Letters

Ambiguities (letter)

Valentine Gallagher

Contents - Apr 2001 - Buy a copy now Editorial: 'If Christ is not risen, then your faith is in vain' - Peter Westmore John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family to open in July 2001 - AD2000 Report News: The Church Around the World Former Townsville Bishop's admissions on liturgy practices - Bishop Raymond Benjamin Is Townsville the model for Ballarat's priest shortage? - Michael Gilchrist Archbishop Curtiss on implementing the theology 'mandatum' - Archbishop Elden Curtiss US parishioners more outspoken about church "renovations" - Zenit News Service Thomas More Centre Summer School 2001: "Building a Culture of Life" - Michael Daniel How to avoid banal, superficial liturgies - Bishop Kevin Manning Rights of unborn are inalienable - Archbishop Barry J. Hickey Tanzania's Father Winfried makes return visit to Australia - Martin Sheehan Letters: Melbourne RE texts (letter) - Barbara Chigwidden Letters: Sponsorship (letter) - Barry O'Brien Letters: Legal action (letter) - Chris Joseph Letters: Inaccuracy (letter) - Fr Michael Kalka PP Letters: Ambiguities (letter) - Valentine Gallagher Letters: ACU Syllabus (letter) - John Kelly Letters: Stations of the Cross (letter) - Charles Bignold Letters: Good responses (letter) - Hyacinth Morel Letters: Dress code (letter) - Raymond de Souza Review Article: A 'silly book' from ACU professor of theology - Frank Mobbs Books: Keeping The Faith: Making a Difference by Wilson D. Miscamble - Michael Daniel (reviewer) JESUS - Jubilee Edition Video - Johanna O'Farrell (reviewer) Books: 'Contraception: The Hidden Truth' by Christine de Stoop - Katie Forster (reviewer) Books: The Apostles' Creed, Defend the Faith and other apologetics topics - Michael Daniel (reviewer) Books: 'The Atonement Child' by Francine Rivers - Mary-Jane Donnellan (reviewer) Books: The Seven Cities of the Apocalypse, by Roland J. Worth - Michael Daniel (reviewer) Reflection: Giving witness to the Gospel of Life - Rebecca van Rensburg

In his review of Professor McInerney's book What Went Wrong with Vatican II, Michael Daniel states that the Professor's thesis is that the crisis in the Catholic Church of the last few decades cannot be blamed on Vatican II but has been caused largely by the actions of dissident theologians in their response to Humanae Vitae (March AD2000).

Some other scholars place at least portion of the blame for the current confusions on ambiguities in the conciliar texts.

Father Malachi Martin wrote: "Those documents [of Vatican II] are pockmarked with ambiguities in matters of faith and in at least two of them there are statements that prima facie seem irreconcilable with the constant teaching of the Roman Catholic Church and its popes up to the reign of Pope John XXIII and the opening of his Council (The Keys of This Blood, p. 682).

In similar vein, Father Brian Harrison observes: "In the crisis of the contemporary Church we are faced with an extraordinary fact: the two contending parties (conservatives and progressivists) claim to be the authentic interpreters of Vatican II. We find nothing like this in the history of the Church and in the Councils of Florence, Trent and Vatican I. The teachings of these councils did not lend themselves to differing and opposing interpretations. He who did not accept these teachings knew he was placing himself outside [the Church]. The unity and vitality of the Church were not threatened. It seems to me essential for the leaders of the Church to honestly recognise the ambiguities we have inherited from the Council". (Quoted in In the Murky Waters of Vatican II by Atila Sinke Guimares, pp. 77-78).

Msgr George Kelly is in substantial agreement with Professor Harrison. Monsignor asserts: "The documents of the Council contain enough basic ambiguities to make the postconciliar difficulties understandable" (The Battle for the American Church, p. 20).

VALENTINE GALLAGHER
Arncliffe, NSW

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 14 No 3 (April 2001), p. 14