wfn.org | Vatican statement drawing strong reactions

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2000-129

Vatican statement drawing strong reactions

by James Solheim

     (ENS) A Vatican statement that reaffirms its doctrine that non-Roman 
Catholic churches "suffer from defects" and that major world religions are 
"gravely deficient" is drawing angry reactions around the world.

     The 36-page declaration, Dominus Iesus, Latin for "Lord Jesus," warns 
against "religious relativism," arguing that only in the Roman Catholic Church 
does Christ's church subsist in all her fullness, even though there are elements 
of truth in other religious bodies. "This truth of faith does not lessen the 
sincere respect that the Church has for the religions of the world," it says, 
"but it rules out, in a radical way, that mentality of indifferentism [that] 
leads to the belief that one religion is as good as another."

     Many expressed deep concern that the document, released September 5 by 
Cardinal Ratzinger of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, could threaten 
ecumenical relationships. Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey said that he 
found the statement unacceptable, saying that it appears to question efforts to 
build closer ties among many branches of Christianity. "The idea that Anglican 
and other churches are not 'proper churches' seems to question the considerable 
ecumenical gains we have made," he said in a statement.

     "The Church of England, and the worldwide Anglican Communion, does not for 
one moment accept that its orders of ministry and Eucharist are deficient in any 
way. It believes itself to be a part of the one holy, catholic and apostolic 
church of Christ," Carey said.

     Bishop Frederick Borsch of Los Angeles said that, in one sense, "the 
statement was nothing new. The Roman Catholic Church has always claimed to be the 
only church that represents the fullness of the Christian faith." He said that 
the tone of the statement "seems reflective of a more recent un-ecumenical 
attitude in the Vatican hierarchy" that does not match good relations on the 
local level.

Contradictions?

     Some critics pointed to what they consider a contradiction between the 
statement and recent efforts to find common ground with non-Catholic churches. 
Last fall, for example, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Vatican 
signed a historic Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification that swept 
away centuries of conflict between the two churches.

     "Lutheran churches, together with other churches of the Reformation, are not 
ready to accept the categories now emphasized" by the statement, "nor the 
definitions and criteria underlying them," said the Rev. Ishmael Noko, LWF 
general secretary. "The impact of these statements is more painful because they 
reflect a different spirit than that which we encounter in many other Lutheran-
Roman Catholic relationships."

     The World Council of Churches issued a statement that warned it would be a 
"tragedy" if the statement obscured 35 years of ecumenical dialogue. The World 
Alliance of Reformed Churches said that the declaration goes against the spirit 
of Vatican II "and the progress made in relationships and dialogues since then." 
General Secretary Setri Nyomi said in a letter that the declaration "raises 
questions concerning how we can continue in dialogue with integrity--trusting and 
respecting one another."

False idea of tolerance

     In a press conference, Ratzinger said that the statement was necessary to 
counter a growing belief that other religions can complement the teachings of 
Christianity. In a climate of tolerance, he said, many people see ecumenical 
dialogue as an end in itself. "Dialogue--or rather the ideology of dialogue--
becomes a substitute for missionary activity and for the urgency of an appeal to 
conversion." Any suggestion that all religious beliefs are on the same plane 
gives rise to what he called a "false idea of tolerance" that rejects the 
possibility of any objective truth.

The document also said that the term "sister churches," a phrase Pope Paul VI 
used in describing the Church of England, could be used only in describing "those 
ecclesial communities that have preserved a valid episcopate and Eucharist," such 
as the Orthodox but not the Anglicans. In 1896, a papal bull declared Anglican 
orders to be "absolutely null and void" on the grounds that they were defective 
in form, rite and intention. Dissident Swiss theologian Hans Küng said that the 
statement was reactionary. "It's a mixture of medieval backwardness and Vatican 
megalomania," he said. And he added that it was hypocritical to "continually talk 
about dialogue while not talking about this colossal pretense of absolutism."

No slight intended

     Roman Catholic Archbishop Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of the United Kingdom said 
that the document was written mainly for bishops and theologians and "certainly 
no slight is intended by its comments regarding other Christian communities. As 
Christians we share a common baptism and the Catholic Church believes that this 
brings us all into a real, if imperfect, communion."

     Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles said he was discouraged by 
interpretations of the document in the press and said that it is best understood 
in the context of dialogue. "Nowhere in the declaration is there criticism of the 
fruits of bilateral agreements or of new initiatives taken in inter-religious 
dialogue," he said. "Nor is there any indication that such dialogues or 
initiatives are to be halted." He added that Vatican II "clearly affirmed the 
importance of religious freedom and called for deep and mutual respect among 
people of different religious traditions."

     Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore, a leader in dialogues with the 
Orthodox and the Jews and a participant in the press conference, said the 
document is "in full accord with what Vatican II has said." He did not expect it 
to have a negative effect on ecumenical and interfaith dialogue.

     But the House of Bishops of the Church of Ireland expressed disappointment 
and said that the statement "appears to represent a retreat from much of the 
ecumenical progress that has been experienced by many communities throughout 
Ireland."

     Comments from the Jewish community said that the statement did not represent 
friendly and generous gestures by Pope John Paul II, especially in his recent 
visit to Israel.

--James Solheim is director of the Episcopal Church's Office of News and 
Information.