Good Governance and Co-Responsibility

Abstract

The issue of this article is addressed through a brief presentation of two documents, one from the United States Bishops’ Conference and the other from the Italian Bishops’ Conference. The first, Stewardship. A Disciple’s Response (1992), frames the issue in a broad perspective, identifying steward- ship with being a disciple of Christ. The Italian document, Sovvenire alle necessità della Chiesa. Corresponsabilità e partecipazione dei fedeli (1988), was conceived during the period in which the system of ecclesiastical benefice comprehensively expired. At that moment, it reconsidered the vision of the first Christian Community according to a ‘very specific idea of Church’, in accordance with the teaching of Vatican II. It is still needed to identify concrete ways for these ideal values to have an effective impact on the life of the ecclesial community, involving the Christian faithful in collecting the resources needed to run the Church.