1962-1965, Joseph Ratzinger - now Benedict XVI - and I were the two younger theologians of the Council. Today we are older, and the only still in business. I have always understood my commitment to theology as a service to the Church. For this reason, driven by concern about the crisis of confidence prevailing in our Church, the deepest on record since the Reformation to the present, I turn to you, to mark the fifth anniversary of his election to the papacy of Pope Benedict with an open letter. This is actually the only means available to get in touch with you. I really enjoyed his time at the invitation of Pope Benedict, who in spite of the My critical stance towards it I agreed, shortly after the beginning of his pontificate, a four-hour interview, which took place in a friendly way. I was suddenly hope that Joseph Ratzinger, former colleague at the University of Tübingen, however, would find the way to a further renewal of the Church and ecumenical understanding, in the spirit of Vatican II. Unfortunately, my hopes, like those of so many believers who are living with commitment to the Catholic faith, have not come true, I got to know him more than once to Pope Benedict in the correspondence I had with him. Certainly he has never failed to comply scrupulously with the daily tasks of the papacy, and also has made a gift of three beneficial encyclical on faith, hope and love. But in spite of the greatest challenges of our time demonstrates his pontificate every day as another opportunity lost for not having been able to grasp a range of opportunities:
- You missed the approximation to the evangelical churches, even not considered as Churches in the proper sense of the term, hence the Impossible by a recognition of his authority and a joint celebration of the Eucharist.
- Has there been a continuing dialogue with Jews, the pope has reintroduced the use of pre-Council of the Jewish prayer for illumination, has taken on some bishops in the Church known schismatics and anti-Semitic and supports the beatification of Pius XII, and takes seriously the only Judaism as historical roots of Christianity, and not as a community of faith that still pursues its own path to salvation. Jews around the world have expressed outrage at the words of the Preacher of the Papal Household, who during the liturgy of Good Friday compared the criticism of the pope anti-Semitic persecution.
- With Muslims has failed to carry on a dialogue based on trust. Symptomatic of this is the speech by the pope in Regensburg: ill-advised, Benedict XVI gave a picture of Islam caricature, describing it as a religion and inhuman violent and fueling distrust among Muslims.
- Has there been a reconciliation with the natives of Latin America: in all seriousness, the pope said that those colonized people "yearn" to accept the religion of the conquerors of Europe.
- was not taken the opportunity to come to the aid of people in Africa in the fight against overpopulation and AIDS, supporting contraception and condom use.
- was not taken the opportunity to reconcile with modern science, recognizing unequivocally the theory of evolution and adherence, albeit with the necessary differentiation, new research perspectives, for example on stem cells.
- has failed to take Finally, within the Vatican itself, the spirit of Vatican II as a compass of the Catholic Church, carrying out his reforms.
latter point, esteemed bishops, is crucial. This pope has never ceased to relativize the Council texts, interpretations regressive and contrary to the spirit of the Council Fathers, and even going as to expressly oppose the ecumenical council, which represents, according to canon law, the supreme authority of Catholic Church:
- accepted in the Catholic Church, without any precondition, the traditionalist bishops of the Society S. Pius X, ordered illegally outside the Catholic Church, who objected to the council on some of its essential
- promoted by every means the medieval Tridentine Mass, and occasionally he celebrates the Eucharist in Latin, turning back to the faithful;
- does not realize the expected agreement with the Anglican Church in the ecumenical officers (ARCIC), but tries to attract the married Anglican priests to the Roman Catholic Church to waive the requirement of celibacy.
- has increased, worldwide, anticonciliari forces within the Church through the appointment of senior anticonciliari (eg.: Secretary of State, Congregation for the Liturgy) and reactionary bishops.
Pope Benedict XVI seems to be moving further away from the great majority of the people of the Church, which is indeed already led to neglect of what is happening in Rome, and at best identifies with your parish or with the local bishop .
I know many of you suffer from this situation: the politics of anti-conciliar pope has the full support of the Roman Curia, which seeks to stifle criticism and the episcopate in the Church, and to discredit the dissenters by any means. In Rome, seeking accreditation, by repeated performances of baroque splendor and events of great impact in the media, the image of a strong Church, with a "vicar of Christ "absolutist, bringing together into their own hands the powers legislative, executive and judiciary. But the policy of restoration of Benedict XVI has failed. His public appearances, his travels, his documents are not served to influence the direction of the Roman doctrine the ideas of the majority of Catholics on various controversial issues, especially on sexual morality. Even his meetings with young people, largely members of conservative groups charismatic guidance, were able to stop the defections from the Church, or to increase vocations to the priesthood.
In your role as bishops you are certainly the first to suffer painfully to the withdrawal of tens of thousands of priests, which since the days of Council to date have resigned from their jobs mainly because of the law on celibacy. The problem of young players not only priests but also religious orders, nuns, consecrated lay people: the decrease is both quantitatively and qualitatively. The resignation and frustration spread among the clergy, and especially among its most active members, many feel abandoned in their distress, and suffering from the Church. In many of your diocese is likely to increase in the number of empty churches, seminaries and priests empty. In many countries, with the claims of ecclesiastical reform, it was decided the merger of many parishes, often against their will, to form giant "pastoral units" entrusted to a small number of priests burdened with a heavy load of work.
And finally, the many signals of the current crisis will come in the appalling scandal of abuse by members of the clergy on thousands of children and adolescents in the United States, Ireland, Germany and elsewhere, and this is accompanied by a leadership crisis, a crisis of confidence without precedent. One can not fail to mention the fact that the world system of concealment of sexual abuse of clergy respond to the provisions of the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (headed between 1981 and 2005 by Cardinal Ratzinger), who from the pontificate of John Paul II gathered , in the strictest secrecy, the documentation on these cases. On May 18, 2001 Joseph Ratzinger sent out a letter to all bishops solemn tones on the most serious crimes ("Epistula de delictis gravioribus"), in the case of abuse by imposing the "secretum Pontificium", the violation shall be punished by the Church severe penalties. E 'therefore reason that many have asked for a personal "mea culpa" to the prefect of the time, now Pope Benedict XVI. Yet it has not seized the opportunity to do the Holy Week, but instead did testify "urbi et orbi" on Easter Sunday, his innocence to the cardinal dean.
For the Catholic Church for all the consequences are devastating scandals emerged, as confirmed by some of its greatest exponents. The generalized suspicion now indiscriminately affects countless pastors and educators of hard work and exemplary conduct. It's up to you, esteemed bishops, ask what will be the future of your diocese and that of our Church. It is not my intention here to propose a reform program. I've done more than once, both before and after the Council. Instead I will confine myself here to submit six proposals, shared - I am convinced - by millions of Catholics who have no voice.
1. Do not be silent. The silence in the face of many serious abuses there to bind. In contrast, whenever you feel that certain laws, regulations or measures have counterproductive effects, you should declare it publicly. Do not write letters in Rome to make an act of submission and devotion, but to demand reform!
2. Put hand in reform initiatives. Many in the Church and the episcopate, complain of Rome, but never take action. But if today in this community or the diocese or the parish Mass desert, where the pastoral work is ineffective, if there is no opening to the problems and ills of the world, if the ecumenical cooperation is reduced to a minimum, we can not download all the blame on Rome. Everyone, from bishop to priest or layman, must be committed to the renewal of the Church in their living environment, whether large or small. Many extraordinary things in the community and more generally within the Church, were born from the initiative of individuals or small groups. It is up to you, in your capacity as bishops, the task of promoting and supporting such initiatives, as well as to answer, especially now, with the justified grievances of the faithful.
3. Act collectively. The Council has decreed, after a fiery debate and strong opposition against the Curia, the collegiality of the popes and bishops, in analogy to the history of the apostles Peter himself was not acting outside the college of apostles. But in the post-Vatican II, the pope and the curia have ignored this fundamental decision the council. Ever since, just two years after the Council and without any consultation with the Bishops, Pope Paul VI he issued an encyclical in defense of the controversial law on celibacy, politics and the papal teaching resumed operations in accordance with the old style non-collegial. In the same liturgy, the pope looks like an autocrat, before whom the bishops, of whom willingly around, appear as extras without rights and without a voice. Therefore, esteemed bishops, should not only act individually, but together with other bishops, with priests, with women and men who make up the people of the Church.
4. The absolute obedience to God alone should be all of you at the time of the solemn consecration to the episcopal dignity, you have sworn unconditional obedience to the pope. However you also know that absolute obedience is due not to the pope, but only to God why you should not see an obstacle in that oath that stop you from telling the truth on the current crisis of the church, your diocese and your country. Follow the example of the Apostle Paul, who opposed Peter "to his face because he clearly was wrong" (Gal. 2:11). May be legitimately put pressure on the Roman authorities, in a spirit of Christian brotherhood, where these do not adhere to the spirit of the Gospel and their mission. A number of targets - such as the use of national languages \u200b\u200bin the liturgy, the new rules on mixed marriages, the adherence to tolerance, democracy, human rights, and many ecumenical cartel others could only be achieved through a constant and persistent pressure from below.
5. Pursue regional solutions: the Vatican is obviously often deaf to the justified demands of the bishops, priests and laity. All the more reason to bet intelligently to regional solutions. As you know, a particularly sensitive issue is the law on celibacy, a rule of medieval origin, which is now rightly called into question in the context of the worldwide abuse scandal. A change in opposition to Rome is almost impossible, but no one is condemned to passivity. A priest who, after serious reflection has completed its intention to marry should not be forced to resign from office automatically if he could count on the support of his bishop and his community. A single bishops' conference could pave the way for carrying out a regional solution. Better yet would be aimed at a comprehensive settlement for the Church as a whole. So
6. will request the convening of a council: if to get to the liturgical reform, religious freedom, ecumenism and interreligious dialogue there was no need for a council, the same is true today in the face of the problems that arise in terms of both dramatic . A century before the Reformation, the Council of Constance had decided to convene a council every five years, the decision was but rejected by the Roman Curia, which even today will certainly do everything to prevent a council from which they may fear that a limitation of its powers. It is the responsibility of all of you to be able to pass the proposal for a council, or at least representative of Bishops meeting.
This, in front of a church in crisis, is the appeal that appeal to you, esteemed bishops: I invite you to throw your weight on the scale of the episcopal authority, re-evaluated by the Council. In the difficult situation we are facing, the world's eyes are turned to you. Countless Catholics have lost faith in their Church, and the only way to help is to restore to address the problems honestly and openly, to adopt the reforms that this entails. I ask you, in total respect, do your part, if possible in collaboration with other bishops, but only if necessary, with apostolic boldness "(Acts 4,29.31). Give a sign of hope to your people, give a perspective to our Church. I greet you in the communion of the Christian faith.
(Letter to the Bishops of Hans Küng - La Repubblica, April 15, 2010. Swiss theologian Hans Küng is an internationally renowned, best known for its positions in the theological and moral, often critical of the doctrine of the Church Catholic. Between 1962 and 1965 he attended the Second Vatican Council as an expert, appointed by Pope John XXIII)
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