Balthasar, Hell, and Heresy: An Exchange (is it compatable with the Catholic faith?)

Catholic Culture ^ | Alyssa Lyra Pitstick & EDWARD T. OAKES, S.J

[Huber]

Alyssa's analysis reflects a more protestant sensibility than does Oakes'. This is meant in terms of a catholic tendency to give a certain benefit of the doubt vs. a protestant tendency to split hairs and then split.

Then Cardinal Ratzinger's commentary along with the other Cardinal cited (who was involved in preparing the Catechism) appear to indicate that Balthazar's proposal is within the realm of proposals suitable for discussion within the Church. Also, perhaps one of you could clarify the distinction between capital "T" vs. small "t" tradition in terms of the Magisterium.

[Tax-chick]

We know this because Christoph Cardinal Schonborn (archbishop of Vienna and chairman of the drafting committee of the Catechism) said so: "The brief paragraph on Jesus' descent into hell keeps to what is the common property of the Church's exegetical tradition. Newer interpretations, such as that of Hans Urs von Balthasar (on the contemplation of Holy Saturday), however profound and helpful they may be, have not yet experienced that reception which would justify their inclusion in the Catechism."

Admittedly, Schonborn does provide here a certain amount of room for discussing Balthasar's apparently revolutionary theology of Holy Saturday

Cardinal Schoenborn (I love Cardinal Schoenborn :-) appears to be saying, "It seems like kind of a goofball notion to me, but it's not so weird that we can't kick the idea around a little." Which is pretty much how I feel about it, too.

... a protestant tendency to split hairs and then split.

That's a keeper! "The church of me and you, and actually, I'm not too sure about you!"