Posted on 03/01/2017 9:40:57 AM PST by ebb tide
Hans Küng, Catholic priest and Swiss theologian, has taken great pains to end the 16th-century schism between Catholics and Protestants since he wrote his doctoral dissertation on "Justification. The Teaching of Karl Barth and a Catholic Reflection" in 1957. He continues that work today with the release of the statement below, which is being published simultaneously by National Catholic Reporter and The Tablet.
Küng has collected all his writings on the Justification Doctrine in the first volume of his collected works, which is being published by the German publishing house Herder. Sixty years ago, Küng's work led to the consensus reached by both churches on this central matter of dispute. The remaining 23 volumes of Küng's collected works document his efforts for ecumenical understanding and peace between denominations and religions.
It was most gratifying that the chairman of the Protestant Churches in Germany, Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, accompanied by the president of the German Catholic bishops' conference, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, officially visited Pope Francis in Rome together on the occasion of the Reformation Jubilee. The Pope spoke of "an already reconciled diversity." He said he greatly appreciated the spiritual and theological gifts that the Reformation had given us and that he wanted to do everything he could "to overcome the obstacles that still remained."
Already in September 2016, Bishop Bedford-Strohm and Cardinal Marx presented their "Common Word" entitled "Healing Memories — Bearing Witness to Christ." After five centuries of condemning and inflicting wounds upon each other, both the two leading Churches in Germany declared that they intended to celebrate the Reformation anniversary together as a "Feast for Jesus Christ."
A further pivotal point in the commemoration process will be the main Service of Repentance and Reconciliation that the Council of the Protestant Churches and the Catholic bishops' conference will celebrate together at Hildesheim on March 11, 2017.
We have, however, heard Vatican declarations of intent and suggestions of repentance and reconciliation all too often. We ecumenically committed Christians at long last want to see actions. Unfortunately, the "Common Word" does not mention the deadlock that exists in both church hierarchies on the decisive issues and disregards the fact that in many Protestant and Catholic communities, ecumenism has already been practiced for a long time now. For these communities, mutual recognition of each other's ministries and Eucharistic hospitality are no longer a problem. Church leaders lag far behind them. If the leaders do not take the matter of "overcoming the still remaining obstacles" seriously, they alone will have to bear the responsibility for not doing so before God and the faithful.
In the 2017 Jubilee Year, those responsible should consistently put the results of the ecumenical Dialogue Commissions into practice. The Catholic Church should consider the following issues:
*Martin Luther's rehabilitation,
*Lifting all the excommunications that were pronounced in the Reformation era,
*Recognizing Protestant and Anglican ministries,
*Mutual Eucharistic hospitality.
Innumerable Christians want to see the Protestant side bring these postulates to the attention of the Catholic Church just as clearly and outspokenly — but naturally not without the necessary self-criticism. Merely celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation without really ending the schism means incurring yet more guilt. May the pressure exerted by theologians, grassroots Christians, Christian communities, and many committed men and women help the church leadership in Rome and elsewhere, which is so often hesitant and afraid, not to miss this historic opportunity but to wake up, otherwise yet more people will turn away from the Church and more communities and groups will take the law into their own hands! In today's globalized, secularized world, Christianity will only come across as credible if it presents itself in truly reconciled diversity.
[Fr. Hans Küng is a Swiss citizen and professor emeritus of ecumenical theology at Tübingen University in Germany. This article was translated from the German by Christa Pongratz-Lippitt.]
The Catholic Church has never taught that you cannot pray directly to God.
Yup its everything but dealing directly with fundamental doctrinal differences, that are not minor ones.
For me, with any pope, nope.
However, they have said too many times....too Jesus through Mary!
The roman catholics place their "devotion" to Mary by consecrating their whole being to her in contradiction of the Word itself.
The catholic surely seems to have to have Mary involved in some capacity when not warranted by what we have in the NT.
LOL! Too many Popes starting new Churches. There was only one Peter.
Ecumenism requires heresy, no matter how and where it manifests.
I have always held thus... yet I find myself without a congregation.
All the ones I know either embrace the functional heresies of Feminism and/or Homoeroticism and/or Liberation Theology, or are so fundamentally at odds with what I believe, that I cannot participate honestly and openly.
I have been in ministry in two denominations in the past. Now I am alone.
your post #37 shows that you are certainly no expert in proper interpretation!!!!
You mean like this....
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery (Matt 19:9 NABRE).
In 1962 [Hans Kung] was appointed peritus by Pope John XXIII, serving as an expert theological advisor to members of the Second Vatican Council until its conclusion in 1965.
Color me shocked.
We should ask ourselves, why is it at this particular time in history, Rome has a communist (some would soften it to Marxist or socialist) Pope? and why is he making a pitch for a one world religion at this particular time in history, embracing Jews, Muslims, Hindu’s, and, now he’s making a push to include even Protestants (he even says Muslims are Christian, and saved)?
You don’t suppose it has anything to do with the falling away, or apostasia, Paul warned us about that would usher in the man of sin, or antichrist (2 Thess. 2:3,4)?
What about it is interpreted wrong? Calling names is just admitting failure. Take and issue and define where it’s wrong.
Well, he didn't believe that the Scriptures were the word of God, he believed in Universal atonement, that the creation story was a myth, he had a Romanist view of justification, his political views devolved to Stalinism, or at least a defense of Stalin;
My guess is that he would have been a big fan of the current Pope.
For additional reading, you might try http://www.trinityfoundation.org/journal.php?id=147 There is a brief discussion on the Puritan Board that I didn't find particularly helpful but for the link to the Trinity Foundation item above.
**“reconciliation” always seems to mean we will get to be Roman Catholic.**
You are correct.
Thanks for the feedback!
I know some neo-Calvinists are quite enamored with him, but just never checked in to the whole deal.
Kind of reminds me of some of the FV folks. Words that he used don’t necessarily have their common meaning, so even when he sounds orthodox, keep your hand on your wallet.
And his views morphed over time, so what he wrote at one point in time may well not jive with what he wrote at another point in his life.
In any event, view his teachings with suspicion, and watch out for folks who embrace him. There are a lot of folks who are much more beneficial to read unless, perhaps, you are in a ‘must publish’ academic setting.
Ealgeone cannot be trusted on the subject of Catholicism.
Instead of asking honest questions, he lards his questions with lies.
He often repeats the lie that Catholics worship Mary.
It is up to each person to decide what they have faith in. We all should choose wisely.
It is very foolish to pretend to force others to accept your own beliefs.
There are things in life that I have observed that cannot be explained by science or logic. Some of those things have impacted my faith. Some never see such things, it is hard to convey to them that the unexplained is still real.
If all chose wisely, all would be Catholics.
See, my point exactly.
You did not choose wisely.
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