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The American bishops have had to fight a series of minibattles with Rome over liturgical details. Last year, in one decision dealing with worship, one Roman congregation appeared to violate Vatican II's concept of collegiality. This was the decision to allow a carefully restricted use of the traditional, or Tridentine, Latin Mass, which was suppressed after the council. The decision went against the preference of 98% of the bishops, according to a worldwide survey.
Despite these marginal squabbles, the Mass remains, as always, the powerful unifying center of Catholic life. Says Gerald Costello, editor of Catholic New York: "I think the average Catholic is very impatient with all these debates. He's much more concerned with his church as a place of worship: 'I want to be inspired. I want to be reassured. I want instruction. I want a place to pray.' "
In light of that, there are significant revelations in an ongoing large-scale study by the University of Notre Dame of 1,100 American parishes two decades after the Vatican Council. More than 85% of respondents in the survey felt & that their own parish did a good job in meeting their spiritual needs. A hefty 24% of the adult laity were involved in Bible studies, catechism classes or spiritual renewal and prayer groups. Most accepted the changes in the Mass. On the other hand, Gallup polls show that only 51% of U.S. Catholics attend Mass in a typical week, down from 74% in 1958. And the situation is far worse in parts of Western Europe (30% in West Germany, 20% in France).
The challenges are huge, but in the effort to solve the controversies of his far-flung dominion and give it a sense of direction and purpose, John Paul can employ not only his personal gifts but also considerable institutional powers. "In the Roman Catholic system, it's very hard in the end to buck the Pope," says Dale Vree, editor of the conservative New Oxford Review, and a convert from the latitudinarian world of the Episcopal Church.
In fact, Catholic canon law and tradition give great potential authority to the Pope. To help apply his program, John Paul has gradually been building a Vatican Curia with a core of tough disciplinarians who will play a key role in future events. Remarks one Vatican observer: "If the Pope wants an iron hand, he's got the team that will provide it."
Without doubt the most influential man in John Paul's Curia is Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, 57, the German-born prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pope's theological watchdog. Though Ratzinger and John Paul are not close personally, they see eye to eye on theological orthodoxy, and the Pope respects the onetime professor's intellectual skills. Extremely hard working, articulate and reserved, Ratzinger was a progressive adviser at Vatican II. Disillusioned with its aftermath, he turned conservative, and now says, "Not all valid councils have proven, when tested by the facts of history, to have been useful."