Cardinal Kasper: Church Teaching Needs to be Scriptural

Posted by Kendall Harmon

"I know that many of you are worried, some deeply worried, by the threat of fragmentation at the heart of the Anglican Communion," the cardinal said. "We are profoundly in solidarity with you.

"Our great desire is that the Anglican Communion be united, rooted in this historical faith, which our dialogue and relationships, over the course of four decades, have brought us to believe is widely shared."

Cardinal Kasper directly addressed the two issues that are causing conflict within the Anglican Communion, and which brought some leaders to boycott the Lambeth Conference altogether: the ordination of homosexuals and the blessing of same-sex marriages, and the ordination of women.

He assured his listeners that the Catholic Church believes its position on both issues is deeply rooted in sacred Scripture.

"In light of the tensions of past years in regard [to questions on human sexuality], a clear declaration from the Anglican Communion would offer us greater possibilities to provide a common testimony on human sexuality and matrimony, a testimony painfully necessary for the world of today," Cardinal Kasper suggested.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Lambeth 2008 • * Religion News & Commentary • Ecumenical Relations • Other Churches • Roman Catholic

6 Comments
Posted July 31, 2008 at 5:06 am [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. Creighton+ wrote:

It is amazing how the Roman Catholic Church is calling us to be faithful to Holy Scripture as that was what the Reformation was about….being faithful to what was in Holy Scripture.

As matters have played out in TEC,  many have come to me who are not church people and sometimes not even believers and have said things like, “You are Christians, aren’t you?  Aren’t you suppose to follow the Bible?” 

Even they get it but so many of our Bishops, priests, and deacons of TEC don’t.

July 31, 6:45 am | [comment link]
2. Br. Michael wrote:

I must say that I appreciate the irony.

July 31, 7:39 am | [comment link]
3. Chris Molter wrote:

was what the Reformation was about

Was it?  While faithfulness to scripture (or at least certain persons’ interpretation of such) was part of the impetus behind the various reformations, there were a number of other causes.  Some were good (Clerical corruption and abuse), some not so good (political power grabs).  I don’t think it does anyone good to put on the rose colored spectacles before delving into history.  God knows it’s impossible for us Papists to do so without someone knocking them off real quick! wink

July 31, 7:40 am | [comment link]
4. phil swain wrote:

What does our culture need more at this critical time then a winsome, gracious and beautiful Christian witness to God’s plan for human sexuality and marriage.  The Catholic Church has stepped up to the plate and given the world a theology of the body.  The Anglican Communion along with mainline Protestantism is awol.  On the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae it would be a good time for Anglicans to engage in a little resourcement.

July 31, 8:41 am | [comment link]
5. Vincent Lerins wrote:

LOL…..When the RCC figures it out, THEN they can go tell others how to be faithful.

-Vincent

July 31, 12:33 pm | [comment link]
6. Observer from RCC wrote:

So Vincent, where is the error in his message?

July 31, 4:18 pm | [comment link]
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