DOCSLIB.ORG

The Catholic Church and the Other Religious Paths: Rejecting Nothing That Is True and Holy

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Catholic Church and the Other Religious Paths: Rejecting Nothing That Is True and Holy Theological Studies 64 (2003) THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE OTHER RELIGIOUS PATHS: REJECTING NOTHING THAT IS TRUE AND HOLY JAMES FREDERICKS [Catholic thinking about other religious traditions has continued to develop rapidly since the Second Vatican Council. The author dis- cusses the impact of conciliar texts, the thought of John Paul II, the “pluralist” and “regnocentric” theologies of religion, and the prac- tice of interreligious dialogue on Catholic views of other religious paths. The multiple issues selected for discussion reflect the contro- versy surrounding the declaration Dominus Iesus of the Congrega- tion for the Doctrine of the Faith.] N SEPTEMBER 5, 2000, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith O issued a “declaration” entitled Dominus Iesus.1 In an accompanying letter addressed to presidents of episcopal conferences, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the congregation, explained that the declaration was intended to address “the growing presence of confused or erroneous ideas and opinions, both within the Church generally and in certain theological circles, regarding . the salvific event of Jesus Christ . and the necessity of the Church for salvation.” Ratzinger stated in that letter that he was REV.JAMES FREDERICKS received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He teaches comparative theology at Loyola Marymount University and has been a member of the Los Angeles Buddhist/Catholic Dialogue for many years. He serves as a consultant to the USCCB for dialogue with Buddhists and has done research on Buddhism in Kyoto, Japan, as a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar. He is the author of Faith among Faiths: Christian Theology and Non-Christian Religions (Paulist, 1999) and A New Solidarity: Doing Christian Theology in Dialogue with Buddhism (forthcoming). 1 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Dominus Iesus:Onthe Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2000). The English text is also found in Origins 30 (September 14, 2000) 209–19. The accompanying curial letter to the bishops is found in ibid. 220. On the declaration, see Sic et Non: Encountering Dominus Iesus, ed. Stephen I. Pope and Charles Hefling (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis, 2002); also “Dominus Iesus”: Ansto¨ssige Wahrheit oder ansto¨ssige Kirche? Dokumente, Hin- tergru¨nde, Standpunkte und Folgerungen, ed. Michael J. Rainer (Mu¨nster: LIT, 2001). I wish to thank a number of colleagues who read earlier drafts of this article, especially John Borelli, Christopher Key Chapple, Thomas Rausch, S.J., Graham MacDonald, Bernard Frisher, Paul Knitter, Randolph Calvo, Thomas Ryan, C.S.P., Francis Decenso, C.S.P., and Barbara Murphy. 225 226 THEOLOGICAL STUDIES confident that bishops around the world would “do everything possible to ensure its distribution and favourable reception.” However, responses to the declaration from many bishops were less than enthusiastic.2 In addi- tion, some of the Catholic Church’s dialogue partners canceled scheduled meetings to the embarrassment of Vatican officials.3 Dominus Iesus and the controversy that followed its publication reveal much about the Catholic Church at this time in its history. The theological status of the other religious paths has become a vital and controversial question for Catholics around the world. The various answers they give to this question carry broad and concrete implications as to how they will live their lives as Christian believers. The purpose of my article is to review this lively discussion going on within the Catholic Church by commenting on the declaration and the subsequent controversy. Dominus Iesus has much to say not only about other religious paths, but also about other Christian churches as well. However, my article does not address the significance of Dominus Iesus for ecumenical relations, and confines itself to how the Catholic Church looks upon other religious traditions in this document.4 THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL Edward Kessler, executive director of the Centre for Jewish-Christian Relations in Cambridge, England, writing in London’s Tablet, criticized Dominus Iesus, saying that “some liberal Catholic theologians fear that something far more sinister is afoot: nothing less than a conspiracy to overturn the Second Vatican Council.”5 What does Vatican II teach in regard to the other religious traditions and their followers? Where previous official statements of the Catholic Church were tenta- tive, Vatican II is clear and unambiguous about the possibility that those who follow other religious paths can be saved in Christ by the grace of the Holy Spirit. The Dogmatic Consitution on the Church, Lumen gentium, for example, states: There are those who without any fault do not know anything about Christ or his Church, yet who search for God with a sincere heart and, under the influence of 2 See, for example, responses to Dominus Iesus from Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, then President of the National Council of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Carlo Martini of Milan, Cardinals Walter Kasper and Edward Cassidy (both of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity) and Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles. 3 Peter Steinfels, “Beliefs,” The New York Times, 7 October 2000, sec. B 8. 4 For a discussion of the declaration’s impact on ecumenical relations, see the comments by John Hotchkin to the Canon Law Society of America, printed in Origins 30 (October 19, 2000) 293–95. 5 Edward Kessler and Eugene Fisher, “A Dialogue of Head and Heart,” The Tablet 254 (Novembr 18, 2000) 1556–59, at 1556. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND OTHER RELIGIOUS PATHS 227 grace, try to put into effect the will of God as known to them through the dictate of conscience: these too can obtain eternal salvation. Nor does divine Providence deny the helps that are necessary for salvation to those who, through no fault of their own, have not yet attained to the express recognition of God yet who strive, not without divine grace, to lead an upright life (no. 16). This much cited selection from Lumen gentium speaks about those who “strive to lead an upright life” not about, for example, Shaivite Hindus or Sunna Muslims as such. What about the other religious paths themselves? Are “individuals of good will” saved by means of their religious obser- vances or despite them? Does the saving grace that is “active invisibly” in the hearts of individuals ever become visible and concrete in the religious practices and traditions of these individuals? In regard to these questions, I believe there is a real danger of overinterpreting the council. The Council Fathers are generally clear about the possibility of salvation for those outside the Christian community. In regard to the way in which such people are saved, the council maintains a studied ambiguity and restraint. For example, in the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non- Christian Religions, Nostra aetate (no. 2) , the Council Fathers state simply that the Catholic Church “rejects nothing of those things which are true and holy” in other religious traditions, and no more. In the Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity, Ad gentes (no. 11), the council teaches that Christians must “discover the seeds of the Word which lie hidden in [other religious traditions].” Commenting on the council’s restraint, Karl Rahner argued that an essential problem for the theologian was left open by the council.6 Are Buddhists saved by Christ in a way that is unconnected to their practice of the Dharma? Does the Holy Spirit sanctify the life of a Jain apart from the Jain’s practice of ahimsa? The roots of the council’s ambiguity lead back into preconciliar developments within the Catholic “theology of religions.” The work of Jean Danie´lou and Karl Rahner is especially noteworthy in this regard.7 From 1956 until 1973 Danie´lou published regularly on the meaning and status of the many religious paths.8 His approach to the question is gov- 6 Karl Rahner, “On the Importance of Non-Christian Religions for Salvation,” Theological Investigations 18 (New York: Crossroad, 1983) 288–95. 7 The work of Henri de Lubac S.J. and Hans Urs von Balthasar can be mentioned in conjunction with that of Danie´lou. Also the work of Gustave Thils and H. R. Schlette is pertinent to the writings of Rahner. For a discussion of theological developments prior to the council, see Jacques Dupuis, Toward a Christian Theol- ogy of Religious Pluralism (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis, 1997) 130–57. 8 Among other works, see The Salvation of the Nations (South Bend, Ind.: Uni- versity of Notre Dame, 1962); Mythes paı¨ens, myste`re chre´tien (Paris: Fayard, 1966); “Christianity and the Non-Christian Religions,” in Word in History, ed. P. 228 THEOLOGICAL STUDIES erned by a theology of history. In Danie´lou’s view, history is the progres- sive manifestation of the divine to humankind. Within this general history of creation, salvation history proper begins with Abraham and reaches its apex in Jesus Christ whose saving presence within time is now continued by the Church. Danie´lou locates religious traditions other than Judaism and Christianity within this theology of history by means of a Scholastic dis- tinction between the natural and the supernatural orders. Although the natural order has its own proper autonomy and intelligibility, it has been ordained by God to find its ultimate fulfillment in the supernatural. This fulfillment of the natural order in its supernatural destiny and finality is manifest in the progressive unfolding of the divine within history. There- fore, Christians may speak not only of two orders, the natural and the supernatural, but also of two covenants, the cosmic (which includes the entire natural order) and the historical covenant (which begins in the Jew- ish people and continues today in the Church).9 Based on this distinction, Danie´lou concludes that the other religious paths are human expressions of a real knowledge of God available to human beings through the proper use of natural reason that has a super- natural finality.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Joseph Ratzingerʼs Soteriological Inclusivism ABSTRACT This Article
    Joseph Ratzingerʼs Soteriological Inclusivism ABSTRACT This article examines the position of Joseph Ratzinger with regard to the classical question in the field of the theology of religions, the salvation of non-Christians. In criticism of a recent book by Ambrose Mong, it is argued that Ratzinger is not a soteriological exclusivist but an optimistic restrictivist inclusivist. As explained by Gavin DʼCosta, restrictivist inclusivists allow for the salvation of non-Christians, though they do not regard non-Christian religions as salvific structures per se. While restricting the salvific activity of God to the human conscience or certain positive elements in non-Christian cultures, this kind of an inclusivist may still be a soteriological optimist, as proves to be the case with Ratzinger. Having examined the subjective and objective aspects of Ratzingerʼs inclusivism, namely the concepts of conscience and Stellvertretung (vicarious representation), the article shows that in the 2007 encyclical Spe Salvi the two lines of thought are combined by Pope Benedict XVI in a reinterpretation of the doctrine of Purgatory, in such a way that ʻthe great majorityʼ of men are believed to reach eternal salvation. In1 his 2015 book Are Non-Christians Saved? Joseph Ratzingerʼs Thoughts on Religious Pluralism, Ambrose Mong touches on the classical question in the field of the theology of religions from the perspective of the thought of Joseph Ratzinger, also known as Pope Benedict XVI.2 Can non-Christians be saved? Where should Joseph Ratzinger be situated with regard to the three standard alternatives of exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism? Surprisingly, despite Ratzingerʼs well-known interest in the theology of religions, this aspect of his thought has received remarkably little scholarly attention prior to Mong.3 On the other hand, the scarcity of 1 I would like to thank the Utrecht Network for the Young Researchers grant that enabled me to work on this article in November 2016 at the University of Malta.
    [Show full text]
  • John George HUBER: Can a Pope and a Patriarch Lead Us Towards Greater Unity?
    John George HUBER Can a Pope and a Patriarch Lead us towards Greater Unity? Ecumenism is not static, but it is always in a dynamic change as the different actors vary and individuals dialogue with others. Reflecting on my experiences as an Evangelical-Lutheran and as a life-long student of ecumenism, I will first write about my changing perceptions of Pope Benedict XVI. Then in the second part I will share my experiences at the Orientale Lumen Conference in San Diego. Perceptions change, but the common road of Jesus Christ draws us together, despite personal and denominational separations. I. Three Encounters with the “Enforcer of the Faith” who Became BENEDICT XVI When a cloud of white smoke wafted heavenward above the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican on April 19, 2005, some of us were hoping that the cardinal from Honduras would fill the shoes of the Fisherman. But this was not to be. The choice was Joseph Cardinal RatzingeR, who instantly assumed the papal title of Benedict XVI. 1. Dominus Iesus Why was I so apprehensive about this particular member of the Curia? During my research for the Master of Ecumenical Studies program at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the name Joseph RatzingeR surfaced twice as I wrote a major paper on interconfessional agreements. My arrival at Bossey coincided with the announcement of the 120 release of a controversial document co-authored by this German cardinal who headed the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Its full title is Declaration Dominus Iesus on the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church, dated August 6, 2000, the Feast of the Transfiguration on the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and coincidentally the fifty-fifth anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
    [Show full text]
  • Reconciling Evangelization and Dialogue Through Love of Neighbor
    Volume 52 Issue 2 Article 4 2007 Reconciling Evangelization and Dialogue through Love of Neighbor Amelia J. Uelmen Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/vlr Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Amelia J. Uelmen, Reconciling Evangelization and Dialogue through Love of Neighbor, 52 Vill. L. Rev. 303 (2007). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/vlr/vol52/iss2/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Villanova Law Review by an authorized editor of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law Digital Repository. Uelmen: Reconciling Evangelization and Dialogue through Love of Neighbor 2007] RECONCILING EVANGELIZATION AND DIALOGUE THROUGH LOVE OF NEIGHBOR AMELIA J. UELMEN* I. INTRODUCTION A. Pope Benedict and InterreligiousDialogue A year and a half into his papacy, Benedict XVI faced his first major .£l~international crisis. On September 12, 2006, he delivered an aca- demic lecture in Germany at the University of Regensburg on the theme of faith and reason in Western culture.1 In the context of a discussion on compulsion in religion, Benedict referred to a fourteenth century dia- logue in which the Byzantine Emperor addressed an Islamic scholar: "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman such as the command to spread by the 2 sword the faith he preached." Two days later the Organization of the Islamic Conference, represent- ing fifty-seven Islamic states, issued a press statement expressing "regret" for the "derogatory fallacies defaming Islam," and for the "smear cam- paign" that indulged in "character assassination of the prophet Moham- med." 3 In the days that followed, protests, some violent, occurred in Jakarta, Delhi, London and other cities.
    [Show full text]
  • Pope Benedict XVI's Fresh Approach to Interreligious Dialogue
    Beyond tolerance: Pope Benedict XVI's fresh approach to interreligious dialogue Author: Christopher Gross This work is posted on eScholarship@BC, Boston College University Libraries. Chestnut Hill, Mass.: Theology Dept., Boston College, 2007 Interreligious Dialogue Engaging Particularities Conference Paper Boston College Year 2007 Beyond Tolerance: Pope Benedict XVI’s Fresh Approach to Interreligious Dialogue Christopher Gross, Catholic University of America 2 In the last 2000 years, only two popes have visited mosques: John Paul II and Benedict XVI. For John Paul, while it was an extraordinary gesture, it was emblematic of his papacy. Only two years earlier, he had kissed the Quran, while visiting with a delegation of Iraqi Muslims, and in 1986, he invited religious leaders from around the world to Assisi in order to come together to pray for peace. Conversely, for Benedict, the move was uncharacteristic. Only a few months before his visit to Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, Benedict had enraged the Muslim community with his comments at Regensburg, and in 1986, Benedict, then Cardinal Ratzinger, was openly critical of the gathering at Assisi. In one of the few public disagreements between these two friends, Benedict firmly stated that Assisi could not be the model for interreligious dialogue and argued that it gave the false impression that all religions are equally valid.1 Given Benedict’s disapproval Assisi and then his recent visit to the Blue Mosque, how are we to interpret these seemingly contradictory actions? What is the approach to interreligious dialogue that will be taken by this new pontificate? With his recent interfaith gesture in Turkey, it would seem that Benedict is shifting his position on interfaith relations and dialogue in order to carry on the legacy left by his predecessor.
    [Show full text]
  • Dominus Iesus: an Ecclesiological Critique
    1 Dominus Iesus: An Ecclesiological Critique Richard P. McBrien Crowley-O'Brien-Walter Professor of Theology - University of Notre Dame, USA (Lecture given at the Centro Pro Unione, Thursday, 11 January 2001) I. Introduction It is a particular honor for me to be lecturing this evening in such an historic place. I am told that this hall functioned in the 16th and 17th centuries as a music room for the Doria Pamphilj family, and that the great Antonio Vivaldi performed his celebrated and still extraordinarily popular "The Four Seasons" here. It was the Pamphilj family that gave us Pope Innocent X. Four days ago the Pamphi1js would have marked the anniversary of Innocent's death, on January 7, 1655. He had been Bishop of Rome for just over a decade. Innocent's body remained in the sacristy of the Quirinale Palace for a few days after his death because his sister-in-law, Donna Olimpia Maidalchini, refused to pay the funeral expenses. She was a strong-willed woman who had been known around the city as "la popessa" (an epithet that anticipated by three centuries the label given Pius XII's confidant, Mother Pasqualina). Olimpia was also maliciously referred to as "Olimpia' — her name divided into two Latin words meaning "formerly pious". Innocent X was eventually buried in St Peter's with simple ceremonies, but his remains were transferred in 1730 by a distant nephew, Cardinal Camillo Pamphi1j, to the Pamphilj family crypt in Sant'Agnese in Agone, here on the Piazza Navona. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Pamphilj's election as Bishop of Rome had something in common with the recently protracted presidential election in the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • The Correlation Between Ecclesial Communion and the Recognition of Ministry
    Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Theology Faculty Research and Publications Theology, Department of 1-1-2016 The orC relation Between Ecclesial Communion and the Recognition of Ministry Susan K. Wood Marquette University, [email protected] Published version. One in Christ, Vol. 50, No. 2 (2016): 238-249. Publisher link. © 2016 Monastery of Christ Our Savior. Used with permission. 238 THE CORRELATION BETWEEN ECCLESIAL COMMUNION AND THE RECOGNITION OF MINISTRY Susan K. Wood* Recognition of an imperfect communion between churches, the recognition of ecclesial communities as churches, and the mutual recognition of ministry are treated as separate and discrete topics in ecumenical conversations. Nevertheless, an ecclesiology of communion suggests that ecclesial recognition and recognition of ministry within a relationship of imperfect communion should be correlated with each other in such a way that an imperfect ecclesial communion contributes to an incremental recognition of ministry in ecumenical relationships. This essay explores this question with specific references to the concept of communion in Chapter II, part D and E of the World Council of Churches document, The Church: Towards a Common Vision (2013). Too often, the recognition of an imperfect communion between churches, the recognition of ecclesial communities as churches, and the mutual recognition of ministry are treated as separate and discrete topics in ecumenical conversations. Nevertheless, an ecclesiology of communion suggests that ecclesial recognition and recognition of ministry within a relationship of imperfect communion should be correlated with each other in such a way that an imperfect ecclesial communion contributes to an incremental recognition of ministry in ecumenical relationships. This essay explores this question with * Susan K.
    [Show full text]
  • Department/School: Canon Law February 2020
    Department/School: Canon Law February 2020 CURRICULUM VITAE a) NAME: rank, status (tenured, contract, Member of FGPS, Graduate Faculty, core member, etc.) Employee #: 10216 GLENDINNING, Dr. Chad J., associate professor b) DEGREES: designation, institution, discipline, year J.C.D., Saint Paul University, Ottawa, ON, 2010 Ph.D., Canon Law, University of Ottawa, 2010 J.C.L, Saint Paul University, Ottawa, ON, 2008 M.C.L., Canon Law, University of Ottawa, 2007 B.Th., Theology, Saint Paul University, Ottawa, ON, 2005 B.A., Philosophy, King’s University College (UWO), London, ON, 2001 c) EMPLOYMENT HISTORY: dates, rank/position, department, institution/firm, current full-time position 2014- Associate Professor, Faculty of Canon Law, Saint Paul University 2010-14 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Canon Law, Saint Paul University 2009 Lecturer, Faculty of Canon Law, Saint Paul University d) ACADEMIC HONOURS: (F.R.S., F.R.S.C., Governor Generals Award, honorary degree, or equivalent. 2010 Governor General’s Academic Medal: Gold medal recipient e) SCHOLARLY AND PROFESSIONAL ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES: past 7 years only (eg. executive and editorial positions but not memberships in societies; invited presentations at national or international conferences. Please do not list manuscript and grant application reviews) 2019- Chair, Professional Responsibility Committee, Canon Law Society of America 2019- Member, Publications Advisory Board, Canon Law Society of America 2018- Anglophone Consultor, Executive Board, Canadian Canon Law Society 2018 Invited speaker,
    [Show full text]
  • Eschatology, Liturgy, and Christology
    Eschatology, Liturgy, and Christology Eschatology, Liturgy, and Christology Toward Recovering an Eschatological Imagination Thomas P. Rausch, SJ A Michael Glazier Book LITURGICAL PRESS Collegeville, Minnesota www.litpress.org A Michael Glazier Book published by Liturgical PressCover design by Ann Blattner. The Last Judgment by Fra Angelico, ca. 1400–1455. Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved. Excerpts from documents of the Second Vatican Council are from Vatican Council II: The Basic Sixteen Documents, by Austin Flannery, OP © 1996 (Costello Publish- ing Company, Inc.). Used with permission. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. © 2012 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, microfilm, mi- crofiche, mechanical recording, photocopying, translation, or by any other means, known or yet unknown, for any purpose except brief quotations in reviews, without the previous written permission of Liturgical Press, Saint John’s Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7500. Printed in the United States of America. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rausch, Thomas P. Eschatology, liturgy, and christology : toward recovering an eschatological imagination / Thomas P.
    [Show full text]
  • Caritas in Veritate
    The Holy See ENCYCLICAL LETTER CARITAS IN VERITATE OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF BENEDICT XVI TO THE BISHOPS PRIESTS AND DEACONS MEN AND WOMEN RELIGIOUS THE LAY FAITHFUL AND ALL PEOPLE OF GOOD WILL ON INTEGRAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN CHARITY AND TRUTH INTRODUCTION 1. Charity in truth, to which Jesus Christ bore witness by his earthly life and especially by his death and resurrection, is the principal driving force behind the authentic development of every person and of all humanity. Love — caritas — is an extraordinary force which leads people to opt for courageous and generous engagement in the field of justice and peace. It is a force that has its origin in God, Eternal Love and Absolute Truth. Each person finds his good by adherence to God's plan for him, in order to realize it fully: in this plan, he finds his truth, and through adherence to this truth he becomes free (cf. Jn 8:32). To defend the truth, to articulate it with humility and conviction, and to bear witness to it in life are therefore exacting and indispensable forms of charity. Charity, in fact, “rejoices in the truth” (1 Cor 13:6). All people feel the interior impulse to love authentically: love and truth never abandon them completely, because these are the vocation planted by God in the heart and mind of every human person. The search for love and truth is purified and liberated by Jesus Christ from the impoverishment that our humanity brings to it, and he reveals to us in all its fullness the initiative of love and the plan for true life that God has prepared for us.
    [Show full text]
  • Pope Benedict XVI - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Page 1 of 13
    Pope Benedict XVI - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 1 of 13 Pope Benedict XVI From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (in Latin Benedictus XVI) Benedict XVI was born Joseph Alois Ratzinger on April 16, 1927. He is the 265th and current Pope, the bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. He was elected on April 19, 2005, in the 2005 papal conclave, over which he presided. He was formally inaugurated during the papal inauguration Mass on April 24, 2005. Contents 1 Overview 2 Early life (1927–1951) 2.1 Background and childhood (1927–1943) 2.2 Military service (1943–1945) 2.3 Education (1946–1951) 3 Early church career (1951–1981) 4 Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (1981 - 2005) 4.1 Health 4.2 Sex abuse scandal Name Joseph Alois Ratzinger 4.3 Dialogue with other faiths Papacy began April 19, 2005 5 Papacy 5.1 Election to the Papacy Papacy ended Incumbent 5.1.1 Prediction Predecessor Pope John Paul II 5.1.2 Election Successor Incumbent 5.2 Choice of name Born April 16, 1927 5.3 Early days of Papacy Place of birth Marktl am Inn, Bavaria, 6 See also Germany 7 Notes 8 Literature 9 Works 10 See also 11 External links and references 11.1 Official 11.2 Biographical 11.3 General Overview Pope Benedict was elected at the age of 78, the oldest pope since Clement XII (elected 1730) at the start of his papacy. He served longer as a cardinal before being elected pope than any pope since Benedict XIII (elected 1724).
    [Show full text]
  • The Thoughts of Pope Benedict XVI
    The Pope and the World The Pope and the World: The Thoughts of Pope Benedict XVI By Dualta Roughneen The Pope and the World: The Thoughts of Pope Benedict XVI By Dualta Roughneen This book first published 2021 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2021 by Dualta Roughneen All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-5275-6215-8 ISBN (13): 978-1-5275-6215-8 WITH APPRECIATION FOR THE POPE EMERITUS TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 Chapter One ................................................................................................ 7 Papal Controversies in the World Chapter Two ............................................................................................. 15 Cardinal Controversies of the World Chapter Three ........................................................................................... 27 Liturgy and the World Chapter Four ............................................................................................. 37 Political Theory Chapter Five ............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Tribunal Procedures
    TRIBUNAL PROCEDURES Diocese of Cleveland TRIBUNAL PROCEDURES Revised September 2019 Tribunal 1404 East Ninth Street, 7th Floor Cleveland, OH 44114-2555 Telephone: 216-696-6525, extension 4000 Fax: 216-696-3226 Website: www.dioceseofcleveland.org/tribunal FOREWORD The promulgation of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus on September 8, 2015, has given new impetus to the tribunal’s ministry of justice. There are a number of new “provisions that favor not the nullity of marriages, but the speed of processes as well as the simplicity due them, lest the clouds of doubt overshadow the hearts of the faithful awaiting a decision regarding their state because of a delayed sentence.”1 At the same time we are reminded of “the unparalleled need to safeguard the truth of the sacred bond … by the judicial order.”2 The staff of the Tribunal of the Diocese of Cleveland takes this opportunity to renew its commitment to a collaborative ministry of justice to all God’s people. The assistance of priests, deacons, and lay ecclesial ministers in the ministry of the tribunal has for many years promoted effective resolutions to difficult issues of individuals’ marital status in the Church as well as enabled spiritual healing. It is hoped that this booklet will serve as a user friendly reference for those who minister in the parish as procurators. Reverend Gary D. Yanus, J.C.D. Judicial Vicar March 2016 1 FRANCIS, Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus (2015). 2 Ibid. i ii TRIBUNAL MISSION STATEMENT The Tribunal of the Diocese of Cleveland is the church court established by the Bishop of Cleveland in accordance with canon law.
    [Show full text]