The teaching authority of the church is an important concept, well -known and widley accepted.  Less well-known is the   importance ofconscience, at the level of the individual, and of the ‘sensus fidelii’ at the communal level. This leads me to a notion of an ‘obligation to dissent’ in certain circumstances.  This is a theme I will return to repeatedly.  In the meantime, The Wild Reed has drawn my attention to an important article,  Balancing Integrity and Obedience, in which Collen Kochivar -Eddy (of Enlightened Catholicism) explores the same theme in different words.

For a shorter extract from this article, see  The Wild Reed .   For a fuller exploration of the idea, follow Michael’s links at the foot of the extract, or explore his useful archives.