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THE QUESTION
Pope and Ecumenism
How does the Pope's reiteration that the church of Christ exists fully only in the Catholic Church strike you? How will this affect ecumenical relations? Does anyone care?
Posted by
Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on July 18, 2007 5:55 AM
FROM THE PANEL
Beyond Vatican II: My Truth, Your Truth, The Truth
In recent weeks Pope Benedict XVI has unnerved liberal Catholics as well as many Protestants and Jews with two pronouncements. The first removed restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass which since Vatican II has been replaced by a more...
Posted by Irwin Kula, on August 14, 2007 5:08 PM
Honestly Stating Our Beliefs
Pope Benedict has now reminded us that there is no easy path to unity.
Posted by Richard Mouw, on July 23, 2007 5:34 PM
Nothing New, What's the Big Deal?
Pope Benedict has re-stated what the Church has always taught: Jesus founded the Catholic Church, which has faithfully passed on Christ's message. So what else is new? What did indeed seem new in 1964 was the Second Vatican Council's declaration...
Posted by Thomas G. Bohlin, on July 23, 2007 4:31 PM
Aimed at Catholic Theologians
It seems to me that the Vatican comments are aimed principally at Catholic theologians who may express an ecclesiology different from the one articulated by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Introduction to the document reads:...
Posted by Chester Gillis, on July 23, 2007 1:40 PM
One House, Many Rooms
Those who do care are among those who most passionately want God’s message of abiding love made ever more available.
Posted by Mark S. Sisk, on July 23, 2007 12:40 PM
Cards on the Table
The Pope rejects relativism that would have us believe that in substance all religions are equal. This ought not to be confused with the equal right of everyone to believe as they choose.
Posted by Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo, on July 22, 2007 3:56 PM
No Need to Pick a Fight
I can also acknowledge fundamental differences between Christian churches without being offended.
Posted by Michael Otterson, on July 22, 2007 1:15 PM
The Nun, the Buddhist and the Columnist
Protestants have been tempted to treat Scripture as an idol. Catholics have been tempted to treat the institution of the Church as an idol.
Posted by James Anderson, on July 22, 2007 12:38 PM
The Professor Pope
In order to understand Pope Benedict, you must remember that in his heart he is a German academic.
Posted by Thomas J. Reese, S.J., on July 20, 2007 9:15 AM
'Much Ado about Nothing'
All good ecumenical discussions proceed not in dumbing down our differences but in exploring them always in service of the truth.
Posted by Charles "Chuck" Colson, on July 20, 2007 8:18 AM
Timing is Everything
While some interpreted the restatement as shunning non-Roman Catholics, the most important section was virtually ignored by the media.
Posted by Bob Edgar, on July 20, 2007 6:11 AM
Primacy and Insecurity
The papacy and hierarchy of Roman Catholicism have failed by refusing their sacramental vocation to lead by serving from below rather than by ruling from above
Posted by John Dominic Crossan, on July 19, 2007 9:40 AM
Religious Bureaucrats Are To Religion As Military Music Is To Music
What is important about this pope's preoccupations is his obliviousness to certain real and disturbing moral issues.
Posted by Susan Jacoby, on July 19, 2007 8:32 AM
Peter, a Rock He Was Not
Jesus decides to entrust his Church, his entire legacy, into the hands of flawed human beings like Peter.
Posted by Randall Balmer, on July 19, 2007 7:42 AM
A Caste System for Christians
Happily, there are thousands, perhaps millions, of Roman Catholics who cheerfully ignore all this and establish excellent relationships.
Posted by Nicholas T. Wright, on July 19, 2007 6:07 AM
Is the Pope catholic (small c)?
The problem this time was not the positive claim but the negative stress on how non-Catholic Christians cannot be church.
Posted by Martin Marty, on July 18, 2007 9:56 AM
One Body, Imperfect Parts
To those for whom religious "preference" is of no more consequence than any other lifestyle choice -- something like Saab or Volvo, Nationals or Orioles, medium-rare or rare, chardonnay or chablis -- the recent document from the Vatican's Congregation for...
Posted by George Weigel, on July 18, 2007 8:34 AM
Putting the Church Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Jesus saw his church as a body of believers in whom He would dwell, not an ecclesiastical hierarchy which he fought against in His time.
Posted by Cal Thomas, on July 18, 2007 7:23 AM
It Does Matter
For political purposes, Eisenhower was right when he said you should have a religion and it doesn’t matter which one it is. For religious purposes, it matters a lot. You should believe in a religion you think is true, even...
Posted by Richard Bushman, on July 18, 2007 6:12 AM
FEATURED COMMENTS
A Hermit: Protestants, of course, have their own biases and all think they are the only "real" Christians, and the distinction is usually something tr...
Nicole: I totally disagree with this statement. The bible clearly says that those the profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are truly his descipli...
