“To strive for healing and justice”

adminonNovember 22, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

View over Campo Santo Teutonico at the Vatican © Stefano Dal Pozzolo (CBA)

Vatican has praised final report of Australian commission on sexual abuse in institutions. The report, he said, is the result of years of diligent effort and must now be studied.

It is important to listen to victims and survivors of abuse and to accompany them "in the search for healing and justice.". At the same time, the statement recalls Pope Francis' arance that the church must be a place of compassion. He added that the protection of children and vulnerable adults has a special place in this process.

On Friday, the state abuse commission had delivered its final report to the Australian government in Canberra. Among the 189 recommendations for action in the report, which runs to tens of thousands of pages, are a relaxation of the secrecy of confession and an abolition of compulsory celibacy for Catholic priests.

The president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne, on Friday reiterated his "unconditional apology for the suffering of those affected" who must be given justice. He said the "prevailing culture of secrecy and self-protection" had caused "unnecessary suffering" to many victims and their families. Hart, however, rejected a softening of the seal of confession.

Is the Pope or the Church infallible?? It was not only the participants in the First Vatican Council 150 years ago who were faced with this question. Our theology editor Jan Hendrik Stens also had to deal with it once.

"Is the pope infallible??" – I was asked this question in my church history exam. And I knew that if I answered "yes" now, I would have been allowed to come back one more time. Arnold Angenendt, then professor of Medieval and Modern Church History in Munster, had repeatedly announced in his lectures that he would fail anyone who claimed that the Pope himself was infallible.

And then he cited how the relevant constitution, "Pastor Aeternus," correctly states, namely, that when the pope makes final decisions by virtue of his authority, he possesses that infallibility "with which the divine Redeemer willed to endow his Church in making final decisions in doctrines of faith and morals". Almost word for word, the Second Vatican Council repeats it in its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (LG 25). What is meant here is not all the statements that a pope makes, sometimes spontaneously, but also deliberately and in a pre-formulated way. Also an encyclical – so Angenendt – is a magisterial letter, but has nothing to do with infallibility. So when it comes to such a formulation "ex cathedra" in a final act, it always happens in association with the bishops who exercise the magisterium together with the successor of Peter. The Second Vatican Council in turn also writes that.

The dogma of infallibility is therefore not a carte blanche for the pope to tamper with the teachings of the church as he sees fit. Angenendt compared such unchallengeable "ex cathedra" decisions with court decisions of last instance. If, for example, the "Supreme Court of the United States" makes a judgment, then this is also final and unchallengeable. In and of itself a beautiful explanation, with which it can live itself. But that even judgments of the highest courts are criticized, we are currently experiencing again. And the debate around an ie even final judgments cannot stifle.

Twelve years after my church history exam, Angenendt's successor, Hubert Wolf, published the story of an Inquisition trial of members of the monastery of Sant'Ambrogio della Massima in Rome in the years 1859 to 1862. The trial at that time was also directed against the Jesuit priest Josef Kleutgen, who not only promoted morally and doctrinally questionable practices of the monastery, but also broke the seal of confession and had some sexual relations. Although the windy Jesuit from Germany had been condemned as a heretic, after his pardon he rose to become one of Pope Pius IX's most important advisors. and Leo XIII. at. His four-volume work, "The Theology of the Ancient Times," played a major role in determining neo-scholasticism, which at that time was accepted as the only legitimate teaching of the Church. And Kleutgen is also said to have helped formulate the dogma of infallibility.

Against this background, one looks today somewhat sobered and ambivalent at a truth of faith that is now 150 years old and wonders which other church doctrinal decisions may have been set in motion in a similar way or by similarly dazzling figures in church history. Nevertheless, with the dogma of infallibility remains the image of a final decision, which is valid for the whole church. Since 1870, however, this has only been used once, namely when Pius XII. proclaimed the bodily amption of Mary into heaven as a dogma. So the dose is very small and probably better remain so in the future.

Jan Hendrik Stens

Bishop Stephan Ackermann on the sidelines of a demonstration against large parishes (archive) © Harald Oppitz (KNA)

The diocese of Trier wanted to put its church life on a new footing in view of current and future challenges. The Vatican has shown a stop sign to the plans – and set narrow limits with its latest instruction.

CBA: How do you evaluate the new Vatican document?

Bishop Stephan Ackermann (Diocese of Trier): The document emphasizes very strongly the priest, especially in the role of pastor. I am irritated that there is no trace of the topic of abuse and prevention. No awareness of the problem is expressed that parishes have been and can be places of sexual violence. How can a congregation responsible for the clergy draft a document in 2020 that does not even refer to it? Especially as the representative of the German Bishops' Conference for this question, this bothers me.

CBA: You were familiar with the broad outlines of the contents of the document after your talks in Rome. No surprises for you, then?

Ackermann: For us it came as less of a surprise than for other dioceses, but still raises many questions. In the document, statements stand unconnected next to each other. Some things clearly point to the future, for example, when it is said that the parish should not become rigid in its structures or should also reach people outside the parish. While reading it, I wondered what was understood of our realities and our difficulties that we presented in Rome. Several times there is talk of a creativity that is desired for the further development of parish life. That is good. But if you read on, you get the impression that there is little room for creativity. The tone of the document, especially in the second part, does not invite it. Rather, opportunities for change will be severely limited.
CBA: What does it mean?
Ackermann: The responsibility of God's people is emphasized – but how that is to be lived out beyond the familiar forms remains vague and is rather reduced in possibilities. The paper states that the church is also enriched by the progress of social life. For me, this includes our democratic culture and the position of women. So: for me there is a discrepancy between a thoroughly appealing vision of the parish as a place where the Gospel is lived out and the indications for its concrete realization.

Pope Francis emphasizes the importance of synodality and the local church. I do not see this concern in the Instruction. On the contrary, I see the personal responsibility of the diocese and the bishop limited. Of course I will remain in dialogue with Rome – but one must also name things clearly.

CBA: With the reform, the diocese and the diocesan synod have stood up for a new culture of church, for power sharing, a revaluation of women and against clericalism. Does the Instruction make this impossible??

Ackermann: It will not be impossible, but the Instruction sets noticeably narrower limits – even more clearly than our talks in Rome recently indicated. The document is very principled. On the other hand, I am confident that with Rome for the concrete situations also flexible solutions can be found. And we will certainly not go back to a standard of participation that has been in practice for a long time. We stay on track in the sense that we bring the concerns of the synod into a realization that is ecclesial. Nothing else we had in mind.

CBA: Power, sexuality and abuse are also at stake in the nationwide reform talks of the Catholic Church. In view of the new Vatican paper, how should the synodal journey continue??
Ackermann: We continue on the path we have begun. The Synodal Way, of course, cannot bypass the Instruction and certainly the document will influence the talks. But not in the sense that we don't have to think forward. I do not see the paper as the end of the line. Rather, it calls for even more intense conversations with Rome. And not only on the part of the diocese of Trier, but together with other dioceses in Germany, which are facing the same challenges as we are.

The interview was conducted by Anna Fries.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply