The Vatican extends the prohibition to teach theology at Father Roger Haight The American Jesuit had already been punished in 2004
New York, December 3, 2008 (Apic) The Vatican has extended the ban to teach theology at Catholic Father Roger Haight, aged 72. The American Jesuit had already been sanctioned by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in December 2004 for his book "Jesus Symbol of God."
According to information collected from his congregation, the Vatican prohibited him from publishing further articles, and also meant the ban on teaching in training centers, non-Catholics as the Union Theological Seminary. Father Haight, a member of the Jesuit Province of New York, taught in this institution protestant interdénominationnelle New York since his forced retirement as a professor in "Weston Jesuit School of Theology" Cambridge / Massachusetts.
They are always the issues of his book "Jesus Symbol of God" which are a problem. In 2000 already, the Vatican had ordered the suspension of education while an investigation on his book was in progress. The work of Father Roger Haight explores themes of the divinity of Christ, the resurrection, the Trinity and the salvation of non-Christians. It focuses particularly on the issue of interreligious dialogue, and stresses that "the revelation of Jesus teaches that God's grace is operative in other religions."
Unease among theologians U.S.
Confirming the validity of other religions, Father Haight says, "does not diminish the normativity of Jesus Christ. And say normativity of Christ not only for Christians but for all human beings, does point the validity of other religions ".
Controversial points of the book had already been discussed at the congress of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA) in 2002. Reacting to the time for intervention Vatican, Roberto S. Goizueta, chairman of the CTSA and professor of theology at Boston College, found that the note from the Congregation Roman blurs the boundary between theology and catechesis, "while theology is about exploring the creative and the Revelation Church doctrine." In his view, the challenged book is "an exploration, and Father Haight does nothing else."
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had ruled that the book "Jesus Symbol of God" (Maryknoll Orbis Books, 1999) of Father Roger Haight contains serious doctrinal errors regarding certain fundamental truths of faith , which had Conduct to issue a "Notification" in this regard, dated 13 December 2004.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated that the statements contained in the book in question "must be presented as serious doctrinal errors against the divine and catholic faith of the Church. Therefore, a ban imposed on the author of 'teach Catholic theology until he does not rectify its position to be in full conformity with the doctrine of the Church. " The book had received in 2000 an award from the Association of the Catholic Press in the USA (CPA), calling it "the best book of theology of the year," while the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA) had declared itself "deeply pained" by the measures taken by the Roman Congregation.
Several Jesuits challenged in recent years
Since 1965, the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith issued a dozen "notices" against the works of theologians do not conform to the Magisterium of the Church. It is thus intervened against Hans Küng in 1975 and 1980, Jacques Pohier in 1979, Edward Schillebeeckx in 1980, 1984 and 1985, Leonardo Boff in 1985, Charles Curran in 1986, Tissa Balasuriya in 1997, the Jesuit Anthony de Mello in 1998, Reinhard Messner in 2000, the Jesuit Jacques Dupuis and the Spanish moral theologian Marciano Vidal in 2001, the Jesuit Roger Haight in 2004, and finally against the liberation theologian Jon Sobrino Spanish.
In recent years, several Jesuits have been questioned for their involvement in liberation theology. The latest, in March 2007, Father Jon Sobrino, is one of the last great figures of Latin American liberation theology. Following the case Sobrino, 88 professors of theology in Germany and Austria have called for a reform of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican. They supported an inquiry of their colleague Peter Hünermann, dogmaticien and professor emeritus at the University of Tübingen.
Several works of Swiss and the Faculty of Theology at the University of Lucerne had reacted "with dismay" the measures taken by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the faith against Jon Sobrino, which it blamed in particular characterize Jesus more as a companion solidarity men as God the Redeemer.
Father Jon Sobrino was one of the liberation theologians of the most famous Latin American and still enjoys a great reputation. Its history is linked to violence in El Salvador in 80 years, especially the death of the archbishop of San Salvador Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero was assassinated in 1980. He taught at the Jesuit University of Central America Jose Simeon Canas (UCA) during the civil war and escaped, unlike the other six Jesuits, the killers of the Atlacatl Battalion of the Salvadoran armed forces who had killed the 16 November 1989. (apic / KNA / be)
Link (here) to French source translated via Google Translate
Link (here) CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
Hat Tip to David Gibson (here)
1 comment:
Fr Haight's position simply reflects the Liberal Protestant theological speculations of thirty-forty years ago. They have now become mainstream in the Liberal Protestant mentality and you see the diluted chsos that has resulted in ECUSA and other Protestant American denominations where anything goes. The Church's teaching offers a radical orthodox alternative which makes fuller sense of the Christian tradition as it has been received through time.
I once heard the last General of the Jesuits say at a public meeting that, as opposed to other Jesuits whose work had come to the notice of the Congregation, Fr Haight's views were in a cetegory of their own and were inconsistent with Catholic teaching. He said that they posed a special problem. The Church had no alternative but to condemn them. It is amazing that his book passed a Jesuit censor in the first place and one can only assume that this was done on a basis of naivety and arrogance.
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