Ratzinger's Subsistent Error

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Ratzinger's Subsistent Error Ratzinger’s Subsistent Error — Most Rev. Donald J. Sanborn — www.traditionalmass.org A Critical Analysis of the “Responses to some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church,” by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. ON JULY 10TH, 2007, only three days after the publication of the long-awaited Motu Proprio which liberalized the use of the John XXIII Mass, the “Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith” (CDF), the Vatican II replacement for the Holy Office, issued a document in question and answer form purporting to “clarify” the Vatican II doctrine concerning the nature of the Church of Christ. The nature of the questions make clear the import of the document: it is to answer critics not from the left but from the right, who are saying that the ecclesiology — the doctrine con- cerning the Church — of Vatican II contradicts the teaching of the Catholic Church. To my knowledge, the only quarters from which this criticism has come is from our own camp, namely that of the sedevacantists. I have never read in any of the literature of the Soci- ety of Saint Pius X any objection at all to this novelty (as the CDF itself, surprisingly, refers to it in this document). I know of no objection to it even from the most conservative regions of the Novus Ordo. The appearance of this document is, therefore, rather curious. After more than forty years of Vatican II, is it now necessary to defend this council from the accusation of heresy? For the first question in this list of five questions is really asking the question if Vatican II is heretical or not. As we shall see, this document is nothing more than the parade of Ratzinger in heretical nakedness, while the crowds of Novus Ordo conservatives and now many traditionalists hail him for his new suit of orthodox clothes. The CDF document is a mere repetition of the Frankenchurch heresy, which holds that the Church of Christ and the Catholic Church are not absolutely the same thing, excluding any other entity outside of itself. Instead the heresy perceives the Church of Christ to be an entity composed of many elements, many “particular churches” and “ecclesial communities” which are partially the Church of Christ, and of the Catholic Church, which is fully the Church of Christ. So this heresy has been correctly called the Frankenchurch heresy, since it makes one think of the horrid creature which was manufactured by Dr. Frankenstein, in which body parts from many and varied cadavers were sewn together to produce what looked like a man. Life came into this monster by lifting it to the sky in the midst of a thunderstorm, where the light- ning bolts repeatedly hit the electrodes which were inserted into the monster’s neck. The mon- ster then got loose and terrified the peasants. The analogy, while humorous, is very demon- strative of what Ratzinger and fellow Modernists have done to the doctrine concerning the nature of the Church of Christ. The text of the CDF document is in italic. My commentary follows. — 1 — Introduction to the Questions clusions go far beyond the limits to the heresy de- sired by the Modernists in charge, “clarifications” CDF Text: The Second Vatican Council, with its were issued. These “clarifications” merely pre- Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, and its De- sented again the same, tired Vatican II Frank- crees on ecumenism (Unitatis redintegratio) and the enchurch heresy, but forbade the logical conclu- Oriental Churches (Orientalium Ecclesiarum), has sions which flow therefrom. The three documents contributed in a decisive way to the renewal of Catholic referred to in this paragraph all propose and ex- ecclesiology. plain the Frankenchurch heresy, especially the 1992 Communionis notio, which was Ratzinger’s brain- Commentary: “Renewal” is the classic word child. In other words, these documents were a call which Modernists have used for over one hun- for “unity in one heresy.” dred years in order to indicate their destruction of the traditional dogma under the guise of ambigu- CDF Text: The vastness of the subject matter and the ous and high-sounding language. All of the novelty of many of the themes involved continue to documents which he refers to fit into this very provoke theological reflection. Among the many new category. contributions to the field, some are not immune from erroneous interpretation which in turn give rise to CDF Text: The Supreme Pontiffs have also contrib- confusion and doubt. A number of these interpreta- uted to this renewal by offering their own insights and tions have been referred to the attention of the Congre- orientations for praxis: Paul VI in his Encyclical Letter gation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Given the univer- Ecclesiam Suam (1964) and John Paul II in his Encyc- sality of Catholic doctrine on the Church, the Congre- lical Letter Ut unum sint (1995). gation wishes to respond to these questions by clarify- ing the authentic meaning of some ecclesiological ex- Commentary: Paul VI’s Ecclesiam suam encyclical pressions used by the Magisterium which are open to misunderstanding in the theological debate. was essentially a blueprint for the destruction of the Catholic Church through the practice of ecu- menism and “dialogue” with non-Catholics. Its Commentary: “Novelty of the themes involved” message to Catholics, still living at that time in is a euphemism for heresy. Nowhere in the his- relative peace and stability, was that major tory of the Church has any Pope, council, or changes were about to come down the path, and theologian spoken about the Church of Christ as that all had to be obedient to them. John Paul II’s “subsisting in” the Catholic Church, or of “ele- Ut unum sint is an overtly heretical document ments of the Church of Christ” being present in which denies the unity of the Catholic Church, non-Catholic sects. It appears that the term “new repeats the Vatican II Frankenchurch heresy, and interpretations” refers to criticism from the tradi- gives instructions and rules as to how to destroy tionalists that Vatican II substantially altered the further the Catholic Church through the poison of teaching of the Catholic Church concerning the ecumenism. Church. For the questions which follow are clearly for the purpose of responding to this accu- CDF Text: The consequent duty of theologians to ex- sation — they are not addressed to the left, but to pound with greater clarity the diverse aspects of eccle- the right, to those who are saying that Vatican II siology has resulted in a flowering of writing in this has departed from the traditional teaching. field. In fact it has become evident that this theme is a most fruitful one which, however, has also at times re- 1. A Change in Doctrine? quired clarification by way of precise definition and correction, for instance, in the declaration “Mysterium CDF Text: First Question: Did the Second Vatican Ecclesiae” (1973), the Letter addressed to the Bishops Council change the Catholic doctrine on the Church? of the Catholic Church “Communionis notio” (1992), and the declaration “Dominus Iesus” (2000), all pub- Commentary: This question is devastating. Since lished by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the the doctrine concerning the Church is dogmatic, Faith. and not merely a matter of theological opinion, the question really is: “Is Vatican II a heretical coun- Commentary: “Theologians” — read heretics — cil?” Never before in the history of the Church has have taken the heretical principles of Vatican II to such a question been officially proposed or an- their logical conclusions. But because such con- swered. Vatican II closed in 1965. So forty-two — 2 — years later, nearly half a century, the Vatican is dicative that at face value its teaching is contra- defending the orthodoxy of Vatican II. The lapse dictory to the teaching of the Catholic Church. of time is very significant, for it attests to the fact When did any pope make such a statement in the that, far from being quietly accepted, Vatican II is past about a Council document? coming under greater scrutiny, and is apparently It was this very “papal” seal of approval upon comparing unfavorably with what went before it. heresy which was the grease upon which the One would have expected this reaction immedi- whole Council slid into place. It silenced what- ately during or after the Council, but its appear- ever critics there were, branding them as being ance after a near half-century is indicative of the “anti-papal,” and cleared the way for the doubtful souring of a once fresh and fragrant exuberance to give their wholehearted assent to these hereti- about the Council in the 1960’s. The thought that cal acts. It gave birth to the whole conservative a general Council would have contradicted the Novus Ordo movement, whose motto is “Nothing teaching of the Church was unthinkable in the has changed.” These people, for example the edito- 1960’s. But as time wore on, and the devastating rial staff of the The Wanderer, have lived in a effects of the Council can be seen by all, it be- dream world for these forty-two years, believing comes now necessary to defend its orthodoxy. that nothing has changed since the Council, but that everything bad must be assigned to mere in- CDF Text: Response: The Second Vatican Council correct interpretation. Its the emperor’s new neither changed nor intended to change this doctrine, clothes. rather it developed, deepened and more fully explained Paul VI did a similar thing with regard to the it. This was exactly what John XXIII said at the begin- document on religious liberty, to quell accusa- ning of the Council.
Recommended publications
  • The Development of Sacrosanctum Concilium Part 2 Or, How to Grok
    The development of Sacrosanctum Concilium Part 2 - a presentation by Seán O’Seasnáin on becoming familiar with Vatican II and the Liturgy with a focus on Chapter 4 of What Happened at Vatican II by John W. O’Malley The Lines Are Drawn - The First Period (1962) or, How to grok Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC) while avoiding moonbats and wingnuts from the vantage point of a young Irish friar in formation at the time of Vatican II The four aggiornamento modernization principles identified by John W. O’Malley p140f 1) ressourcement 2) adaptation 3) episcopal collegiality and 4) active participation (Ch.4 of What Happened at Vatican II) are correctly described by O’Malley as fundamental and traditional principles. In a harsh and pedantic review of What Happened at Vatican II the late Richard John Neuhaus, on one hand gives O’Malley back-handed compliments for his balanced analysis, and in the next sentence rushes in to castigate him with misleading accusations of presenting the ‘discontinuity’ perspective of the council. Neuhaus writes dismissively: “What Happened at Vatican II is a 372-page brief for the party of novelty and discontinuity. Its author comes very close to saying explicitly what is frequently implied: that the innovationists practiced subterfuge, and they got away with it” [10]. I would have to credit Neuhaus with providing a reminder here of how appropriate the ‘moonbat’ and ‘wingnut’ designations are when it comes to critiques of Vatican II and the liturgy. He writes: “In the decades following the council, many liberals made no secret of their belief that aggiornamento was a mandate for radical change, even revolution.
    [Show full text]
  • The Vatican II Decree on the Eastern Catholic
    KL BH The Vatican II Decree EH CH on the Eastern Catholic Churches Orientalium ecclesiarum - Fifty Years Later Carr Hall (Father Madden Hall) Trinity College (Trinity College Chapel) J.M. KellyJ.M. Library (coffee lounge) — — October 17 & 18, 2014 — KL CH TC N University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto ORGANIZED BY THE METROPOLITAN ANDREY SHEPTYTSKY INSTITUTE OF EASTERN CHRISTIAN STUDIES www.sheptytskyinstitute.ca TC Co-sponsored by The Catholic Near East Welfare Association Centre for Research on the Second Vatican Council in Canada, St. Michael’s College Toronto Research on Vatican II and 21st Century Catholicism, Saint Paul University, Ottawa Brennan Hall ( Senior RoomCommon & Canada Room) Elmsley Hall (Charbonnel Lounge) — — CONFERENCE MAP CONFERENCE BH EH ANNOUNCEMENTS Saturday, October 18 9:00am—Father Madden Hall in Carr Hall, 100 St Joseph St. During the conference, snacks can be purchased across the street from Carr Hall at the coffee Morning Prayer according to the Byzantine Christian Tradition lounge in the Kelly Library. 9:30am—Father Madden Hall in Carr Hall, 100 St Joseph St. Lunch (available 11:30am-2:30pm) and dinner (available 5:30-7:30pm) can be purchased in 3) Bishop Nicholas Samra: “Eastern Catholicism in the Middle East Fifty Years after the Canada Room of Brennan Hall. Orientalium ecclesiarum” 11:00-11:45am Parallel sessions Bishop David Motiuk: “An Overview of the Ukrainian Catholic Church on the Eve of the Second Vatican Council”—Father Madden Hall in Carr Hall, 100 St Joseph St. Friday, October 17 Andriy Chirovsky: “TBA”—Charbonnel Lounge 1:00pm—Father Madden Hall in Carr Hall, 100 St Joseph St.
    [Show full text]
  • The Holy See
    The Holy See JOHN PAUL II ANGELUS Sunday, 13 October 2002 Dear Brothers and Sisters, 1. I have had the joy these days to welcome His Beatitude Teoctist, the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Romania. To him and to all those who accompanied him my heartfelt thanks once again for his deeply appreciated visit. It has brought back the memory of what God allowed me to experience in Bucharest in May 1999. From those meetings there arose a sincere desire for unity. "Unitate" I heard the young people of Bucharest proclaim. Last Monday I heard "Unity" proclaimed again in St Peter's Square, in my first meeting with His Beatitude, the Patriarch. 2. This thirst for full communion among Christians has received remarkable impetus since the Second Vatican Council, which dedicated to ecumenism one of its more important documents, the Decree Unitatis redintegratio. Two days ago we observed the fortieth anniversary of the opening of that historical assembly, called for 11 October 1962, by Pope John XXIII, whom we now revere as Blessed. I had the grace of participating in that event and in my heart I hold valuable and unforgettable memories. In his opening address, Pope John, full of hope and faith, exhorted the Council Fathers to remain faithful to Catholic tradition and to present it again in a way suitable for the new times. In a certain sense, the 11th of October forty years ago marked the solemn and universal beginning of what is called the "new evangelization". 3. The Council represented the "holy door" of that new springtime of the Church that was manifested in the Great Jubilee of the year 2000.
    [Show full text]
  • Branson-Shaffer-Vatican-II.Pdf
    Vatican II: The Radical Shift to Ecumenism Branson Shaffer History Faculty advisor: Kimberly Little The Catholic Church is the world’s oldest, most continuous organization in the world. But it has not lasted so long without changing and adapting to the times. One of the greatest examples of the Catholic Church’s adaptation to the modernization of society is through the Second Vatican Council, held from 11 October 1962 to 8 December 1965. In this gathering of church leaders, the Catholic Church attempted to shift into a new paradigm while still remaining orthodox in faith. It sought to bring the Church, along with the faithful, fully into the twentieth century while looking forward into the twenty-first. Out of the two billion Christians in the world, nearly half of those are Catholic.1 But, Vatican II affected not only the Catholic Church, but Christianity as a whole through the principles of ecumenism and unity. There are many reasons the council was called, both in terms of internal, Catholic needs and also in aiming to promote ecumenism among non-Catholics. There was also an unprecedented event that occurred in the vein of ecumenical beginnings: the invitation of preeminent non-Catholic theologians and leaders to observe the council proceedings. This event, giving outsiders an inside look at 1 World Religions (2005). The Association of Religious Data Archives, accessed 13 April 2014, http://www.thearda.com/QuickLists/QuickList_125.asp. CLA Journal 2 (2014) pp. 62-83 Vatican II 63 _____________________________________________________________ the Catholic Church’s way of meeting modern needs, allowed for more of a reaction from non-Catholics.
    [Show full text]
  • The Holy See
    The Holy See LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN UNITY FOR THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DECREE "UNITATIS REDINTEGRATIO" [Multimedia] Your Eminences, Dear Brother Bishops and Priests, Dear Brothers and Sisters, I cordially greet you all and thank you for this meeting, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the promulgation of the Decree of the Second Vatican Council on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio. On that 21st of November 1964 the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium and the Decree on Catholic Churches of the Eastern Rite Orientalium Ecclesiarum were also promulgated. These three documents taken together, and profoundly linked to one another, offer the vision of Catholic ecclesiology as it was proposed by the Second Vatican Council. That is why you chose to dedicate your sessions to reflecting on how Unitatis Redintegratio can continue to inspire the ecumenical commitment of the Church in today’s changed setting. First of all, we can rejoice in the fact that the Council’s teaching has been broadly received. In these years, on the basis of theological purposes rooted in Scripture and in the Tradition of the Church, the attitude of we Catholics toward Christians of other Churches and ecclesial communities has changed. The hostility and indifference that dug seemingly unbridgeable chasms and caused such deep wounds are now a thing of the past, while a process of healing has begun that permits acceptance of the other as a brother or sister in the profound unity that comes from Baptism.
    [Show full text]
  • The Eastern Mission of the Pontifical Commission for Russia, Origins to 1933
    University of Wisconsin Milwaukee UWM Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations August 2017 Lux Occidentale: The aE stern Mission of the Pontifical Commission for Russia, Origins to 1933 Michael Anthony Guzik University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uwm.edu/etd Part of the European History Commons, History of Religion Commons, and the Other History Commons Recommended Citation Guzik, Michael Anthony, "Lux Occidentale: The Eastern Mission of the Pontifical ommiC ssion for Russia, Origins to 1933" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 1632. https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/1632 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LUX OCCIDENTALE: THE EASTERN MISSION OF THE PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR RUSSIA, ORIGINS TO 1933 by Michael A. Guzik A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee August 2017 ABSTRACT LUX OCCIDENTALE: THE EASTERN MISSION OF THE PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR RUSSIA, ORIGINS TO 1933 by Michael A. Guzik The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2017 Under the Supervision of Professor Neal Pease Although it was first a sub-commission within the Congregation for the Eastern Churches (CEO), the Pontifical Commission for Russia (PCpR) emerged as an independent commission under the presidency of the noted Vatican Russian expert, Michel d’Herbigny, S.J. in 1925, and remained so until 1933 when it was re-integrated into CEO.
    [Show full text]
  • The Holy See
    The Holy See ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER POPE JOHN PAUL II TO THE MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE ORIENTAL CHURCHES Thursday, 1 October 1998 Your Beatitudes, Your Eminences, Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and the Priesthood, 1. It is a great joy for me to meet you during your Congregation’s plenary assembly, while you are reflecting on several lines of action for the dicastery over the next few years to serve the Eastern Catholic Churches. In particular, I thank Cardinal Achille Silvestrini, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, for his courteous greeting on behalf of you all. I would also like to express my gratitude for the service of the Congregation, which assists the Bishop of Rome “in the exercise of his supreme pastoral office for the welfare and service of the universal Church and the particular Churches. This strengthens the unity of faith and the communion of the People of God and promotes the Church’s mission in the world” (Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus, Art. 1). 2. Among the various dicasteries of the Roman Curia, the Congregation for the Oriental Churches has a particularly delicate task because of its institutional competence and the present moment in history. Your Congregation “deals with matters, whether regarding persons or things, concerning the Eastern Catholic Churches” (Pastor Bonus, Art. 56). Its competence “extends to all matters which 2 are proper to the Eastern Churches and which are to be referred to the Apostolic See, whether concerning the structure and organization of the Churches, the exercise of the functions of teaching, sanctifying and governing, or persons and their status, rights and duties” (Art.
    [Show full text]
  • The Holy See
    The Holy See LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO THE BISHOPS OF INDIA Dear Brother Bishops, 1. The remarkable varietas Ecclesiarum, the result of a long historical, cultural, spiritual and disciplinary development, constitutes a treasure of the Church, regina in vestitu deaurato circumdata varietate (cf. Ps 44 and Leo XIII, Orientalium Dignitas), who awaits her groom with the fidelity and patience of the wise virgin, equipped with an abundant supply of oil, so that the light of her lamp may enlighten all peoples in the long night of awaiting the Lord’s coming. This variety of ecclesial life, which shines with great splendour throughout lands and nations, is also found in India. The Catholic Church in India has its origins in the preaching of the Apostle Thomas. It developed through contact with the Churches of Chaldean and Antiochian traditions and through the efforts of Latin missionaries. The history of Christianity in this great country thus led to three distinct sui iuris Churches, corresponding to ecclesial expressions of the same faith celebrated in different rites according to the three liturgical, spiritual, theological and disciplinary traditions. Although this situation has sometimes led to tensions in the course of history, today we can admire a Christian presence that is both rich and beautiful, complex and unique. 2. It is essential for the Catholic Church to reveal her face in all its beauty to the world, in the richness of her various traditions. For this reason the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, which celebrates its centenary year, having been established through the farsightedness of Pope Benedict XV in 1917, has encouraged, where necessary, the restoration of Eastern Catholic traditions, and ensured their protection, as well as respect for the dignity and rights of these ancient Churches.
    [Show full text]
  • Re-Imagining and Updating Catholicity: Building Church Unity in a Globalized and Scattered World*
    Re-imagining and Updating Catholicity: Building Church Unity in a Globalized and Scattered World* SANDRA ARENAS PÉREZ** ABSTRACT ontemporary Catholic theological debate on catholicity claims to recover a qualitative conception of catholicity, in order to correct C the classical emphasis on geographical breadth. The tendencies to iden tify catholicity with universality, to confuse universality with uniformity and to equate continuity with immutability, prevented the Church from developing a holistic approach to catholicity. In facing the challenge of globalization, Christianity can offer an alter native way of togetherness in diversity, which seems to be the current translation of the theological category of the catholicity of the Church. This article’s focus will be therefore on the role and significance of community building and the Church’s unity in regard to sustaining creation and addressing globalization. Key Words: Catholicity, Church Unity, Globalization, Commu­ nity building, Ecumenism. * This article results of fruitful theological discussions held with some colleagues at the Theology Faculty of the Catholic University of Leuven-Belgium, on the occasion of the International Conference “To Discern Creation in a Scattered World”. A preliminar version, with a stronger emphasis on globalization, was published as part of the memoirs of the above mentioned event: Lernen für das Leben. Perspektiven ökumenischen Lernens und ökumenischer Bildung. Leuven: Lembeck, 2010., p. 187-201 ** Doctor in Systematic Theology, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. Adjunct Assis- tant Professor of Systematic Theology, Faculty of Theology, Pontifical Catholic University in Santiago, Chile. E-mail: [email protected] THEOLOGICA XAVERIANA – VOL. 64 NO. 178 (331-351). JULIO-DICIEMBRE 2014. BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA.
    [Show full text]
  • The Catholic Church and the Ecumenical Movement: Present Experience and Future Prospects Archbishop Mario J Conti
    T The Catholic Church and the Ecumenical Movement: Present Experience and Future Prospects Archbishop Mario J Conti It was another place, another continent, in a sense another world. I mean Porto Alegre in southern Brazil where the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches was meeting on the campus of the Catholic University. It had been a long journey – in a sense for all of us, not just in reaching the physical venue, but in arriving at this stage in our ecumenical journey. Each one there could tell his or her own personal story of where they had come from and how they had got there, but we were not only there as individuals, we were there as delegates and representatives of Christian Churches, some old and some new, some large and some small, all of them now engaged, whether through the World Council or in partnership with it, in the one ecumenical journey. But since none of us has journeyed alone our experiences can be regarded as in some sense, to a greater or lesser degree, that of the communities to which we belong. My own reflects that of the ecumenical journey of the Catholic Church. When I was ordained, at the Church of San Marcello on the Via del Corso in Rome in the autumn of 1958, it was during a period of sede vacante in the Papacy. Pius XII had just died and John XXIII had yet to be elected. My priesthood, one might say, was born on a cusp. None of us who were ordained that October day could have imagined the roller-coaster ride we were about to experience, propelled by the Holy Spirit and under the steering hand of Angelo Roncalli, who confounded the pundits who had cast him in the role of caretaker Pope, by becoming one of the great reforming pontiffs of the twentieth century.
    [Show full text]
  • Events at the Second Vatican Council by Christopher Mcmahon
    Events at the Second Vatican Council by Christopher McMahon Any account of the achievement of Vatican II has to include at least a brief narrative of the events that took place at the council. After all, Vatican II is not simply a set of documents. The documents produced by the council can only be properly understood when read against the backdrop of the discussions and controversies at the council sessions. The following brief overview of the sessions is provided so that the reader might better understand the significance of two of the major documents: Lumen gentium (The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) and Gaudium et spes (The Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World). If the council was primarily about the Church, then the council sessions themselves give a sense of how at least some of the most important parts of the Church operated.1 Key Dates in Preparations for the Council (1959–1960) October 28, 1958—Giovanni Giuseppe Angelo Roncalli, Cardinal Archbishop of Venice, elected as Pope John XXIII January 25, 1959—Announcement of the Council (Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls) February 5, 1959—Formation of the Pre-Preparatory Commission, made up entirely of Roman officials and placed under the leadership of the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tardini June 5, 1960—Formation of the Central Preparatory Commission along with the ten commissions that would handle the different thematic issues identified by the Pre-Preparatory Commission December 25, 1961—Formal convocation of the Council (Humanae salutis) February 2, 1962—Closing of the formal preparatory phase and marking October 11, 1962, as the opening of the council The Plan for Order at the Council There was no real template for running a council.
    [Show full text]
  • The Concept of “Sister Churches” in Catholic-Orthodox Relations Since
    THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA The Concept of “Sister Churches” In Catholic-Orthodox Relations since Vatican II A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Theology and Religious Studies Of The Catholic University of America In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Doctor of Philosophy © Copyright All Rights Reserved By Will T. Cohen Washington, D.C. 2010 The Concept of “Sister Churches” In Catholic-Orthodox Relations since Vatican II Will T. Cohen, Ph.D. Director: Paul McPartlan, D.Phil. Closely associated with Catholic-Orthodox rapprochement in the latter half of the 20 th century was the emergence of the expression “sister churches” used in various ways across the confessional division. Patriarch Athenagoras first employed it in this context in a letter in 1962 to Cardinal Bea of the Vatican Secretariat for the Promotion of Christian Unity, and soon it had become standard currency in the bilateral dialogue. Yet today the expression is rarely invoked by Catholic or Orthodox officials in their ecclesial communications. As the Polish Catholic theologian Waclaw Hryniewicz was led to say in 2002, “This term…has now fallen into disgrace.” This dissertation traces the rise and fall of the expression “sister churches” in modern Catholic-Orthodox relations and argues for its rehabilitation as a means by which both Catholic West and Orthodox East may avoid certain ecclesiological imbalances toward which each respectively tends in its separation from the other. Catholics who oppose saying that the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church are sisters, or that the church of Rome is one among several patriarchal sister churches, generally fear that if either of those things were true, the unicity of the Church would be compromised and the Roman primacy rendered ineffective.
    [Show full text]