WICK NEWS SERVICE

A papal document has touched off a furor among other Christian denominations for the Vatican's denial of their legitimacy as churches.

In brief, the document issued by the Roman Catholic Church's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith July 7, stated that Protestant churches "are not Churches in the proper sense," but that persons baptized in such churches are in "a certain communion, albeit imperfect" with the true church. The statement was "ratified and confirmed" by Pope Benedict XVI.

It was the pope, as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, in 2000, who proposed the original document, which was clarified this week.

At the time, he headed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

In 2005, following his election as supreme pontiff, Benedict affirmed his ecumenical eagerness by saying he was "disposed to do all in his power to promote the fundamental cause of ecumenism."

Deputy General Secretary Georges Lemopoulos, of the World Council of Churches, asserts that renewing "the commitment to the search for unity and to deepen their dialogue, seems appropriate" in view of the document Dominus Iesus to which the Vatican added explanations this week.

The WCC represents 347 churches, mainly from Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox denominations.

The Rev. Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, questions "the seriousness with which the Roman Catholic Church takes its dialogues with the Reformed family and other families of the church."

"It makes us question whether we are indeed praying together for Christian unity," he said in a letter this week to Cardinal Kasper.

Germany's top Protestant (Lutheran) bishop, the Rt. Rev. Wolfgang Huber, declared that the, "hopes for a change in the ecumenical situation have again been pushed into the remote future."

The Rt. Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as well as president of the Lutheran World Federation, stated, "The anguished response of Christians around the world to the Vatican's statement, however, clearly indicates that what may have been meant to clarify has caused pain.

Now is the time for our thoughtful and measured response.

The question all Christian people should reflect on today is how best to exercise forbearance and love for one another. With Roman Catholics, we trust that, '...the Lord of Ages wisely and patiently follows out the plan of grace on our behalf, sinners that we are.' "

Ecumenical News Service reports that the Vatican's top official for Christian unity "has rejected criticism that an official Roman Catholic document will hinder dialogue because of its statement that Protestant denominations are not churches 'in the proper sense.' "

"Every dialogue presupposes clarity about the different positions," said Walter Cardinal Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promotion of Christian Unity.

"If this declaration now explains the Catholic profile and expresses what, in a Catholic view, unfortunately still divides us, this does not hinder dialogue but promotes it."

Because the clarification confidently declares that Christ's Church "subsists in the Catholic Church" exclusively, the "separated churches" object.

The answer goes on to say, "It follows that these separated churches and Communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation.

In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation, whose value derives from that fullness of grace and of truth which has been entrusted to the Catholic Church."

Kansas City Star religion editor, Bill Tammeus, opined, "If this is to be the Catholic position, is there any hope for Christian unity beyond all other churches agreeing to come under the authority of the Pontiff? I don't see how."

Dick Andersen is a writer for the Herald/Review and a retired minister living in Cochise County.