Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

500 years after the Reformation: End the schism!
National Catholic Reporter ^ | March 1, 2017 | Hans Kung

Posted on 03/01/2017 9:40:57 AM PST by ebb tide

Hans Küng, Catholic priest and Swiss theologian, has taken great pains to end the 16th-century schism between Catholics and Protestants since he wrote his doctoral dissertation on "Justification. The Teaching of Karl Barth and a Catholic Reflection" in 1957. He continues that work today with the release of the statement below, which is being published simultaneously by National Catholic Reporter and The Tablet.

Küng has collected all his writings on the Justification Doctrine in the first volume of his collected works, which is being published by the German publishing house Herder. Sixty years ago, Küng's work led to the consensus reached by both churches on this central matter of dispute. The remaining 23 volumes of Küng's collected works document his efforts for ecumenical understanding and peace between denominations and religions.

It was most gratifying that the chairman of the Protestant Churches in Germany, Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, accompanied by the president of the German Catholic bishops' conference, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, officially visited Pope Francis in Rome together on the occasion of the Reformation Jubilee. The Pope spoke of "an already reconciled diversity." He said he greatly appreciated the spiritual and theological gifts that the Reformation had given us and that he wanted to do everything he could "to overcome the obstacles that still remained."

Already in September 2016, Bishop Bedford-Strohm and Cardinal Marx presented their "Common Word" entitled "Healing Memories — Bearing Witness to Christ." After five centuries of condemning and inflicting wounds upon each other, both the two leading Churches in Germany declared that they intended to celebrate the Reformation anniversary together as a "Feast for Jesus Christ."

A further pivotal point in the commemoration process will be the main Service of Repentance and Reconciliation that the Council of the Protestant Churches and the Catholic bishops' conference will celebrate together at Hildesheim on March 11, 2017.

We have, however, heard Vatican declarations of intent and suggestions of repentance and reconciliation all too often. We ecumenically committed Christians at long last want to see actions. Unfortunately, the "Common Word" does not mention the deadlock that exists in both church hierarchies on the decisive issues and disregards the fact that in many Protestant and Catholic communities, ecumenism has already been practiced for a long time now. For these communities, mutual recognition of each other's ministries and Eucharistic hospitality are no longer a problem. Church leaders lag far behind them. If the leaders do not take the matter of "overcoming the still remaining obstacles" seriously, they alone will have to bear the responsibility for not doing so before God and the faithful.

In the 2017 Jubilee Year, those responsible should consistently put the results of the ecumenical Dialogue Commissions into practice. The Catholic Church should consider the following issues:

*Martin Luther's rehabilitation,

*Lifting all the excommunications that were pronounced in the Reformation era,

*Recognizing Protestant and Anglican ministries,

*Mutual Eucharistic hospitality.

Innumerable Christians want to see the Protestant side bring these postulates to the attention of the Catholic Church just as clearly and outspokenly — but naturally not without the necessary self-criticism. Merely celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation without really ending the schism means incurring yet more guilt. May the pressure exerted by theologians, grassroots Christians, Christian communities, and many committed men and women help the church leadership in Rome and elsewhere, which is so often hesitant and afraid, not to miss this historic opportunity but to wake up, otherwise yet more people will turn away from the Church and more communities and groups will take the law into their own hands! In today's globalized, secularized world, Christianity will only come across as credible if it presents itself in truly reconciled diversity.

[Fr. Hans Küng is a Swiss citizen and professor emeritus of ecumenical theology at Tübingen University in Germany. This article was translated from the German by Christa Pongratz-Lippitt.]


TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; Mainline Protestant; Worship
KEYWORDS: francischurch; heresy; kung; luther
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-115 last
To: Texas Fossil
The Catholics MADE us Prots this way!

Why do their panties get in a wad when we actually DO what was done back in the early days?

101 posted on 03/05/2017 3:33:58 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: ebb tide
If all chose wisely, all would be Catholics.

Indeed we would!


102 posted on 03/05/2017 3:36:33 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]

To: terycarl
.....There are thousands of Protestant "denominations", all of which think that they are the right one.....

You are losing your touch!

Isn't it 30,000?

Or 50,000

or 80,000 like you USED to post?

103 posted on 03/05/2017 3:38:07 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies]

To: terycarl
...they were protesting a SCREWED UP 1,600 year old religion ...

That John wrote about in the last book of the BIBLE!

7 CATHOLIC 'churches' teaching all manner of; shall we say; CRAP!

104 posted on 03/05/2017 3:40:03 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies]

To: metmom
If all chose wisely, all would choose JESUS, not religion.


105 posted on 03/05/2017 3:45:41 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 69 | View Replies]

To: aMorePerfectUnion
He should clearly post that Catholics idolize dear blessed Mary and turn her into a demigoddess by making her into more than God did.

Ya THINK??



Let's try some easy math:


There are approximately 1.2 billion Catholics world wide;

If merely 1% of them  'ask' Mary for help just once each day;

that means that 12 million separate prayers are headed Mary's direction every day.

Given that there are 86,400 seconds per day... (24 hours times 60 minutes times 60 seconds)

...that means that Mary has to handle approximately 139 'requests' per second!

Purty good fer someone NOT 'divine'!

106 posted on 03/05/2017 3:46:54 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies]

To: Elsie

There are a lot of things I cannot understand about them.

It’s OK. Am comfortable with where I am. Not the least interested in arguing with them about anything.

I have friends in their camp, we get along fine.


107 posted on 03/05/2017 3:50:00 AM PST by Texas Fossil ((Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 101 | View Replies]

To: Elsie

Many of those who can, leave the Middle East. One from near Cairo explained to me that even in Egypt, the radicals are still there waiting for their opportunity again. He told me that the only path out was to leave. Have not heard from him for a while. He was young enough when I first talked with him that he still had military service ahead of him. Last talked with him about a year ago. He had finished his military stint, don’t think he actually served on front where the terrorists were.


108 posted on 03/05/2017 3:58:31 AM PST by Texas Fossil ((Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 86 | View Replies]

To: Arthur McGowan; mrobisr
Well, arty....care to try to refute any of this? It's all from Roman Catholics.

This is why Christians know Roman Catholics worship Mary.

109 posted on 03/05/2017 5:22:18 AM PST by ealgeone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]

To: ealgeone; metmom; boatbums; aMorePerfectUnion
This is why Christians know Roman Catholics worship Mary.

I can't speak for other Catholics, but when I was a Catholic, I know I worshipped Mary.
There is no doubt that she was blessed among women, but after giving birth to Jesus, she and Joseph had sex, like other married couples, and had other children, one of whom (James) became the leader of the Jerusalem church, not Peter. 😀

110 posted on 03/05/2017 7:45:03 AM PST by Mark17 (20 years a USAF Air Traffic Controller, RETIRED. A career that will make you old before your time)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 109 | View Replies]

To: ealgeone; Arthur McGowan; mrobisr; Mark17
Semantic gymnastics aside concerning whether they are actually *worshiping*, the plain fact is that the second commandment says this.....

Exodus 20:4-6 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

God doesn't actually say *Don't worship them* and I'd guess that it's because of those very same semantic gymnastics, but what He does here is address the outward actions, which are objective and can be objectively seen.,P> Catholics have made graven images and they bow down before them.

That is objectively seen disobedience to God's clear command.

111 posted on 03/05/2017 12:15:05 PM PST by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 109 | View Replies]

To: Elsie; terycarl

Even the 30k figure has been demonstrated to be wrong as they’ve been told on numerous occasions.


112 posted on 03/05/2017 12:56:06 PM PST by ealgeone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 103 | View Replies]

To: ealgeone; Elise

Unless, of course, a Protestant denomination has been corrupted by leftist infiltration.

Then all Protestants are the same.

At least once, I’ve been quoted that 30000 or a similar argument, only to have the heresy of the ELCA thrown at me a second later, as if we were the same.


113 posted on 03/06/2017 2:20:27 PM PST by Luircin (Dancing in the streets! Time to DRAIN THE SWAMP!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 112 | View Replies]

To: ebb tide

Torpedo Trent and fire your current Pope and maybe we will talk.


114 posted on 03/06/2017 5:35:47 PM PST by redleghunter (Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: redleghunter

If you want to see the Council of Trent torpedoed, I have no idea why you would want this current pope fired. He’s on your side.


115 posted on 03/06/2017 6:15:53 PM PST by ebb tide (We have a rogue curia in Rome)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 114 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-115 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson