Posted on 04/22/2009 9:56:12 AM PDT by NYer
FREIBURG, Germany April 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - According to the chairman of the Catholic bishops' conference of Germany, the death of Jesus Christ was not a redemptive act of God to liberate human beings from the bondage of sin and open the gates of heaven. The Archbishop of Freiburg, Robert Zollitsch, known for his liberal views, publicly denied the fundamental Christian dogma of the sacrificial nature of Christ's death in a recent interview with a German television station.
Zollitsch said that Christ "did not die for the sins of the people as if God had provided a sacrificial offering, like a scapegoat."
Instead, Jesus had offered only "solidarity" with the poor and suffering. Zollitsch said "that is this great perspective, this tremendous solidarity."
The interviewer asked, "You would now no longer describe it in such a way that God gave his own son, because we humans were so sinful? You would no longer describe it like this?"
Monsignor Zollitsch responded, "No."
Archbishop Robert Zollitsch was appointed to the See of Freiburg im Breisgau in 2003 under Pope John Paul II. He is he sitting Chairman of the German Episcopal Conference, to which he was elected in 2008 and is regarded as a "liberal" in the German episcopate.
In February 2008 he said that priestly celibacy should be voluntary and that it is not "theologically necessary." Zollitsch has also said he accepts homosexual civil unions by states, but is against same-sex "marriage."
He told Meinhard Schmidt-Degenhard, the program's host, that God gave "his own son in solidarity with us unto this last death agony to show: 'So much are you worth to me, I go with you, and I am totally with you in every situation'."
"He has become involved with me out of solidarity - from free will."
Christ, he said, had "taken up what I have been blamed for, including the evil that I have caused, and also to take it back into the world of God and hence to show me the way out of sin, guilt and from death to life."
However, Article 613 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the definitive work issued by the Church explaining the dogmas and doctrines of the Catholic religion, describes the death of Christ as "both the Paschal sacrifice that accomplishes the definitive redemption of men, through 'the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world', the sacrifice of the New Covenant, which restores man to communion with God by reconciling him to God through the 'blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins'."
The Catechism continues, "This sacrifice of Christ is unique; it completes and surpasses all other sacrifices. First, it is a gift from God the Father himself, for the Father handed his Son over to sinners in order to reconcile us with himself. At the same time it is the offering of the Son of God made man, who in freedom and love offered his life to his Father through the Holy Spirit in reparation for our disobedience."
To express concerns:
Congregation for Bishops
Giovanni Battista Re, Cardinal, Prefect
Palazzo della Congregazioni,
00193 Roma,
Piazza Pio XII, 10
Phone: 06.69.88.42.17
Fax: 06.69.88.53.03
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
William Joseph Levada, Cardinal, Prefect
Piazza del S. Uffizio,
11, 00193
Roma, Italy
Phone: 06.69.88.33.57; 06.69.88.34.13
Fax: 06.69.88.34.09
Zollitsch said that Christ "did not die for the sins of the people as if God had provided a sacrificial offering, like a scapegoat."GERMAN LIBERATION THEOLOGY
Instead, Jesus had offered only "solidarity" with the poor and suffering. Zollitsch said "that is this great perspective, this tremendous solidarity."
The interviewer asked, "You would now no longer describe it in such a way that God gave his own son, because we humans were so sinful? You would no longer describe it like this?"
Monsignor Zollitsch responded, "No."
Sounds a lot like Obama's BLACK LIBERATION THEOLOGY
Something tells me that he’ll be getting a call from the Pope on this one.
Well, that's mildly encouraging news about the German episcopate.
And the authority for this proclamation comes from where?
Me thinks he never read the bible.
Can he be excommunicated for this?
I hope there is someone in the Vatican who speaks German.
The Baltimore Catechism which at one time was required to be memorized, explained and essays written.
Alas, you take that away and you get heretics like this nut job. Soory, but whatever title he may have, he is NOT Catholic.
Objection: assuming facts not in evidence: "...one more..."
Hmmm, I think I’ll take God’s word on Christs purpose over the good Arch-Bishops. I think he needs to go look up the word propitiation.
It really is sad that entire churches have pastors, preachers, priests, deacons, what have you that are leading them this far astray.
LOL! Do you think Joe Ratzinger has forgotten already?
I spend time going over much of the Catechism with my 8th grade students, as well as the writings of St. Thomas Acquinas.
Maybe he'd like to sit in on our classes. ; )
” Zollitsch, known for his liberal views?”
“liberal?”
Since when is a lie considered a “liberal view?”
Oh, excuse me, I forgot we’re living in a Leftist world.
The bible warns us that there will be evil men even in the church who will pervert his words. I’d think this is a shinning example of that.
This is correct, if you take it that he was referring to ALL The PEOPLE - or ALL MANKIND. If one does, one must believe that ALL MANKIND is saved, because the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ from the cross, SAVES ABSOLUTELY and ASSUREDLY; IT NEVER FAILS.
When Monsignor Zollitsch said that Christ "did not die for the sins of the people as if God had provided a sacrificial offering, like a scapegoat."
If you take this as "His people" rather than "the people" then He is utterly in the wrong. And from his other comments, my belief is that he has repudiated his faith and should undergo church discipline; most definitely a removal from his position.
an Archbishop who does not know a basic Church teaching that we learned from our parents and Sister Helen Ann in grade school. Pathetic.
Paging our Holy Father. Check out the situation in your Homeland. Ready, Aim, FIRE!!!!!!
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