Vatican action against U.S. Jesuit is not definitive, order says

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has asked U.S. Jesuit Father Roger Haight not to teach Christology at any university — Catholic or not, said the Rome-based spokesman of the Jesuits.

“He can continue to teach, but not systematic theology connected with Christology,” said Father Giuseppe Bellucci, spokesman for the Jesuits.

“The prohibition against teaching is not a condemnation and is not definitive; a committee of Jesuits, in fact, is studying the position of Father Roger, who is willing to collaborate to clarify his positions,” Father Bellucci told Catholic News Service Jan. 5.

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Posted in * Religion News & Commentary, Christology, Other Churches, Roman Catholic, Theology

12 comments on “Vatican action against U.S. Jesuit is not definitive, order says

  1. evan miller says:

    The reaction of the Catholic Theological Society’s board of directors to the suspension of Fr. Haight demonstrates the difficulty Pope Benedict will have in disciplining his church. The rot is deep. God grant that he enjoys a long and vigorous papacy so that his reforms can take root.

  2. Chris Molter says:

    heh.. the CTS says: [blockquote] the board of directors said the book had done “a great service in framing crucial questions that need to be addressed today.”[/blockquote]
    Really?? heeeeere’s Fr. Roger Haight:
    [blockquote]”because of modern pluralistic consciousness” one cannot continue to affirm that Christianity is a superior religion or that Christ is the centerpiece of God’s plan for salvation.[/blockquote]
    Yeahhh.. crucial questions. Gotcha. Sounds like more new age 60s mumbo jumbo. The same stuff that’s been “addressed” with as much intellectual vigor as it deserves (derisive laughter and dismissal, generally). Pluralistic consciousness.. sounds like former PB Griswold’s “spiritual forcefields”. Maybe they can co-author a book.

  3. TridentineVirginian says:

    Sigh, the Jesuits strike again. Poor St. Ignatius – how the modern Jesuits have made a mockery of his order. What is left of the famous obedience to Rome? It was the same when the new father general was sworn in, a bunch of assurances of loyalty to the See of Peter, followed qualification and after qualification. They have fallen so far from their charism.

  4. the roman says:

    I suspect all this talk of “clarification” is just a stall while they gather a pole, some fascines and a match together.

  5. Eugene says:

    As if Christology does not impact the other loci of sytematic theology! Maybe CDF should read Karl Barth’s Dogmatics!

  6. evan miller says:

    #4.
    One can hope.

  7. Kevin Montgomery says:

    Has anyone here read the book in question? It might help to refer to what he actually wrote than to what others say he wrote.

  8. TridentineVirginian says:

    #7 – “others” in this case is the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which in its notice against Fr. Haight made a detailed list of the errors contained in [i]Jesus, Symbol of God[/i] when it issued its first notice against him, and the errors are egregious and they are legion. That’s quite enough for me.

    You’re not seriously suggesting the CDF got Haight and his ideas wrong are you? Or misrepresented what he wrote?

  9. Kevin Montgomery says:

    Um, I’m just suggesting that it might be more useful to criticize someone’s work by pointing to actual passages. Perhaps the CDF is correct, but I don’t automatically follow a policy of “The CDF says it. I believe it. That settles it.”

  10. Paula Loughlin says:

    Kevin, here is a link to the CDF’s statement on Haight,SJ
    http://tinyurl.com/8m5w85

  11. Conchúr says:

    [blockquote]”Father Haight is an excellent Jesuit”[/blockquote]

    By their own words are they damned….

  12. phil swain says:

    Is there any check(from outside the seminary) on tenured theology professors teaching in Episcopal or Anglican seminaries?