons in particular situations. (C. 213, C. 217)
No. 13. All Catholics have the right, while being mindful of Gospel norms, to follow whatever paths will enhance their life in Christ (i.e., their self-realization as unique human beings created by God). They also have the right to guidance that will foster authentic human living both on a personal level and in relation to their communities and the world. (C. 213) 
No. 14. All Catholics have the right to follow the customs and laws of the rite of their choice and to worship accordingly. (C. 214)
No. 15. All Catholics, regardless of race, age, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, state-of-life, or social position have the right to receive all the sacraments for which they are adequately prepared. (C. 213, C. 843:1)
No. 16. All Catholics, regardless of canonical status (lay or clerical), sex or sexual orientation, have the right to exercise all ministries in the Church for which they are adequately prepared, according to the needs and with the approval of the community. (C. 225:1, C. 274:1, C. 1024)
No. 17. All Catholics have the right to have Church office-holders foster a sense of community. (C. 369, C. 515)
No. 18. Office-holders in the Church have the right to proper training and fair financial support for the exercise of their offices, as well as the requisite respect and liberty needed for the proper exercise thereof. (C. 231:2, C. 281)
No. 19. All Catholics have the right to expect all office-holders in the Church to be properly trained and to continue their education throughout their term of office. (C. 217, C. 231:1, C. 232, C. 279, C. 819)
No. 20. Catholic teachers of theology have a right to responsible academic freedom. The acceptability of their teaching is to be judged in dialogue with their peers, keeping in mind the legitimacy of responsible dissent and pluralism of belief. (C. 212:1, C. 218, C. 750, C. 752, C. 754, C. 279:1, C. 810, C. 812)
No. 21. All Catholics have the right to freedom in political matters. (C. 227)
No. 22. All Catholics have the right to follow their informed consciences in working for justice and peace in the world. (C. 225:2)
No. 23. All employees of the Church have the right to decent working conditions and just wages. They also have the right not to have their employment terminated without due process. (C. 231:2)
No. 24. All Catholics have the right to exercise their artistic and cultural talents without interference (e.g., censorship) from Church authorities; likewise all Catholics have the right freely to enjoy the fruits of the arts and culture.
No. 25. All Catholics have the right to choose their state in life; this includes the right to marry and the right to embrace celibacy.
No. 26. All Catholic women have an equal right with men to the resources and the exercise of all the powers of the Church.
No. 27. All Catholics have the right to expect that the resources of the Church be fairly expended on their behalf without prejudice to race, age, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, state-of-life, or social position. a) All Catholic parents have the right to expect, where needed, fair material and other assistance from Church authorities in the religious education of their children. b) All single Catholics have the right to expect that the resources of the Church be fairly expended on their behalf.
No. 28. All married Catholics have the right to determine in conscience the size of their families and the appropriate methods of family planning.
No. 29. All Catholic parents have the right to see to the education of their children in all areas of life. (C. 226:2)
No. 30. All married Catholics have the right to withdraw from a marriage which has irretrievably broken down. All such Catholics retain the radical right to remarry.
No. 31. All Catholics who are divorced and remarried and who are in conscience reconciled to the Church have the right to the same ministries, including all sacraments, as do other Catholics.
No. 32. All Catholics have the right to expect that Church documents and materials will avoid sexist language, and that symbols and imagery of God will not be exclusively masculine.
(I. Shafer's comment: The Notes refer to appendices which are not part of my file. I'll try to locate them and post them at a later time.)
1 Cf. Synod of Bishops, Justice in the World, III "The Practice of Justice ~ The Church's Witness." (Rome, 1971).
2 Ibid.
3 For Vatican II documentation, see Appendix IV.
4 Where a right expressed in this Charter is treated in some way in the new Code of Canon Law, the relevant canon is referred to after the right, and can be found in Appendix I.
5 For Vatican II documentation, see Appendix IV.
6 Ibid.
1) Do what the gospel says: "Go and speak to your sister or brother; if they listen to you, you have won them over." (Mt. 18) Attempt a personal reconciliation. Try to meet with and talk to the person responsible for the violation.
2) Go to the local due process office or dispute-resolution agency. Many dioceses and some parishes have offices of conciliation, mediation or arbitration. Some have a grievance officer or ombudsperson who can intervene or put an informal process in motion. This process is strongly recommended in the Code of Canon Law (C. 1733, etc.)
3) File a petition with the diocesan tribunal (i.e., the bishop's court). Canon 221.1 states: "The Christian faithful can legitimately vindicate and defend the rights which they enjoy in the Church before a competent ecclesiastical court." The chief judge (called judicial vicar or officialis) and secretary of the tribunal are located among the diocesan offices, and they should offer instruction on how to file a petition to begin a case.
4) Appeal administratively; that is, appeal to the church administrator who is the superior of the person responsible for the violation, e.g., from the school principal to the pastor of the parish, from the pastor to the bishop. This is an official and approved procedure: confer canons 1732 and following:
a) The diocesan bishop is the administrative superior in the diocese, and appeals should be addressed to him.
b) Appeal may be made from the bishop to the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio in Washington (the representative of the pope in our country), or to the appropriate congregation in Rome. (The congregations and their competencies are listed in the front of The Official Catholic Directory).
c) The Apostolic Signatura in Rome is the high court which supervises all of the other church courts and corrects abuses of administrative authority. The "second section" of the Signatura hears appeals against such administrative violations. (Officials and addresses are also listed in the front of The Official Catholic Directory.)