The State of the Roman Catholic Church

[Jeremy D. Scott]

Hans Kung wrote an open letter to all Catholic Bishops. Much of it is well said. He's somewhat on the outs of the RCC, but still a voice nonetheless.

My heart breaks for this situation on multiple levels. Indeed, Pope John Paul II is missed. It's embarrassing and dangerous situations such as these that give me more reason to appreciate boards, councils, and communities making decisions together. Not that a group can't be wrong, but when it comes to hearing the voice of God and the hearts of people, a single individual can bring a complexity of problems.

I oversaw a funeral service yesterday. After, an older gentleman came up to me to shake my hand, and with a sheepish slight grin asked, "Would you pray for my church?" We had a short conversation in which he shared his frustration, yet his love for his church.

Let's pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in the Roman Catholic Church.

[Ryan Scott]

NPR reported this saying Hans Kung is a former Catholic. Wikipedia says he's still a Catholic although no longer allowed to teach theology. I certainly appreciate someone whose heart breaks for the Church.

[Hans Deventer]

It's an awful situation. Only 2 months ago there was quite an uproar in the Netherlands over a priest refusing a homosexual the Eucharist. That has been settled but the moral authority of the church to demand a certain behaviour has all but collapsed.

[Rich Schmidt]

Clearly there is a need for reform in the Roman Catholic Church. However, I found myself surprised by some of the reforms Kung calls for in his letter. Specifically, I was surprised by the paragraphs about Judaism and indigenous Latin American peoples. Kung seems to think that the church should acknowledge other religions as parallel paths to salvation alongside Christianity. (He seems to say this clearly in relation to Judaism.) I haven't kept up with Kung since reading a book or two of his in college 15 years ago, so perhaps I'm misunderstanding him.

As for the other calls for reform that he makes.... I'm trying to imagine a Roman Catholic Church that has an ecumenical council every 5 years! That would be quite a change!

[Billie Goodson]

Clearly there is a need for reform in the Roman Catholic Church. However, I found myself surprised by some of the reforms Kung calls for in his letter. Specifically, I was surprised by the paragraphs about Judaism and indigenous Latin American peoples. Kung seems to think that the church should acknowledge other religions as parallel paths to salvation alongside Christianity. (He seems to say this clearly in relation to Judaism.) I haven't kept up with Kung since reading a book or two of his in college 15 years ago, so perhaps I'm misunderstanding him.

As for the other calls for reform that he makes.... I'm trying to imagine a Roman Catholic Church that has an ecumenical council every 5 years! That would be quite a change!

Your comments got me curious Rich -- your comment that "Kung seems to think that the church should acknowledge other religions as parallel paths to salvation alongside Christianity" fits very well within what I have heard is consistent with the Second Vatican Council statement. Based on a cursory read of the letter, it seems apparent which side Kung was on in the Council and possibly where Ratzinger stood.

[Billie Goodson]

In addition to my previous post -- I think the term I am looking for is "anonymous christian" and it is an idea expressed by Rahner. I think this played out heavily in Vatican II, but would have to do digging to figure out where it is expressed.

[Billy Cox]

My heart breaks for this situation on multiple levels. Indeed, Pope John Paul II is missed. It's embarrassing and dangerous situations such as these that give me more reason to appreciate boards, councils, and communities making decisions together. Not that a group can't be wrong, but when it comes to hearing the voice of God and the hearts of people, a single individual can bring a complexity of problems.

I am intrigued that you see this situation as a validation of church hierarchy. The Roman Catholic Church is probably the most hierarchical organization in the world, yet its many councils and boards couldn't decide whether pedophiles can be trusted around children.

So perhaps one could argue for centralized leadership, but the scandal has some of Ratzinger's fingerprints on it. At least in a hierarchy, one can play the 'bad apple' defense, but that doesn't work so well if there is only one apple in the barrel.