Il-Katidral bhala s-sede tal-magisteru tal-Isqof

Abstract

The article, whose text was delivered as a talk on 10 October 2002, offers detailed reflections on the cathedral church which, in each diocese, functions as the mother church of all the churches in that ecclesiastical territory, besides being the seat (cathedra) of the local bishop in the exercise of his teaching role or magisterium. The focus is on three dimensions: (a) the cathedral as the visible sign of the shepherding role of the bishop (cathedral amoris); (b) the cathedral as the visible sign of the bishop's authority and, thus, service (cathedral unitatis); (c) the cathedral as the place where the bishop carries out his teaching role (cathedra magisterii). The article is based on scriptural foundations, as well as the pronouncements made by the Second Vatican Council and by Pope Paul VI.