There’s no rushing the Vatican. Someone asked me the other day when to expect the Apostolic Exhortation for the Synod of Bishops on the Middle East (which has just ended) and I said: We haven’t got the Exhortation for the last Synod in 2008 yet!
But here it is: Verbum Domini, or “The Word of the Lord” (the following RomeReports video makes a hash of the translation):
You can access the whole document here. I haven’t read it yet, something for tomorrow over a pipe or two or three.
I propose that
1) We replace the absentee monarch of Australia (who is also the Monarch of Great Britain) with an elected Australian monarchy.
2) The elected monarch exactly replaces the current monarch in the current constition.
3) The elected monarch has exactly the same powers, duties and responsibilities as those of the current absentee monarch. All the monarch's functions are carried out by his/her personal representatives (as is currently the case): federally by the Governor General, and in the states by the State Governors.
4) The Governor General and the Governors continue to be selected and appointed as they currently are, that is, by the premier with the approval of the monarch.
5) The monarch is elected to sovereignty over Australia for life, but his/her sovereignty is strictly non-hereditary.
6) The elective body is the "college of electors" comprised of the state governors and federal governor general.
7) The election of the monarch must be a unanimous decision on the part of the college of electors.
Inerrancy not addressed directly. It seems to be the elephant in the room.
I wonder if and when the subject will be dealt with in a systematic fashion seeing as it is of great import in these historical-critical times.
Mmm. “Inerrancy” seems to be subsumed under “inspiration”, and, as you will see, the Holy Father has put a great stress on the notion of “inspiration” (he actually want’s more “research” done into this, whatever that means). As for “inerrancy” it seems we have progressed no further (and no less) than the Second Vatican Council’s insistence that all which the scriptures teach regarding our salvation is inerrant. A bit open ended, you might say.
Not so open ended in my view of it. I believe the entire canon of scripture pertains to our salvation. Not one jot or tittle is irrelevant, it is certainly all inspired, ipso facto it is all inerrant.