Jesuit Cardinal Endorses Faulty Theological Book

A Theologian Remakes the Catholic Faith from Scratch. But the Church Says "No"
He is Vito Mancuso, in a highly successful book that has been recommended by cardinal Martini. In it, there is no longer any sin or redemption, but instead man saves himself. After months of silence, a double "stop right there"' from the Vatican authorities. Here are the complete texts by Sandro Magister

ROMA, February 8, 2008 – On the same day at the beginning of this February, "L'Osservatore Romano" and "La Civiltà Cattolica" – the official newspaper of the Holy See, and the magazine reviewed line by line by the Vatican secretariat of state – have blasted a book that has become a publishing, theological, and ecclesial event. In Italy, but not only here. The book is "L'anima e il suo destino [The soul and its destiny]," by Vito Mancuso. The two assaults were issued simultaneously by the two authoritative publications on February 2, the feast of the presentation of Jesus. In a few months, "L'anima e il suo destino" has gone through seven editions and has sold 80,000 copies in Italy, which is a very large number for a theology book.

Vito Mancuso, 46, married with children, teaches modern and contemporary theology in the faculty of philosophy at the Università San Raffaele in Milan, a private institution without Church ties. He obtained his doctorate in theology at the Pontifical Lateran University.

His thesis, sponsored by the president of the Italian Theological Association, Piero Coda, became his first book: "Hegel teologo e l'imperdonabile assenza del Principe di questo mondo [Hegel the theologian and the unforgivable absence of the Prince of this world]," issued in 1996. His next book was published in 2002: "Il dolore innocente. L'handicap, la natura e Dio [Innocent suffering: disability, nature, and God]." Both books were favorably received by established theologians of certified orthodoxy, like Fr. Gianni Baget Bozzo and Bruno Forte. The latter is a member of the international theological commission that flanks the Vatican congregation for the doctrine of the faith. In 2002, he was ordained a bishop by then-cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. He heads the archdiocese of Chieti and Vasto, and presides over the commission for theology and culture of the Italian bishops' conference. Well then, in "L'Osservatore Romano" of February 2nd, it is the archbishop-theologian Forte himself who deeply criticizes Mancuso's latest book.

His conclusion is straightforward: "This is not Christian theology, but 'gnosis', the presumption of saving oneself on one's own." But the many readers who have bought "L'anima e il suo destino" find at the opening of the volume a preface by another archbishop of widespread fame, the Jesuit cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, who vigorously recommends the book in spite of the fact and that he sees in it ideas "that are not always consistent with traditional, and sometimes official, Church teaching."

The cardinal then continues, addressing the author with familiarity: "It will be difficult to speak of these questions without keeping in mind what you have said with courageous incisiveness. [...] Even those who maintain that they have extremely solid points of reference can read your pages with profit, because at least they will be induced to question their own uncertainties, or they will be led to deepen them, clarify them, and confirm them."

Martini does not say what the points are that deviate from Catholic doctrine. But these points are, instead, set out in black and white in "L'Osservatore Romano " and "La Civiltà Cattolica." According to the latter magazine, "about a dozen" dogmas are either "denied" or "emptied of meaning" in the book. And they are all of the highest importance. Bruno Forte is no less critical in "L'Osservatore." He sees demolished the ideas of original sin, the resurrection of Christ, the eternity of hell, the salvation that comes from God.

The thesis of the book is that man is sufficient for himself and is saved by himself, in the light of his reason alone. Mancuso, who claims to be a Catholic, is aware of the earthquake that he has caused. But his stated purpose is precisely that of "refounding" the Christian faith.

In an article published on January 22 in the newspaper "il Foglio," he also rejected the dogma of creation and the doctrine of "Humanae Vitae" on contraception. He made the following argument against this latter doctrine: "We must look reality in the face for what it is, and not for what we would like it to be, and the reality is that sexual relations are widely practiced outside of marriage and beginning from a very early age."

Fr Baget Bozzo, formerly one of his admirers, replied to this in the same newspaper: "Dear Vito, what sense does it make for someone to continue calling himself a theologian, unless it's only for the commercialization of his product, when he has such a low conception of theology?" The reviews that appeared in "L'Osservatore Romano" and "La Civiltà Cattolica" are presented one after another further down on this page.

The author of the second one is Jesuit Father Corrado Marucci, a professor of biblical exegesis at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. The congregation for the doctrine of the faith has not involved itself directly in the case because Mancuso has no institutional connections with the Church, nor does he teach in an ecclesiastical university. But the fear was that silence on the part of the Church authorities would have fostered the idea that the theses in this book were innocuous or even commendable, offered as part of a fruitful debate, as recommended by cardinal Martini in his preface. "L'Osservatore Romano" and "La Civiltà Cattolica" have broken the silence and provided an authoritative indication of what is and is not consistent with Catholic doctrine and with the correct method of conducting theology.

A theology that in Italy, in the past year, has not produced only a questionable publishing success like "L'anima e il suo destino," but also a masterpiece of understanding of faith like the essay entitled "Ingresso alla bellezza [Entryway to beauty]" by Enrico Maria Radaelli.

Link (here)