Vatican
document stresses Catholic superiority, irks theologians
By George Iype in Kochi
http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/sep/13iype.htm
A new Vatican ecumenical document asserting the superiority of the Catholic
Church over other Christian denominations has upset Indian theologians and
church leaders, who fear that it will affect the ongoing inter-religious
dialogue in the country.
Last week, the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith published the document titled 'Declaration Dominus Iesus: On the
Unicity and the Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church'
reaffirming the unique role of Jesus Christ as saviour of all people on earth.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation,
who accompanied Pope John Paul II
to India last year had released the document which asserts that churches are not
equal. It also doubts the validity of Protestant Churches and asks Catholic
bishops conferences across the world not use the term "sister
churches" in reference to Protestant Churches.
The Pope has also written to bishops in Asia warning
that they should not use the term "sister churches when speaking of the
Anglican communion and non-Catholic ecclesiastical communities."
Claiming Vatican's superiority over all other churches,
the document says that "no Roman pontiff ever recognised the equalisation
of Sees or accepted that only a primacy of honour be accorded to the Holy
See," meaning that Rome has superior authority.
"Churches that do not have a valid episcopate and
the genuine and integral substance of the eucharistic mystery are not churches
in the proper sense," it said, adding that the Vatican is seriously
concerned about the rapid spread of relativistic and pluralistic mentality among
theologians.
Experts have pointed that the Vatican document is aimed
at Asia, and particularly India, thanks to the development of theologies and
religious pluralism in the region.
While Protestant Churches in Europe have criticised the
Vatican document, theologians in India have reacted that it will thwart the
church's ongoing talks with other religions -- especially the Hindu religious
leaders -- for communal peace and social harmony.
"The Vatican document and its latest position
asserting the superiority of the Catholic Church over other churches is
certainly a setback to the ecumenical and inter-religious movement in
India," Bishop Sam Mathew of the Church of South India told rediff.com.
He said the Protestant Churches will not accept the
Vatican's assertion of superiority. "I fear that the document was
ill-timed, as it clearly affects the ecumenical movement in which all churches
in India have made tremendous progress," the Bishop added.
But the country's most prominent inter-religious
dialogue expert, Father Albert Nambiaparambil, claimed that the document does
not pose any threat to the ongoing inter-religious dialogue in India and across
the world.
"What the Vatican has done is to repeat its
traditional teachings through the document. These teachings have always asserted
the unicity of the Catholic Church. Therefore, the ecumenical movement and
inter-religious dialogues in India can not be blocked by the document,"
Father Nambiaparambil told rediff.com.
But he said what has triggered protests against the
document across the world is "the language used in it".
"Theologians and other church leaders are upset that the language used by
the Vatican is one of superiority. They are not disturbed by the document's
content," he said.
"I too feel that for any inter-religious dialogue
to succeed, we need to use open-ended language, not a possessive one," the
inter-religious dialogue expert pointed out.
Baseliyos Marthomma Mathews II, head of the Kerala-based
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church said the document will nullify the significant
progress that churches have made in ecumenical and inter-religious fellowships
especially in a country like India.
"Vatican's assertion that Protestant Churches
should not be called sister churches is not a good development. It sets the
clock back on unity within the churches," he added.
According to Dr Joseph Kolangadan, an Indian church
history scholar, the Vatican affirmation denying the "sister churches"
appellation to Protestant Churches "is a bad and conservative
development". "Though the document is consonant to the Catholic
tradition of superiority, it definitely marks as a reverse trend from the Holy
See," he said.
But the Syro Malabar Church head, Major Archbishop
Varkey Vithayathil, said the apprehensions about the document's contents are
needless. "It has just reiterated the basic elements of faith and the
unique role of Catholic Church. Therefore, it can never block any
inter-religious dialogue or theologies dealing with inter-religious
relations," he told rediff.com.
He added that the Vatican and its documents are not
obstacles in the path of ongoing dialogue with other churches and other
religions, especially in a country like India.
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