"Not So Among You" Let’s go back to basics. The theme of our
Orientale Lumen Conference, during these days, has been “Primacy
and Collegiality.” But in order to understand these two things,
we need to ask more broadly and fundamentally what we mean in
the Church by power, authority and service. How are these things
set forth in the Holy Gospels? How far do our present day
structures of Church authority, whether Orthodox or Catholic,
correspond to Christ’s teaching? Let us think about two key
passages from Scripture which speak to us concerning Church
authority. First of all, let us recall Christ’s rebuke to the
Apostles when they were disputing about who would be greatest in
the Kingdom. His words come in all three Synoptic Gospels. In
Matthew Chapter 20:25-26, Mark 10:42-43, in both these two
Gospels Christ’s words come during the last journey to
Jerusalem. We have the same words in Saint Luke’s Gospel,
Chapter 22:25-26. Here they come at a very significant point,
just after the institution of the Holy Eucha