Power and Poverty in the Church: The Renewal and Understanding of Service

Simplicity, holy poverty, and the service of the ministry were among the marks of the primitive Church. But social and political obligations obscured the basic function of the hierarchy. The Church is renewing its understanding of itself through the Holy Spirit’s enlightening of the Fathers in Vatican II. Yves Congar, OP, traces the New Testament concept of the hierarchy as service through its actual historical development, showing how titles, honours, and privileges came to obscure and hamper its true function. Originally published in 1964, Congar’s thought on ministry and the need for simplicity remains timely and worth reading as it foreshadows the teachings of Pope Francis.