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CALL TO ACTION RESPONDS TO VATICAN PRONOUNCEMENT
October 5, 2000

After much ado over a recent Vatican document, Dominus Iesus: On the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ, which reiterated in certain terms the Catholic Church as the primary, if not only, path to salvation, theologians, lay people and even church officials are coming forward to rebut the document's efficacy and validity.

Dominus Iesus is widely viewed as the latest salvo in the continuing attack on theologians and Catholic leaders in Asia for their openness to religious pluralism by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and his Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (CDF), an office of the Vatican. At the Sept. 5th press conference announcing the document's release, Ratzinger claimed the CDF consulted with the Asian Church in preparing the document, but Fr. Donald D'Souza, Secretary General of the Bishops' Conference of India, discounted such claims. In 1998, the Vatican tried but failed to force the Asian Bishops' Synod to place more emphasis on Christ as unique savior when relating to Buddhism and Hinduism.

The Vatican made a similar attack on the liberation theology movement in Latin America in the 1980's. It is interesting to note that when that condemning document was released in 1984, a similar reaction occurred and the Pope himself called for a new document with a more positive tone, which was then released in 1986.

INTERNATIONAL REACTION

The reaction from Asian religious leaders has thus far been mixed, from those who simply invalidate it, to those who are notably angry, but all of these agree that the document grossly ignores Asian reality.

• A Bishop of the protestant Church of South India, C.L. Furtado, said the Vatican declaration "has absolutely no relevance in the present Indian or Asian context." He said he was "shocked" by the document, particularly at a time when Christians in Asia are working toward a "more refined and open sharing with Rome." -UCAN
  
• Father John Fernandez, founding president of the Catholic Priests' Conference of India, called for a serious dialogue between the "Western clergy who prepared this document and Asian theologians who [have to] live with it." He said the document imposes an "18th century European faith on a 21st century Asian Church." -UCAN
  
• Sheikh Jamal, a Muslim journalist, said the document's "language of antagonism" cannot be the way to dialogue. -UCAN

Several Cardinals have responded negatively to Dominus, including an unusual public criticism from Cardinal Edward Cassidy, a Vatican insider. Cassidy is President of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, a parallel to the CDF in Vatican hierarchy, and criticized Ratizinger for issuing a document "mistaken in tone and timing" He also said the Pope had not signed the document. -Sydney Morning Herald

Two Jewish representatives refused to attend a recent interreligious meeting scheduled at the Vatican as a protest to Dominus. -Foxnews

CONTRADICTION WITHIN THE VATICAN

One Asian theologian targeted by the proscription is Tissa Balasuriya, an Oblate priest from Sri Lanka. Balasuriya was actually excommunicated in 1997 after accusations of heresy, but reinstated in 1998 after a worldwide protest. Shortly after the release of Dominus Iesus, he released a statement pointing out a timely irony, and suggested that the real dialogue that must occur is within the walls of the Vatican, between various offices of the Pope:

He recently received two Vatican documents--Dominus Iesus and Pro Dialogo, the journal of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Appearing within the pages of Pro Dialogo is the report on the Interreligious Assembly held in the Vatican City last October, which welcomed about 200 participants from 20 different religious traditions and 50 countries.

In Pope John Paul's address to the Assembly, he said, "The task before us is therefore to promote a culture of dialogue. Individually and together, we must show how religious belief inspires peace, encourages solidarity, promotes justice, and upholds liberty.

"The teaching and example of Jesus Christ have given Christians a clear sense of the universal brotherhood [sic] of all people. Awareness that the spirit of God works where he will stops us from making hasty and dangerous judgments, because it evokes appreciation of what lies hidden in the hearts of others."

Yet another contradiction to Dominus precepts came only two days after the Sept. 5 release of Dominus when the Pope welcomed Egypt's ambassador to the Vatican. He recalled a prior meeting with the Grand Sheikh of Egypt, Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, when they "both expressed the wish for a new era of religious and cultural dialogue between Islam and Christianity."

"Religion is the enemy of exclusion and discrimination." the Pope said. "It seeks the good of everyone and therefore ought always to be a stimulus for solidarity and harmony between individuals and among peoples."

U.S. REACTIONS

In the U.S., many ranking Church officials have gone on record in response to the document. Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles expressed his regret in a written statement on Sept. 9th that Dominus Iesus "may not fully reflect the deeper understanding that has been achieved through ecumenical and interreligious dialogue over these last 30 years or more." -CNS

• Rembert Weakland, Archbishop of Milwaukee and veteran of ecumenical dialogue, said many dialogue partners would find the tone of Dominus "heavy, almost arrogant, and condescending." He said it "ignores all of the ecumenical dialogues of the last 35 years, as if they did not exist. None of the agreed statements are cited. Has no progress toward convergence of theological thought occurred in the last 35 years?" -Milwaukee Catholic Herald, Sep. 14
  
• Archbishop Alexander Brunett of Seattle, who is Catholic Co-Chair of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Dialogue, agreed: "This declaration does not further the cause of mutual understanding and dialogue."  -CNS

Still many say that official interfaith dialogue will continue unharmed:

• Martin Marty, of the University of Chicago Divinity School, wrote in his column "Sightings": "Will such language cause the 'gravely deficient'--Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, evangelical--to break off relations with Catholicism in the public sphere? Not on your life." He says it is not likely they "will do more than sulk."

Marty cited the keen perspective of Harvard theologian Harvey Cox who commented, "We knew all along what official Catholicism taught, but we took it with a grain of salt. This month's statement issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith only calls forth larger grains of more salt. Otherwise, no problem. They'll keep talking."  -"Sightings"

CALL TO ACTION RESPONSE

Call To Action, a Catholic not-for-profit in Chicago, Ill. focused on reform in the Catholic Church, hopes the damage from the document can be assuaged by the response of these scholars' opinions, and emphasizes the idea that the Catholic Church is a church of the people, as welll as of Vatican pronouncements. But while official interreligious dialogue may continue, Call To Action is concerned about the implications for the people of these communities, for personal dialogue and relationships.

"Regardless of this document's significance in official proceedings, we are worried about the perception in the general public. There, the damage has already been done," said Linda Pieczynski, spokesperson for Call To Action. "When a statement from the Vatican says things like 'followers of other religions...are in a gravely deficient situation,' communication will break down. People are offended. Catholics are offended and embarrassed by such a statement."

"We can only hope that Catholic people will listen to the call of their hearts and know that the broader church, which is the people of God, supports them."

This November 3-5, Call To Action will host its national conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which will feature several leading scholars on Interfaith dialogue like Chung-Hyun Kyung of Korea, a Presbyterian theologian who rocked the World Council of Churches assembly in 1991 by using pre-Christian motifs to discuss the Holy Spirit. Also on the program are Ghulam Haider-Aasi, a Muslim scholar from Chicago, and a plenary address by George Tinker, a Native American and Lutheran theologian. Rabbi Arthur Waskow and Phyllis Berman will talk about the Sabbath and lead an inclusive ritual.

For more information on the Call To Action conference, see www.cta-usa.org, or call 773-404-0004.

Call To Action is a national organization of 20,000 laity, religious, priests and bishops with its national office in Chicago. It has 40 local chapters and advocates for reforms in the Catholic Church such as the ordination of women, optional celibacy for priests, more focus on the church's social justice teaching, and consultation with the Catholic people on church decision-making. Its comprehensive web site is at www.cta-usa.org.

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