Indeed.
Posted on 03/11/2008 8:05:54 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Rumors that the Vatican is set to rehabilitate Martin Luther, the 16th-century leader of the Protestant Reformation, are groundless, said the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi.
News reports in early March alleged that Pope Benedict XVI was dedicating a planned September symposium with former doctoral students to re-evaluating Luther, who was excommunicated and condemned for heresy.
The story "does not have any foundation, insofar as no rehabilitation of Luther is foreseen," Father Lombardi told the Italian news agency ANSA March 8.
Vatican officials said the topic of the pope's annual summer gathering of former students this year has not yet been decided. Of the two topics under consideration, Luther is not one of them, one official told Catholic News Service.
Excesses in 16th-century preaching about indulgences and in Catholic penitential practices sparked Luther, a theologian and Augustinian monk, to seek reform in the church. His concerns started a movement that led to the Protestant Reformation.
The church excommunicated Luther for preaching a philosophy doubting the pope's infallibility.
Luther emphasized the absolute primacy of God's action in freeing people from sin and making them just, and the total sufficiency of Christ's death to expiate the sins of all.
In 1983, Pope John Paul II noted that studies by Lutheran and Catholic researchers "have led to a more complete and more differentiated image of the personality of Luther" as well as the complicated historical factors surrounding his life.
Nearly 500 years after the Reformation began in 1517, Lutherans and Catholics resolved one of the issues that began the Reformation era when they signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in 1999.
The declaration said the churches' consensus on basic truths means that the doctrine of justification is not a church-dividing issue for Catholics and Lutherans even though differences between them remain in language, theological elaboration and emphasis surrounding those basic truths.
Well, darn!
This effort is already complete:
Nearly 500 years after the Reformation began in 1517, Lutherans and Catholics resolved one of the issues that began the Reformation era when they signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in 1999.
But, of course, you guys don't like that one, because the Vatican didn't run up the white flag and cave.
They aren't going to run up the white flag and cave to the Muzzies, either.
The Pope planting a big sloppy one on the Koran seems to be pretty darn close.
Is that a fact? Lutherans. I see.
Rome resolved one of the issues with Lutherans.
One of the Lutheran groups that was a signatory to that document was the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. That's right. Our own ECLA. I'm sure you know about them Campion. Female priests. Pro-abortion. Typical failing liberal mainline church.
I trust you take great pride in the fact that Rome and ELCA are one step closer.
Oh wheee.
Would I prefer to have some sort of commonality with the WELS and the LCMS? Sure I would.
The first thing we can "dialogue" about with them is why we don't really agree with them that the Pope is antichrist, as both of them continue to formally, publicly, profess in their confessions of faith.
There probably won't be time, or occasion, or reason to discuss much else.
Indeed.
But then we never expected any slam dunk on such things . . .
Though one of us believes God is moving in startling ways on such fronts.
I pray it is so.
How DARE someone try to respect a Catholic!
The declaration said the churches' consensus on basic truths means that the doctrine of justification is not a church-dividing issue for Catholics and Lutherans even though differences between them remain in language, theological elaboration and emphasis surrounding those basic truths.
The most under-reported story of the past century.
The article which made the original claim, also breathlessly informed us that it was all being done because the Pope wanted to soften his image after the "Protestant Churches aren't really true Churches" controversy.
Big red flag. That told me the whole article was complete garbage.
Chalk up another one for "The Times" of London; Rupert Murdoch's publication of record for matters Catholic.
Well, since we're going to stick to the issues,
-why doesn't the Catholic church recant TrentOnly then can anyone have an honest dialog. Oh sure, you can sign a document with the ELCA and claim that progress has been made. But conservative Reformed and Lutherans will never, ever go along with such unless Rome were to take such steps.
-stop using condescending terms like "seperated brethren" when speaking of non-Catholic Christians
-and, formally acknowledge that the full benefits of Christ are sealed in all who claim the biblical title Christian
How does any human being 'rehabilitate' a dead person?
(2) What do you want us to call you? "Heretics and schismatics"?
(3) formally acknowledge that the full benefits of Christ are sealed in all who claim the biblical title Christian What does that mean? Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses are "sealed" in the "full benefits of Christ"?
In any case, for the most part the traditional Protestant groups won't talk to us. We can hardly be blamed for failing to talk to those who want talk to us. Dialogue predicated on the unilateral prior surrender of one of the parties is not dialogue.
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