Vatican cardinal criticizes German theologians’ ecumenical statement

Cardinal Kurt Koch presides at vespers at the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls Jan. 25. 2021. Credit: EWTN-CNA Photo/Daniel Ibáñez/Vatican Pool.

CNA Staff, Jan 28, 2021 / 06:30 am (CNA).- A Vatican cardinal has expressed “astonishment” at a statement by a group of Protestant and Catholic theologians in Germany.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, made the comment in response to a declaration by the Ecumenical Study Group of Protestant and Catholic Theologians (known by its German acronym, ÖAK).

The ÖAK published the 26-page statement on Jan. 24 in response to a critical assessment of the group’s proposal for a “reciprocal Eucharistic hospitality” between Catholics and Protestants by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).

Koch told CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, that he was surprised by the tone and choice of words in the statement, as well as its content and timing.

The Swiss cardinal also questioned whether the statement’s authors were sincere in their call for further discussions with Rome.

“After more than 20 pages have been devoted to showing that in fact none of the requests made by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith about the ÖAK’s document are justified, one wonders how seriously the willingness expressed at the end by the authors of the statement to engage in further discussions is really meant,” he said.

The CDF raised concerns last September about a 2019 document prepared by the ÖAK entitled “Together at the Lord’s Table,” which envisaged a “Eucharistic meal fellowship” between Catholics and Protestants.

In a letter to Bishop Georg Bätzing, president of the German bishops’ conference, the CDF said that the proposal did not do justice to the Catholic understanding of the Church, the Eucharist, and Holy Orders.

The doctrinal congregation emphasized that significant differences remained between Protestants and Catholics over the Eucharist and ministry.

“The doctrinal differences are still so important that they currently rule out reciprocal participation in the Lord’s Supper and the Eucharist,” it said.

The CDF suggested that the ÖAK text should inspire further theological discussions, but cautioned against any steps towards intercommunion between Catholics and members of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), an organization representing 20 Protestant groups.

“However, an opening of the Catholic Church towards Eucharistic meal fellowship with the member churches of the EKD in the current state of the theological discussion would necessarily open new rifts in ecumenical dialogue with the Orthodox Churches, not only in Germany,” it said.

Koch told CNA Deutsch that he was taken aback by the content of the ÖAK’s new statement.

“In it, as in [the original document], there are certainly many good statements, which, however, remain in the purely academic domain and are not linked back to the concrete ecclesiastical reality,” he said.

“If they were grounded in this concrete reality, many statements presented as an unquestionable consensus would have to be questioned. The fact that this grounding has not happened to a large extent is all the more astonishing since the ÖAK repeatedly invokes the primacy of practice, but largely fails to live up to it.”

CNA Deutsch has previously reported that the ÖAK adopted the intercommunion document under the co-chairmanship of Bätzing and the retired Lutheran Bishop Martin Hein.

The ÖAK was founded in 1946 to strengthen ecumenical ties. It is independent of both the German Catholic bishops’ conference and the EKD, but informs both bodies about its deliberations.

Koch raised questions about the timing of the release of the statement, which is dated Dec. 21.

“The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith addressed its letter to the chairman of the German bishops’ conference; we therefore expect an answer from him here in Rome,” he said.

Koch said that, to the best of his knowledge, Bätzing had asked the ÖAK to produce a statement to help him formulate his response to the CDF.

“Why the statement of the leaders of the ÖAK was published between the meetings of the ecumenical commission and the faith commission and before the plenary assembly of the German bishops’ conference is beyond my understanding,” he commented.

“The timing of the publication, however, leaves a lot of questions.”


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5 Comments

  1. And the Holy Father calls me rigid for going to a Latin Mass. Let’s keep the german schism rolling and see what we can do to support the chinese communist party taking over the church. Definitely nothing rigid in this approach. Lord have Mercy upon us.

    • Lol!! Except, it actually makes one want to cry.

      Oh, and OF folks: don’t forget to receive communion in the hand, due to covid! And wear mask. Certainly don’t kneel down before receiving the Body and Blood (oops, I mean “Bread and Cup”). Otherwise, you may be turned away for daring to embarrass those less devout. Tisk, tisk.

  2. Koch should be astonished. The sacrifice of the Catholic Mass and communion with the Real Presence of Christ reduced to a friendly invitation for an inter communal meal invitees most believing the Eucharist is merely a sign, spells the Catholic members of ÖAK do not believe in the Real Presence and like Protestant members believe the Eucharist is simply a sign. Not a reality. Our problem is this ‘seeming’ outrage is a worldwide Catholic dilemma recently addressed by Archbishop Cordileone. Cardinals Blaise Cupich, Wilton Gregory and others have reinforced this error by their lax policy toward the non practicing who are Catholic merely by baptism. Generally the Germans similar to Malta, Sicily, the Philippines place greater leverage on personal conscience rather than adherence to the faith. The responsibility in this ‘astonishment’ belongs first of all with the Roman Pontiff, who by his office holding the Chair of Peter is the primary defender of the faith. If he doesn’t act, not simply respond with ineffective words the question raised is exacerbated.

  3. Astonishment is the least of it. Melanchthon tried famously to bridge from Luther back to the Catholic Faith by OMITTING all that was derailing, in his Augsburg Confession.

    Today, Lutheran portrayals of the Joint Declaration on Justification OMIT the Annex. (The Preface [and ANNEX] read that “The solemn confirmation of this Joint Declaration on 31 October 1999 in Augsburg, by means of the Official Common Statement WITH ITS ANNEX, represents an ecumenical event of historical significance”. From the ANNEX—part of the “differentiated consensus”—we find embedded the still contradictory understandings of “concupiscence” and, therefore, of Christian Anthropology—whether we are essentially corrupt, or instead inclined toward evil and then by choice sinful.)

    Bishop Batzin shows himself to be another useful tool, or worse, as part of the German shell game. Like the pretense of the forthcoming “binding synodal path.” And like the pretense now of intercommunion beyond the synodal path itself (surprise!), surely as a runup fait accompli—incongruous, asymmetrical, only half from the unbroken apostolic succession.

    Where Solomon would NOT divide the baby; after the fact, Bishop (?) Batzin would simply wave a wand over the eviscerated Body of Christ and just call it a day. After all, truth is only a Kantian mind game…

  4. This is the Great Apostacy~ Starting from the Top down~ Our Lady of La Salette, Her messages to the World are now taking place. Her Messages in Akita, are in full swing, Prophetic. It truly is Cardinal against Cardinal, Bishop against Bishop, Priest Against Priest and Human souls are at stake. Watch and wait and pray that you are not decieved. There is a great deception taking place, The Faithful run the risk of the loss of their very souls. Be mindful of who you follow in this. The Holy Eucharist can’t be reduced to a meal, nor simply a Symbol,or just the Presence of Christ, The Eucharict is Christ, Body, Blood Soul and Divinity. there can’t be any deviation from this Truth. He is Truth.

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