Benedict reasserts church's primacy

The Vatican issued a document Tuesday ratified and confirmed by Pope Benedict reasserting that the Roman Catholic Church is the only "true" church and that other denominations do not hold "the means to salvation."

Those might sound like fightin' words in an era in which interfaith events are commonplace, but, for the most part, representatives of other denominations sounded more forgiving than angry.

Many in the Minnesota faith community said that they've heard the same assertion from Roman Catholics before.

"This is who they've always been," said the Rev. Barbara Anne Keely, associate professor of Christian education and congregational spirituality at United Theological Seminary, an ecumenical seminary in New Brighton operated by the United Church of Christ. "I was raised Irish Catholic. That's what I was taught then, and that's what they teach now."

For Bishop Sally Dyck, resident bishop of Minnesota for the United Methodist Church, the timing of the Vatican's statement was ironic. She was attending a conference at St. John's University in Collegeville -- a very Catholic place -- when she got a call on her cell phone about it.

"We enjoy a good relationship with Roman Catholics, as well as all other faiths, and we will continue to do so," she said. "Locally, I don't think this will have an effect in terms of how we embrace our Catholic brothers and sisters."

The document consists mainly of a paper written by Benedict seven years ago, before he was pope. It was released by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which Benedict headed before he became pope.

The document restates parts of a paper he wrote arguing that "Christ established here on Earth only one church" and goes on to say that other denominations "cannot be called churches in the proper sense" because they do not have apostolic succession, which is the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ's original apostles.

The document said that Orthodox churches were indeed "churches" because they have apostolic succession and enjoyed "many elements of sanctification and of truth." But it said they do not recognize the primacy of the pope -- a defect, or "wound," that harmed them.

The document's sentiments precede Benedict -- by centuries.

"There's nothing new there," Keely said. "In fact, if you go back far enough, that's what brought about the Reformation."

'A reiteration' of doctrine

Bishop Richard Pates of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis called the document, which he said he hasn't yet seen, "a reiteration of Roman Catholic doctrine."

Not everyone was willing to turn the other cheek.

"This is not good" for efforts to generate dialogue and mutual trust between Roman Catholics and other religions, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches said in an open letter to the Vatican that was posted on its website.

The group, which claims to represent more than 75 million Protestants worldwide, said the Vatican is casting doubt on its desire to keep the lines of communication open with the "other families of the church."

Keely said she believes the Vatican's message is aimed more at Roman Catholics than at members of other faiths.

"I think the pope was under increasing pressure inside the Vatican to say, 'This is who we are,' " she said. "As head of the church, he has to make sure that he says, 'This is what we stand for.' "

As such, he deserves the support of other religious leaders, said Rabbi Irwin Kula.

The host of a radio show based in New York and author of the book "Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life," Kula sounded a call for calm last week when some Jews took exception to the pope's steps to reintroduce the ancient Latin mass known as the Tridentine rite because it includes a Good Friday prayer for the conversion of Jews.

Kula continued in that vein when asked about the new document. "I respect him for saying it," he said. "He's passionate about this. He's saying, 'Look, folks, here's my truth, and if you're not a member of my church, you don't have to freak out about it.' "

Kula said that "deep down" believers in every religion think they are right and other people are wrong, but they don't have the nerve to say it."

Jeff Strickler • 612-673-7392 • jstrickler@startribune.com