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73. Restoring Full and Visible Unity?

January 29th, 2014

“Has Christ been divided?” This is the question that Paul rhetorically asks to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:13), and this is also the question that Pope Francis commented upon in his homily at the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. His brief meditation shows the passion that is a defining mark of the present pontificate, but it also restates important aspects of the traditional Roman Catholic view of unity that has been expounded since Vatican II.

A Given and a Goal

The first remark has to do with the understanding of unity as a “goal”. In commenting on the developments of the ecumenical movement, he speaks of “journeying together on the road towards unity,” implying the idea that unity stands ahead of us as if it were a goal to be eventually reached. Unity is therefore in the future tense. What does exactly unity mean here and why is it in the future tense? Later on, the Pope makes a comment that sheds light on these issues. He refers to the prospect of “restoration of full visible unity among all Christians” as the future climax of the ecumenical path. There is need, however, to unpack such a statement.

Firstly there is the idea of “restoration.” According to this view, there was a time in the life of the church when full and visible unity existed. It is not explicitly stated here, but what is perhaps referred to is the “undivided” First Millennium of the church before the East-West Schism (1054 AD) and the Protestant Reformation of the XVI century. This view is common in ecumenical circles but highly problematic from both historical and theological points of view. From its very early years and on, the church has constantly been dealing with inner divisions and conflicts, as the Pauline text testifies to. Before there was a Pope and even after the papacy came into existence, a “golden age” of Christian unity never existed, even within the Roman Catholic Church itself! Unity always stands in tension and under attack. Rather than restoring unity, the Bible urges us to “maintain” the already given unity (Ephesians 4:3) and to equip the body of Christ in order to “attain” the unity of faith (4:13). In other words, from the beginning of the church, unity is both a given and a goal. It is a gift and a task. The restoration model wrongly implies that unity was full in the first stages of the church and was then lost along the way, and now needs to be recovered. Christian unity is instead a given reality amongst those whom the Father has given to the Son (John 17:9) that must be protected and lived out.

Secondly, the Pope makes reference to a “full” and “visible” unity as the goal of ecumenism. According to the Roman Catholic view, “full” means sacramentally full, i.e. same baptism, same eucharist, same ministry. Given the self-understanding of the Roman Church, it means adhering and submitting to the sacramental theology of Rome and the hierarchical nature of its priesthood. “Visible” means that unity needs to accept the visible Papal structure of the Roman Catholic Church as the divinely appointed way for the One Church of Christ. The ecumenical price for full and visible unity is the acceptance of the Roman Catholic view of the Church. All other views are defective and, in the end, partial and invisible.

Prayer to Paul?

In closing his homily, Pope Francis reports that he had previously visited Paul’s tomb in the Basilica with other Christian leaders and they exhorted one another with these words: “Let us pray that he (Paul) will help us on this path as we advance towards unity”. Is Paul really the one to pray to for the advance of unity? Is he really in the position to help? Here again, another fundamental obstacle towards unity arises. According to the Pope, Paul can be prayed to, but the same Paul that taught us about unity was the one that wrote: “I bow my knees before the Father” (Ephesians 3:15). The restoration of Gospel purity and the keeping of Christian unity (as a gift and a task) belong together. Paul was the great apostle of the Gentiles and pointed out the Triune God as the model for our unity (Ephesians 4). We should not seek Paul’s help beyond what God inspired him to write in his letters.

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73. ¿Restauración de la unidad plena y visible?

28 de Enero de 2014

“¿Está dividido Cristo?” Esta es la pregunta que hace Pablo de forma retórica a los corintios (1 Corintios 1:13), y es también la interrogación que el Papa Francisco ha comentado en su homilía al final de la Semana de Oración para la Unidad de los Cristianos en la Basílica de San Pablo Extramuros de Roma. Su breve meditación muestra la pasión, que es un sello distintivo del presente pontificado, pero también reafirma aspectos importantes del tradicional punto de vista católico romano de la unidad que ha sido expuesto desde el Vaticano II.

UNA PROPUESTA Y UN OBJETIVO
La primera observación tiene que ver con el entendimiento de la unidad como un “objetivo”. En sus comentarios sobre los progresos del movimiento ecuménico, habla de “andar juntos en el camino hacia la unidad”, lo que implica la idea de que la unidad se encuentra delante de nosotros como si fuera una meta a ser alcanzada finalmente. La unidad está, por lo tanto, en un tiempo futuro. ¿Qué significa exactamente la unidad aquí y por qué está en el tiempo futuro? Más adelante, el Papa hace un comentario que arroja luz sobre estas cuestiones. Se refiere a la expectativa de la “restauración de la unidad plena y visible entre todos los cristianos” como el futuro punto culminante de la trayectoria ecuménica. Es necesario, no obstante, desenvolver tal declaración.

Primero está la idea de la “restauración”. Según esta visión, hubo un tiempo en la vida de la iglesia en que existió una plena y visible unidad. No se indica explícitamente, pero quizás se refiere al “indiviso” Primer Milenio de la iglesia antes del Cisma Este – Oeste (1054 d. C.) y de la Reforma Protestante del siglo XVI. Este punto de vista es común en los círculos ecuménicos pero sumamente problemático tanto desde la posición histórica como desde la teológica. Desde sus primeros años, la iglesia sigue constantemente batallando con divisiones y conflictos internos, como lo testifica el texto paulino.

Antes de que hubiera un Papa e incluso después de la existencia del papado, nunca existió una “edad de oro” de la unidad de los cristianos, ¡ni siquiera dentro de la misma Iglesia Católico Romana! La unidad siempre se destaca por estar en tensión y bajo ataque. Más que restaurar la unidad, la Biblia nos anima a “mantener” la unidad que ya nos ha sido dada (Efesios 4:3) y dotar al cuerpo de Cristo con el fin de “alcanzar” la unidad de la fe (4:13). En otras palabras, desde el comienzo de la iglesia, la unidad es tanto una propuesta como un objetivo. Es un don y una tarea. El modelo de restauración implica erróneamente que la unidad era completa en las primeras etapas de la iglesia y que luego se perdió en el camino y ahora necesita ser recuperada. La unidad de los cristianos en cambio es una realidad concedida entre aquellos que el Padre ha dado a su Hijo (Juan 17:9) que debe ser protegida y vivida.

Segundo, el Papa hace referencia a la “plena” y “visible” unidad como el objetivo del ecumenismo. Según la visión católico romano, “pleno” significa completo sacramentalmente, es decir, el mismo bautismo, la misma eucaristía y el mismo ministerio. Dada la autocomprensión de la Iglesia Romana, quiere decir que hay que adherirse y someterse a la teología sacramental de Roma y a la naturaleza jerárquica de su sacerdocio. “Visible” significa que la unidad necesita aceptar la estructura papal visible de la Iglesia Católico Romana como la manera divinamente señalada para la Unica Iglesia de Cristo. El precio ecuménico para la plena y visible unidad es la aceptación del punto de vista católico romano de la iglesia. Todas las demás opiniones son defectuosas y, al final, parciales e invisibles.

¿ORAR A PABLO?
Al terminar su homilía, el Papa Francisco comunica que previamente había visitado la tumba de San Pablo en la Basílica con otros líderes cristianos y se exhortaron mutuamente con estas palabras: “Oremos para que Pablo nos ayude en este camino a medida que avanzamos hacia la unidad”. ¿Es realmente a Pablo a quien hay que orar para avanzar en la unidad? ¿Está él efectivamente en la posición de ayudar? Aquí, de nuevo, se levanta otro obstáculo fundamental hacia la unidad.

Según el Papa, puede orarse a Pablo, pero el mismo Pablo que nos enseñó acerca de la unidad fue quien escribió: “Doblo mis rodillas ante el Padre” (Efesios 3:14). La restauración de la pureza del Evangelio y la preservación de la unidad de los cristianos (como un don y una tarea) se pertenecen conjuntamente. Pablo fue el gran apóstol de los gentiles y señaló al Dios Trino como el modelo de nuestra unidad (Efesios 4). No debemos buscar la ayuda de Pablo más allá de lo que Dios le inspiró para escribir sus epístolas.

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72. Secular Perceptions of Pope Francis

January 6th, 2014

What others understand is an important clue about what we are saying to them. It is true that the filter of the media is highly intoxicated and that it is able to manipulate everything according to its own interests. Interviews and speeches can be arranged by the media in such a way that they become something different than their original intentions and contents. However, what people are taking in is a combination both of what they want to hear and of what we allow them to hear.

In assessing the first months of Francis’ pontificate, the secular media continues to communicate what their perception is concerning what the Pope has said up to this point. On the one hand there is a widespread fascination about his frugal style, charming personality, and engaging language. On the other, there is an appreciation for his “innovative” theology or lack of insistence on traditional tenets of Roman Catholic doctrine. Two recent comments about Francis’ theology deserve some attention.

The Rejection of Church Dogma

Interestngly, on November 20, when Time initially named Francis as a candidate for the “man of the year” award, the website noted that he was nominated for his “rejection of church dogma.” It was only after some pushback from the tweeting world the Time changed the description to read “rejection of luxury.” In truth, Francis has never jettisoned any church dogma, but the perception of the secular media is worth considering. “Rejecting church dogma” is a gross overstatement, but de-emphasizing, marginalizing, and putting doctrine in the background perhaps gets closer to the point. Francis is perceived as a Pope from whom dogma is less important than attitude, mercy more relevant than truth, and generosity of spirit more apt than the affirmation of traditional belief. Some of his statements (e.g. “Proselytism is a solemn non-sense”, “Who am I to judge a homosexual person?”, “Everyone has his own idea of good and evil and must choose to follow the good and fight evil as he conceives them”) have become slogans with which secular people resonate well. They hardly represent a Christian view and it is precisely for this reason that secularists find Francis’ “gospel” a message that is far from church dogma. It is not an open rejection of it, but it is understood as being a significant distancing away from it.

After the dogmatic Benedict XVI, Francis is viewed as a less rigid Pope in terms of doctrine. He is seen as being more relaxed on defending the theological identity of his Church and more committed to focusing on non-divisive issues. Roman Catholics should ask themselves whether him being considered for the “man of the year” honor is a real achievement or istead a matter that should raise concern.

The Abolition of Sin

There is yet another comment that reflects the widespead interpretations of Pope Bergoglio. The editor of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Eugenio Scalfari, who had met with Francis and published their conversation a couple of months ago, wrote an articole (December 29) in which he argues that the greatest achievement of the Pope so far is that he has practically abandoned the traditional doctrine of sin. “He has de facto abolished sin”. He is not saying that Francis has openly declared that the official Roman Catholic theology is wrong on its teaching on sin, rather he suggests that Francis sees mercy standing over sin to the point of practically overshadowing it and making it irrelevant. When he speaks about sin, he does so in reference to himself (“I am a sinner”) or to the structural aspects of sin (e.g. the oppression of the poor), but never implying the idea of radical separation from God and divine judgement. He emphasizes that God is present in every person and in so doing he downplays the tragic reality of sin. It is a de facto abolition.

The secularists applaud this development because they generally think that “sin” is the greatest obstacle for the modern conscience in coming to terms with the Christian religion. Whether or not this is a fair assessment of the Pope’s views remains to be seen. It is, however, a matter of fact that his popularity with the media is based on the perception that the Pope is a dogmatically fluid and open-ended Christian leader. Is this an issue entirely dependent on the manipulation of the media or is it also a sign that Francis is actually saying confusing and misleading things? We are now back to where we started, i.e. what others understand is an important clue about what we are saying to them.

 

 

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72. Percepciones seculares del papa Francisco

11 de Enero de 2014

Lo que los demás entienden es una pista importante sobre lo que les estamos diciendo. Es cierto que el filtro de los medios de comunicación está sumamente intoxicado y que pueden manipularlo todo según sus propios intereses. Las entrevistas y los discursos pueden ser arreglados por los medios de comunicación de tal forma que llegan a convertirse en algo totalmente diferente de sus contenidos e intenciones originales. No obstante, lo que la gente toma en consideración es una combinación de lo que ellos quieren oír y de lo que nosotros les permitimos que oigan.

Al evaluar los primeros meses del pontificado de Francisco, los medios de comunicación laicos continúan notificando lo que es su percepción en lo referente a lo que el Papa ha dicho hasta este punto. Por una parte, existe una amplia fascinación por su estilo austero, su encantadora personalidad y su lenguaje atractivo. Por otra parte, hay un reconocimiento a su teología “innovadora” o falta de insistencia en los postulados tradicionales de la doctrina católico romana. Dos recientes comentarios acerca de la teología de Francisco merecen cierta atención.

EL RECHAZO DEL DOGMA DE LA IGLESIA
Curiosamente, el 20 de noviembre, cuando Time en principio nombró a Francisco como candidato al premio “hombre del año”, la página web señaló que se le nominaba por su “rechazo del dogma de la iglesia”. Fue después de algún retroceso por parte del mundo de tweeting cuando  Time  cambió la descripción y pasó a decir “rechazo del lujo”. En realidad, Francisco nunca ha desechado ningún dogma de la iglesia, pero vale la pena considerar la percepción de los medios de comunicación seculares. “Rechazar el dogma de la iglesia” es una tremenda exageración, pero restar importancia, marginar y poner la doctrina en segundo plano tal vez se acerca más al punto deseado.

A Francisco se le percibe como un Papa para quien el dogma es menos importante que la actitud, la misericordia más pertinente que la verdad y la generosidad de espíritu más conveniente que la afirmación de la creencia tradicional. Algunas de sus declaraciones (p.e. “El proselitismo es un solemne sinsentido”, “¿Quién soy yo para juzgar a una persona homosexual?”, “Cada uno tiene su propia idea del bien y del mal y debe elegir y seguir el bien y combatir el mal en la forma en que los concibe”) se han convertido en slogans que resuenan bien entre los seculares. Apenas representan la visión cristiana y es precisamente por este motivo que los laicos hallan en el “evangelio” de Francisco un mensaje que queda lejos del dogma de la iglesia. No es un rechazo abierto del mismo, pero lo entienden como un distanciamiento significativo.

Después del dogmático Benedicto XVI, Francisco es considerado un Papa menos rígido en términos de doctrina. Se le ve más relajado al defender la identidad teológica de su iglesia y más comprometido en centrarse en cuestiones no divisivas. Los católico romanos deberían preguntarse si el hecho de ser considerado para el honor de “hombre del año” es un auténtico logro o un asunto que debe suscitar preocupación.

LA ABOLICIÓN DEL PECADO
Aún hay otro comentario que refleja las extensas interpretaciones del Papa Bergoglio. El editor del periódico italiano  La Repubblica , Eugenio Scalfari, que se reunió con Francisco y publicó su conversación hace un par de meses, escribió un artículo (29 de diciembre) en el cual argumenta que la mayor consecución del Papa hasta ahora es que ha abandonado prácticamente la tradicional doctrina del pecado. “Ha suprimido  de facto  el pecado”. No está diciendo que Francisco ha declarado abiertamente que la teología católico romana oficial está equivocada en sus enseñanzas sobre el pecado, sino que más bien sugiere que Francisco percibe que la misericordia está por encima del pecado hasta el punto de eclipsarlo prácticamente y hacerlo irrelevante. Cuando habla del pecado, lo hace en referencia a sí mismo (“Yo soy un pecador”) o aludiendo a los aspectos estructurales del pecado (p.e. la opresión de los pobres), pero nunca implicando la idea de la radical separación de Dios y del juicio divino. Subraya que Dios está presente en todas las personas y al hacerlo así minimiza la trágica realidad del pecado. Esto es una abolición de facto .

Los secularistas aplauden esta evolución porque en general piensan que “el pecado” es el mayor obstáculo para que la conciencia moderna haga las paces con la religión cristiana. Si se trata o no de una evaluación justa de los puntos de vista del Papa, está por ver. No obstante, es una cuestión de hecho que su popularidad entre los medios de comunicación se basa en la percepción de que el Papa es un líder cristiano dogmáticamente fluido y abierto. ¿Es éste un tema totalmente dependiente de la manipulación de los medios de comunicación o es también un síntoma de que Francisco realmente dice cosas confusas y engañosas? Ahora volvemos donde hemos empezado, es decir, lo que los demás entienden es una pista importante sobre lo que les estamos diciendo.

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71. Ecumenism of Blood

December 20th, 2013

The fact that Pope Francis gives interviews to both the religious and secular press is no longer a surprise. Time magazine chose him as “man of the year” because of his more relaxed and open approach to the media. This attitude was expressed in an interview that was published in the Italian daily newspaper La Stampa on 15th December. The conversation began with a reflection on Christmas but then proceeded to other topics including interesting comments on the Pope’s views on Christian unity.

Is Christian Unity a Priority for You?

It was this question that was abruptly posed to Pope Francis during his interview with La Stampa. He responded with the following: “Yes, for me ecumenism is a priority. Today there is an ecumenism of blood. In some countries they kill Christians for wearing a cross or having a Bible and before killing them they do not ask them whether they are Anglican, Lutheran, Catholic or Orthodox. Their blood is mixed. To those who kill we are Christians. We are united in blood, even though we have not yet managed to take necessary steps towards unity between us and perhaps the time has not yet come … Those who kill Christians don’t ask for your identity card to see which Church you were baptized in. We need to take these facts into consideration.”

These are important words that take into account what happens around the world. Christians who are persecuted in different minority situations belong to different churches and traditions, but they are persecuted mainly because their public faith stirs opposition. Their ecclesiastical identity is definitely secondary. More than their attachment to a church (whatever it might be), what comes first is their allegiance to Christ and His Gospel. It is their personal faith as followers of Jesus that incites persecution against them. In the global world, the neat denominational distinctions and ecumenical complexities make very little sense. The heart of the matter is the heart of the Gospel.

What is Unity Based On?

There is still something to be said about what the Pope states concerning the “ecumenism of blood”. It seems that while recognizing the astonishing reality of Christians being persecuted, notwithstanding their secondary labels, the Pope still thinks about unity in terms of the old Roman Catholic and ecumenical categories. When he refers to “baptism” as marking the Christian identity he echoes the mainstream idea in ecumenical circles, i.e. that Christian unity is based on baptism. According to this view, to be baptized means to be Christian and thus to be united with God and with other Christians. This is the standard Roman Catholic doctrine (e.g. Unitatis Redintegratio 3.22) and ecumenical teaching (e.g. the 1982 Lima Report entitled Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry).

The ecumenism of blood is instead based on a personal faith in Jesus Christ. It is not opposed to baptism, of course, but it is not based on it. It is likely that some of these martyrs are not even baptized or do not formally belong to any historic Christian church. Yet they are believers in Jesus Christ and this is what really counts for their salvation and our unity as a whole as a body of believers. On the other hand, many who are baptized and are canonically members of a religious institution are not Christian at all. The phenomenon of nominalism in the West demonstrates that one can be baptized and yet be totally opposed or indifferent to the Gospel and its message. Christian unity is not based on baptism, but on a personal faith in Jesus Christ. Those who are united are those who are Christian believers in the biblical sense.

Re-thinking Ecumenism

The ecumenism of blood should serve as an encouragement in the re-thinking of our theology concerning Christian unity, beyond sentimental accounts of the persecuted Christians and towards a better Biblical grasp of what is means for the Church to be “one, holy, catholic and apostolic”. According to Vatican II and subsequent magisterial teaching, Christian unity is threefold: professing the same faith, celebrating the same Eucharist, and being united under the same sacramental ministry in apostolic succession in submission to the Papal office. Paradoxically, this understanding of unity is one of the greatest obstacles to Christian unity because it derives unity from a sacrament administered by a church and confuses unity with being under a specific religious institution. The martyrs that the Pope refers to do not fit this definition of unity, and yet they are nonetheless considered to be truly unified Christians.

The ecumenism of blood shows that these dimensions are not necessary for real unity to take place. Instead they only serve as additional burdens and add-ons. Pope Francis has, however, rightly emphasized the reality of the ecumenism of blood. But time will tell whether or not his “ecumenical priority” will stop paying lip-service to it or will instead encourage him to think of ecumenism beyond mere ecumenical stereotypes and towards more biblically warranted patterns. The unity of these martyrs with the Roman Catholic Church may be “imperfect”, but their unity with Christ is perfect and this is what really matters.