World Congress Controversy: Cardinal Schonborn Defuses Concern Over Orthodox Bishop's Remarks |
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By: Association of Marian Helpers Posted: 2008-04-06 05:01:42 |
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On Day 4 (Saturday, April 5) of the World Mercy Congress at St. John Lateran Basilica here, Congress President Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Austria dealt with a controversy stemming from yesterday's plenary sessions, according to a story by Dan Valenti.
The controversy deals with a presentation made on Friday (April 4) by Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion Alfeyed of Austria. Valenti, who broke the story, is covering the Congress here for http://www.thedivinemercy.org and the Association of Marian Helpers. As pastoral heads of Austria for their respective Churches, the Cardinal and Bishop have a warm, productive relationship that many see as a model for ecumenical rapprochement. In his talk, Bishop Hilarion said God's mercy for humanity is so great that it even places a limit on the temporal punishment of sin of those in hell. Bishop Hilarion said the Russian Orthodox view of "hell" is actually more like the Roman Catholic teaching of purgatory. It is a point of major disagreement between the two Churches. Cardinal Schonborn said, "The witness [of Bishop Hilarion] has caused a few doubts in some of us. I hold him in great esteem. What he said about the eternal destiny of man is not a doctrine of the [Catholic] Church. We should follow what great saints of all time have said. [We should] pray that no one should be lost. God wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth. For this reason, we invoke The Divine Mercy on us all." Knowledgeable observers said Cardinal Schonborn's unscripted comments were significant in that he did not reject or minimize the teaching of the Russian Orthodox bishop and that his inclusive use of the collective pronoun "us" could be seen as a tacit endorsement of Bishop Hilarion's topic. That topic had been approved for inclusion in the plenary sessions by the Congress' International Executive Committee, over which Cardinal Schonborn presides. The Vatican Press Office had embargoed, copyrighted, and permitted the text of the speech. Many congressional delegates applauded both Cardinal Schonborn and Bishop Hilarion for what was seen as a courageous ecumenical stance. "Here we had the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church confronting an issue of disagreement with mutual respect, openness, and dialogue," said a member of the U.S. delegation, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Cardinal Schonborn did not run away in fear as some always do in these ticklish matters. Rather, he moved forward and with him took all who are secure in their identity as Christians." The first-ever World Mercy Congress ends tomorrow with Mass in St. Peter's Square celebrated by Cardinal Schonborn and the "Regina Caeli" by Pope Benedict XVI at noon. |
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