Speaking at a conference in Washington, DC, Cardinal Kasper said Francis wants to retool the Catholic hierarchy.

This will result in a hierarchy that not only defines and enforces Church teachings, but also listens and responds to how laypeople understand God's will.

The concept of "sensus fidei" - the capacity of individual believers and the Church as a whole to discern the truths of faith - are important to Francis, Cardinal Kasper said.

That concept, Cardinal Kasper said, "was emphasised by the council . . . [but] Francis now wishes to give it complete meaning".

"He wants a listening magisterium - that makes its position, yes," the cardinal said, "but makes its position after it has heard what the Spirit says to its churches."

"Catholicity includes ... all," Cardinal Kasper said.

"Women and men, young and old, clergy and laity. The laity are not only recipients, but also actors. Not only objects, but much more, subjects in the Church."

Cardinal Kasper, who is a former president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, also spoke at length about ecumenical dialogue.

He called for a "down-to-earth ecumenism" that is not limited to academic theological discussions.

But even after decades of work, Cardinal Kasper said, the ecumenical dialogues are at a perilous point.

"Agreement is nowhere in sight," he said.

"This situation is extremely dangerous. If we are not in agreement of where we are and going, there is a great danger that we will disperse in different directions."

"The great expectations following the council have not been followed," he said. "We are at a standstill."

"An ecumenism of love, of encounter, of listening and friendship are what is needed."

Cardinal Kasper also touched on the so-called "hermeneutic of continuity", which stresses that Vatican II did not repeal earlier Church teachings or traditions.

"The hermeneutic of continuity must - for the sake of the future, the sustainability of Christianity - always be a hermeneutic of reform," he said.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: Lutheran World

The commission has published a document called "'Sensus Fidei' in the life of the Church".

It has been approved by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Gerhard Muller, and was posted to the Vatican website.

The commission acknowledged there are occasions when the reception of magisterial teaching by the faithful meets with difficulty and resistance.

In these instances, Catholics "must reflect on the teaching that has been given, making every effort to understand and accept it", the commission said.

"Resistance, as a matter of principle, to the teaching of the magisterium is incompatible with the authentic sensus fidei," it continued.

At the same time, the theologians said, "the magisterium must likewise reflect on the teaching that has been given and consider whether it needs clarification or reformulation in order to communicate more effectively the essential message".

The commission defined the sense of the faithful as a spiritual instinct that enables a believer to judge whether a particular teaching or practice is in conformity with the Gospel and apostolic faith.

The document acknowledged "the faithful have an instinct for the truth of the Gospel".

But it said there are situations in which Catholics claim to be relying on that instinct when, in fact, they are promoting deviations from the Christian faith, particularly on moral issues.

Referencing the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, the commission rejected the idea that Catholic laity must blindly obey everything the pope and bishops tell them.

But they emphasised the importance of assuming Church leaders are correct and trying to understand teachings.

Prayer, regularly receiving the sacraments, studying and being an active member of the Catholic community, are needed before claiming to be able to discern that a church teaching needs adjustment, they added.

The commission also noted that in the history of the People of God, it has often been not the majority, but rather a minority which has truly lived and witnessed to the faith.

In a recent US survey of 16,582 Catholics, only one per cent accepted the Church's teaching on artificial contraception in its entirety.

Sources

• Catholic News Service
• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: Gerasene Writers Conference