Collins views on papacy face heresy
investigation
By NCR Staff
Sacred Heart Fr. Paul Collins, historian and radio-television
broadcaster in Australia, is being investigated by the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith for allegations of heresy in his book Papal Power,
published last year by HarperCollins in London.
Collins, who contributed to a recent NCR series on the
papacy (Oct. 24 issue), put out a news release Feb. 7 rejecting terms of the
Vaticans proceedings, including that of confidentiality. He said,
however, that he would agree to discuss and negotiate his theology under
different guidelines, which he proposed.
Collins said he had been asked to respond to three pages of
observations on his book, which is subtitled A Proposal for
Change in Catholicisms Third Millennium. The observations were sent
by the Vatican congregation to the superior-general of Collins religious
order, Fr. Michael Curran.
The findings of an anonymous theological consultant assert that
Collins:
- implies in his book that a true and binding
revelation does not exist;
- denies that the Church of Christ is identified with the
Catholic church;
- holds an erroneous concept of papal infallibility;
- acknowledges infallibility only in its solemn and ex
cathedra manner, thus excluding the infallibility of the ordinary
and universal magisterium.
The fourth point impinges directly on the Vaticans
proclamation in a November 1995 document on the ordination of women. In that
document, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith linked the ban on
women priests to the infallible teaching of the ordinary and universal
magisterium.
Collins is also accused of putting forth a more than
nebulous concept of church tradition and of wrongfully holding the view
that a teaching, to be considered church doctrine, must be approved through the
sensus fidelium -- the sense of the people -- as well as by bishops and
theologians.
In his book on the papacy, Collins strongly criticizes the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for basing its proceedings on
anonymous accusations, for rarely dealing directly with accused persons, for
using third rate theologians to perform evaluations and then
demanding retractions and imposing silences on the accused. The congregation
has no place in the contemporary church, he wrote. It is
irreformable and therefore should be abolished.
In his news release, Collins described the use of anonymous
denunciation as morally irresponsible.
Collins said the investigation against him is proceeding according
to new Vatican guidelines on dealing with allegedly errant theologians -- the
Regulations for Doctrinal Examination issued June 29 by
Ratzingers congregation.
In a letter dated Feb. 6 and addressed to the congregations
secretary, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, Collins proposed the following
alternative guidelines for a theological assessment of his work:
- that the consultors who criticized his book be named and their
arguments be subjected to critical examination;
- that the book be assessed by experts representing a broad
cross-section of theological opinion;
- that the congregations observations on his
book and any subsequent process be publicly debated; and
- that the congregation address him directly rather than through
the superior general of his congregation.
Collins said he considers his earlier book Gods Earth:
Religion as if Matter Really Mattered (HarperCollins, 1995) to be far more
radical than Papal Power. Unfortunately, he said, the more recent book
represented more of a threat to church authorities who seem sadly
preoccupied with the internal minutiae of ecclesiastical authority at the
expense of real issues facing the contemporary world.
Collins writes popular theology and for the past 15 years has
worked in both radio and television in Australia, including a stint as director
of religious programming for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. His goal,
he says, is helping contemporary Catholics to make sense of their faith
in the modern world.
Collins said he hopes something good for the future of the
church will result from the controversy over his book.
National Catholic Reporter, February 20,
1998
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