How are the gifts of Pope Leo the Great seen in the church today?
November 10 is the feast of St. Leo the Great, a doctor of the church and the first of three popes named “great.” As pope from 440 to 461, he was not only a great administrator but also a well-respected teacher. As pope, he consolidated church administration while stressing the primacy of the Roman papacy over the entire universal church.
The primacy of the bishop of Rome has historically been at tension with the governance and authority of other bishops. It became the primary reason for the schism between Eastern and Western Christianity, as well as one of the key factors that led to the Protestant Reformation. The First Vatican Council of 1869-1870 stressed the primacy of the bishop of Rome without saying much about the authority of other bishops. The Second Vatican Council of 1962-1965 balanced the primacy of the pope in his relations to other bishops by affirming the principle of collegiality.
Collegiality asserts that church governance and authority is shared among the bishops and pope. While still affirming the primacy of the bishop of Rome, collegiality stresses that papal authority works in collaboration and consultation with the bishops of the world.
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