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RELIGION | Papal document seen by some as harsh, intolerant
July 11, 2007
BY SUSAN HOGAN/ALBACH Religion Reporter/shogan@suntimes
With Pope Benedict XVI's blessing, the Vatican released a document Tuesday that said the Catholic Church is the one true church and other Christian bodies shouldn't be called churches.
Predictably, the document drew praise from some, while critics called it insensitive and a harsh example of religious intolerance.
But in some Catholic circles, the document was viewed as sort of a Chicago Manual of Style.
"The Vatican is interested in theological precision in using the word 'church,' " said Lawrence Cunningham, a theologian at the University of Notre Dame.
The Rev. James Massa, who heads the U.S. bishops' office for ecumenical and interreligious affairs, insisted the Vatican wasn't building walls, but laying the groundwork for "fruitful" discussions between Catholics and other Christians.
"This clarifies the meaning of certain technical theological terms that had been confusing to scholars," he said. "There's no retreat from ecumenical dialogue nor our love and respect for other Christians."
After 2000 years, were theologians really unclear about the meaning of "church"?
Benedict believed so, scholars said. For him, the battleground was a phrase used in a document of the 1960s Second Vatican Council. It said the church instituted by Jesus and his apostles "subsists in the Catholic Church."
Said same as a cardinal
In 2000, while serving as Pope John Paul II's watchdog on faith matters, Benedict -- then known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- issued a controversial document making the same absolutist claims stated Tuesday.
Back then, the outcry was so large and negative that it was widely viewed as a misstep. For some, the new document, done in a question-and-answer format, was meant to address the criticism.
The Vatican said the church's sacraments, creed and succession of bishops are among the elements that distinguish it as the true church of Christ.
The National Council of Churches issued a nuanced statement in response.
"Even though this was written for Catholic theologians, it affords us all an opportunity for more dialogue and more insight," the statement said.
But Jon Nilson, a theologian at Loyola University Chicago, said Tuesday's document doesn't capture the "passion of Christian unity" expressed by Pope John Paul II, who saw the divisions among Christians as antithetical to "church."
"This comes across as 'here's the Catholic Church and everyone else is somehow deficient,' " he said.
Nothing 'hugely different'
Several Orthodox Christian leaders declined to comment on Tuesday's document.
The Rev. Paul Rutgers, a Chicago-area Presbyterian leader, said that claims about absolute religious truth aren't unique to Catholics and may be one of the "great theological battlegrounds" of this century.
"We're seeing a resurgence of those claiming absolute truth," he said. "It gives them a refuge against the storms of the modern world."
Rabbi David Sandmel, who teaches at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, said he didn't see anything "hugely different" from statements previously made by the Vatican.
Malik Mujahid, who heads the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, said "This is a matter for our Christian brothers and sisters to dwell on."
That position was echoed by Glen Fullmer, a spokesman for the Baha'i National Center in Evanston. "The pope's really talking about the true, Christian church," he said. "Our belief is that God has sent a number of true and valid religions throughout history."
July 11, 2007
BY SUSAN HOGAN/ALBACH Religion Reporter/shogan@suntimes
With Pope Benedict XVI's blessing, the Vatican released a document Tuesday that said the Catholic Church is the one true church and other Christian bodies shouldn't be called churches.
Predictably, the document drew praise from some, while critics called it insensitive and a harsh example of religious intolerance.
But in some Catholic circles, the document was viewed as sort of a Chicago Manual of Style.
"The Vatican is interested in theological precision in using the word 'church,' " said Lawrence Cunningham, a theologian at the University of Notre Dame.
The Rev. James Massa, who heads the U.S. bishops' office for ecumenical and interreligious affairs, insisted the Vatican wasn't building walls, but laying the groundwork for "fruitful" discussions between Catholics and other Christians.
"This clarifies the meaning of certain technical theological terms that had been confusing to scholars," he said. "There's no retreat from ecumenical dialogue nor our love and respect for other Christians."
After 2000 years, were theologians really unclear about the meaning of "church"?
Benedict believed so, scholars said. For him, the battleground was a phrase used in a document of the 1960s Second Vatican Council. It said the church instituted by Jesus and his apostles "subsists in the Catholic Church."
Said same as a cardinal
In 2000, while serving as Pope John Paul II's watchdog on faith matters, Benedict -- then known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- issued a controversial document making the same absolutist claims stated Tuesday.
Back then, the outcry was so large and negative that it was widely viewed as a misstep. For some, the new document, done in a question-and-answer format, was meant to address the criticism.
The Vatican said the church's sacraments, creed and succession of bishops are among the elements that distinguish it as the true church of Christ.
The National Council of Churches issued a nuanced statement in response.
"Even though this was written for Catholic theologians, it affords us all an opportunity for more dialogue and more insight," the statement said.
But Jon Nilson, a theologian at Loyola University Chicago, said Tuesday's document doesn't capture the "passion of Christian unity" expressed by Pope John Paul II, who saw the divisions among Christians as antithetical to "church."
"This comes across as 'here's the Catholic Church and everyone else is somehow deficient,' " he said.
Nothing 'hugely different'
Several Orthodox Christian leaders declined to comment on Tuesday's document.
The Rev. Paul Rutgers, a Chicago-area Presbyterian leader, said that claims about absolute religious truth aren't unique to Catholics and may be one of the "great theological battlegrounds" of this century.
"We're seeing a resurgence of those claiming absolute truth," he said. "It gives them a refuge against the storms of the modern world."
Rabbi David Sandmel, who teaches at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, said he didn't see anything "hugely different" from statements previously made by the Vatican.
Malik Mujahid, who heads the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, said "This is a matter for our Christian brothers and sisters to dwell on."
That position was echoed by Glen Fullmer, a spokesman for the Baha'i National Center in Evanston. "The pope's really talking about the true, Christian church," he said. "Our belief is that God has sent a number of true and valid religions throughout history."
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